Welcome new, and welcome back seasoned CSA members. Gauging by the weather it is hard to believe today is our first CSA pickup. The temperature at my house right now at 11 am on May 20th is a dreary and wet 36 F.
Given the cold cloudy spring weather we have had it is so impressive that Wyatt and all the hard working farm crew have so much to offer us for our first pickup. If any of you have been members of other CSAs I think you will appreciate how large and diverse Red Wagon’s share options are.
In addition to the vegetable CSA share you can buy shares of coffee, fruit, mushrooms or eggs.
If you have an egg share; Lucky You! You signed up for one dozen and, but guess what? We are giving you 2 (!) dozen pullet eggs!
If you are new to pullet eggs lets talk.
Pullets are female chickens under one year old. Chickens start laying eggs when they are around 6 or 7 months old. So, pullet eggs are the eggs the chicken lays the first few months of her laying season.
I cherish these first eggs. Nothing in chicken keeping makes me happier than going to the nest box and finding a pullet egg.
How do I know it’s a pullet egg and not one of my older ‘experienced’ hens?
Pullet eggs are almost always smaller than hen eggs, a little bigger than 1/2 the size of a large hen egg. They are just as nutritious as hen eggs and taste just as good, some people think they taste better even. I’m on the fence, both are delicious as long as they are happy healthy pasture raised birds.
The pullet eggs are on the left, the eggs on the right are from my mature hens.
I do know that pullet eggs, and eggs from younger birds have strong yolk and albumen (the white part). When you fry a pullet or a young hen egg it will stand high in your pan or if you are poaching the egg will stay intact and not shred apart. I also think the ratio of yolk to white is bigger in the younger birds. I don’t have proof, just what I have seen over years of keeping chickens. I like to make deviled eggs out of pullet eggs because the yolks are bigger, you get more of the good stuff.
The hen egg is on the top and the pullet egg is on the bottom right.
Another bonus of pullet eggs is, you are really supporting a farmer. CSAs are all about supporting the farmers and getting a great product in return. The grocery stores only buy large or x large eggs from farmers. So, it’s hard for farms to have a place to sell pullet eggs. Our CSA egg share is a way to directly help a farmer. You supply an outlet for these first eggs. If not for you these eggs would get thrown away. A sad thought.
So Win-Win! You get twice as much of a fantastic product and Cottonwood Creek Farm has a few weeks early income while they wait for the pullet eggs to size up!
Put on your wellies and raincoats. I’ll see you at pickup!
Mo
