594573 Sun Feb 08 20:27:04 -0800 2009 18 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4399627 Please forgive my ignorance; I know this is going to sound stupid to some people, but I I need a few questions answered. I purchased some free range organic eggs at a farm on Friday. I saw the ad on craigslist, and it's around the corner from my sister, so I thought I'd check it out. When I got there, all sorts of chickens were running around, different colors and types. I picked up a dozen eggs for myself and 2 dozen for a friend. The eggs look like something out of a Martha Stewart show. Some are brown, others are blue and green, some are beige speckles. They are beautiful, and don't even look real. Plus, they weigh twice as much as a dozen from the grocery store, I swear. The farmer told me the yolks would be orange, and once I had these eggs, I would never want a grocery store egg again. I like my eggs over easy; are these non pasteurized eggs safe to eat that way? My sister has me thinking I will be in kidney dialysis if I eat an un-pasteurized egg. My parents were raised in NYC, so when I told them about the colors of the eggs, they looked at me like I was crazy. Yes, they know a good bagel, pastrami sandwich or where to a great pizza, but when it comes to eggs...not so much! I do like my eggs well cooked, and not very runny. Is it safe to assume these eggs will be safe to eat over easy? Thanks Sun Feb 08 20:27:04 -0800 2009 95489 mschow 1 4399641 I don't think any eggs you buy are pasteurized except for "liquid" eggs like Egg Beaters type eggs or egg whites. Sun Feb 08 20:32:58 -0800 2009 4399627 11914 monku 1 4399658 I stand corrected. You can buy "pasteurized" eggs, but most eggs you buy at the store are not pasteurized. Sun Feb 08 20:46:03 -0800 2009 4399627 11914 monku 1 4399660 There is a higher chance of salmonella in eggs fresh from the farm like this because they don't go through the stringent cleaning process and oiling like grocery store eggs do. But eggs in the store are not pasteurized except for egg beaters. I'd eat them a bit more well done then I'd normally eat them. Sun Feb 08 20:47:37 -0800 2009 4399627 164007 Bryn 2 4399680 Salmonella is in the egg and has nothing to do with cleaning the shell. 1 in 10,000 eggs may contain salmonella in the Northeast. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm Sun Feb 08 20:55:24 -0800 2009 4399660 11914 monku 3 4400356 no. Some salmonella is in the egg from the mother hen. MOST contamination is caused by cross contamination of an infected birds feces on to the surface of the egg. Big egg operations have it so the egg leaves from under the chicken immediately and goes for washing and refrigeration so that it is not contaminated by feces. Mon Feb 09 08:04:57 -0800 2009 4399680 164007 Bryn 4 4401749 Read the link from the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/salment_g.htm Mon Feb 09 14:14:15 -0800 2009 4400356 11914 monku 5 4402250 The cdc isn't explaining the contamination of eggs that are not disinfected. The OP is asking about eggs that are not disinfected. Therefore your article is only half relevant. Mon Feb 09 16:45:17 -0800 2009 4401749 164007 Bryn 2 4399691 I thought I had read that farm fresh eggs like these are much less likely to have salmonella than the factory farm eggs commonly available in grocery stores. I thought that the very cramped and crowded conditions in the factory farm settings are more likely to give rise to salmonella. In any event, I thought that the risk of salmonella from eggs was pretty small, but especially from a small provider. (And especially when you like your eggs well-cooked!) Sun Feb 08 21:00:49 -0800 2009 4399660 123744 karykat 3 4400364 The smaller provider doesn't test regularly for salmonella on his birds and since they are free range they can be easily infected by whatever wild birds are flying around and stealing the chickens feed. Not that I'm against it is just a simple fact. Mon Feb 09 08:06:40 -0800 2009 4399691 164007 Bryn 1 4399668 Commercial eggs are washed in an antiseptic solution so that he shells are clean, but they are not pasteurized. Your eggs should be fine over easy. You are lucky to have a source like this. Sun Feb 08 20:50:37 -0800 2009 4399627 56131 jayt90 1 4399698 if your eggs are fresh and from a clean, well run organic farm, they should be safe even to eat raw. over-easy should not be a concern. in general these eggs will be far safer in terms of salmonella than grocery store eggs which come from factory farmed hens in battery cages. if the shells look unclean, you can give them a rinse, but i buy eggs like this all the time and don't bother, and have never had a problem. Sun Feb 08 21:06:49 -0800 2009 4399627 68210 andytee 1 4399704 Most of the demand for pasteurized eggs is in the preparing of certain sauces and salad dressings. You can inquire of your local grocer to be certain about what's available in your local area. There are some limited sources for eggs that have been pasteurized in the shell (it's done using low temperature pasteurization) but I doubt that the eggs you buy at the local supermarket meet that standard. Egg color variations are simply the result of their being produced by different breeds of chickens. A brown egg is no more nutritious (or less) that a white egg. "Free Range" eggs come from hens that are permitted to roam but use nesting boxes or nests in open areas while still having the freedom to leave nest (if they choose - not all of them roam the same amount) periodically. But chickens that are allowed to roam free can lay eggs in areas