San Juan Island Food Co-op

Posted by - :: Mon, Jan 25, 2010

What eggs does the co-op want? Since we opened, we've stocked Wilcox eggs from Roy, Washington; check their website at http://www.wilcoxfarms.com/consumer/index.html.
The website is lovely, but I can't wrap my mind around a flock of more than 800,000 hens and a factory turning out about that many eggs every day.

I buy my eggs from local growers when I can get them, which is tricky in the dark months, but now there are eggs everywhere. The trick is to find eggs that are licensed and inspected for retail sale in a store, and there are almost none on San Juan Island. For example, Heritage Farm has lots of organic eggs from their pastured chickens--milk fed, for goodness sake, with dark orange yolks--but you need to go to the farm stand to get them. Don Moss on Waldron Island will have some for us as soon as he gets his license, probably a gross per week.

Meanwhile, Anna and Steffi and I are taking a field trip to Skagit tomorrow (Tuesday, January 26) to look for eggs from happy chickens that we can sell while we wait. It's been my intention, whenever possible, to put my eyeballs on the actual operation that supplies our food. Please check out the websites below and tell us what you think; these two were suggested by our account manager at Puget Sound Food Network:
http://www.skagitriverranch.com/
http://www.hiddenmeadowranch.com/

I'm so optimistic I'm about to ask Anna to cancel the Wilcox order for this week! Stand by for an update when we return.

Eleanor

Posted by - Anna Spears :: Mon, Jan 25, 2010

I stand in agreement of seeking a different outlet for our eggs, getting away from Wilcox. My chickens have begun to lay eggs and looking at the beautiful bright orange, vibrant yokes, I have been asking myself "are the store bought eggs even really eggs?" There is a quote that sticks with me, and seems to hold SO true to this subject, from the book "The World Without Us," by Alan Weisman. He says that today's society has been "bred to a pale copy of what nature intended."

These store bought, supposed 'free range' and organic eggs, sure seem like a pale copy to me!

We will be sure to keep you posted of what we find on our field trip!

-Anna

Posted by - Eleanor Hartmann :: Mon, Mar 22, 2010

Here I am again. We are getting certified organic eggs from the Moss-on-Earth Farm on Waldron every other week. To fill in we are getting Organic Valley eggs.

I found some cheap farm eggs on flats from Oregon on the Azure site, but Anna judged that even at $2 a dozen and change, people would be inconvenienced by having to bring a carton or use one from the pile in the back of the store.

If you have eggs or know of someone who has them, please suggest they post a notice on the cork board in back, so that people who want really fresh local eggs can find them.

I saw a yard sign for eggs on Argyle out near the Fairgrounds.

Eleanor