where they come into contact with feces or other contaminating agents so their eggs aren't necessarily something you'd want as a first choice. That's why you'll find commercial egg suppliers run their eggs through a washing process, Your local "organic farmer" may not take the trouble to do that. Eggs can be contaminated internally or the egg matter inside the shell can become contaminated by the bacteria on the outside of the shell when the shell is cracked. That's why it's a good idea to maintain good food safety practices at all times. There are those who will disagree; they've been careless all their lives and have beaten the odds of salmonella and other deadly bacteria. How you handle your food is a matter of free choice. If you're lucky you'll never suffer a food borne illness. If you're unlucky, you may only experience it once ... then it's Forest Lawn. Sun Feb 08 21:08:54 -0800 2009 4399627 203621 todao 2 4399790 I agree entirely. I buy pasturized eggs when I am making something that uses raw eggs (like some kind of dessert that has raw egg whites in it) and especially if I'm serving it to anyone who migh be especially vulnerable. In those cases, why worry? I don't want to worry that my dessert is putting an elderly family member at risk. For day to day cooking, I buy eggs from local providers I trust who I know are not factory farm operators, so that I think the risk is reduced. Just my philosophy. Sun Feb 08 22:08:45 -0800 2009 4399704 123744 karykat 2 4399875 My Father-In-Law keeps laying hens, as do several of my friends. Left to their own devices, chickens almost never lay eggs where the come in contact with feces. If they do, or are ever dirty for any other reason, it's simple enough to wash off. People have been eating eggs, and eating them raw, for centuries pre-pasteur without major catastrophe. I'm clear that my experience with eating unwashed farm fresh eggs and being safe is strictly anecdotal, but it's been a delicious experience. I don't have any illusions that in the contaminated food never hurt anyone before the rise of industrial agriculture, but I'm pretty convinced that more salmonella come from factory farms that small local egg producers. We have a core problem in our food system that instead of opting for the safety of good practices and fresh product up front, we choose pasteruization and irradiation and preservatives. I'm not dead set against any of these (well, I can't say much good for irradiation) but I don't think eggs need it. You mentioned that commercial producers put their eggs "through a washing process" - we can too, use your sink. It's really that easy if you are concerned. There's always exceptions to any rule, which it why it's good to get to know your farmers, and that's a heck of a lot easier with a backyard operation than a battery cage one. Mon Feb 09 00:14:10 -0800 2009 4399704 68210 andytee 1 4400514 I get eggs all the time from the farm down the street, and they're all different colors like yours. The first time I saw the blue ones I said "Did she steal them from a robin's nest?" (it was springtime) Now I know better. Anyway they do have brown gunk and sometimes straw stuck on them; I always wash them off, and if I'm making them over easy or in eggnog I first soak them in a bowl of water with just a drop of bleach for about 30 seconds. Just for good luck! Although I saw here that the alcohol in eggnog has been proven to kill anything bad in there. Over easy and sunnyside up are the best way to use these, scrambled eggs come out great too but a little runny is the best way to enjoy them in all their glory. Mon Feb 09 08:52:56 -0800 2009 4399627 11097 coll 1 4401902 lucky you! The blue/green eggs are from Aracuana chickens. I can't remember the names of the other chickens which lay sand colored eggs, but I hope to begin buying some again soon-when a local dairy farmer/cheese maker gets more hens. I miss those orange yolks that only come from scratchin' around the outdoors! Mon Feb 09 14:58:31 -0800 2009 4399627 65673 monavano 1 4403610 These eggs are fine to eat over easy. We have laying hens that are free to roam our property, and they don't lay their eggs where they deficate...they lay them in their nests, not just in any old place they choose (I'm not sure to what Todao is referring), and not where they're exposed to feces. If you are concerned, though, just wash them in a water-winegar solution. My experience is certainly antecodal (my family and I and almost all our neighbors have been eating farm-fresh eggs for as long as I can remember with no problems), but I'm also an epidemiologist, and I'm hard pressed to recall any outbreaks of kidney failure among people purchasing eggs at farm stands. Tue Feb 10 07:49:34 -0800 2009 4399627 201585 RosemaryHoney 1 4405948 I'm an urban chicken keeper too. When eggs are laid they have a *bloom* on them which protects the egg contents from being contaminated with any dirt that might get on them. Commercial operations wash the bloom and any dirt off and then re-coat the egg with mineral oil to restore that protection. The color of the yolk has a lot to do with the hens diet. The more greens they get the more yellow the yolk will be. You can feed a hen paprika & it will make the yolk more orange/red. Other foods will make it more green. One thing my family noticed when we first started eating our hens eggs were that they were incredibly rich - much more so than store bought eggs. We leave the bloom on the egg until time to crack it open but wash them before doing so. Tue Feb 10 19:45:05 -0800 2009 4399627 253318 toastnjam