First, why fresh? While it just seems logical that fresh is better, I will be the first to say that exactly how much difference it makes shocked me. It started when I learned just how old those supermarket eggs are. According to a web article written for Medco Rx:
"Most eggs bought in the store are several months old. According to Purina, commercial eggs can be 6-8 months old, and nutrition in the eggs declines with age. How do you know how old your eggs are? It can be tough. According to fresheggsdaily.com, “An egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton. Yes, that says ‘put in the carton’, not laid or collected, but packaged.” There isn’t any regulation about by what date it needs to be packaged."
Huh? 6-8 Months. I tell my kid all the time, "just because it is on the internet does not mean it is true. Check your sources." Soo... I did that. Several of them repeated the 6 - 8 month reference, and others indicate 2 months from laying to packaging, and another 30 to 45 days in the store. No reference was less then 2 months, and 30 to 45 days was consistent.
In contrast, your Wegener Farm eggs get to you within a week or two of being laid. No wonder we can tell the difference, but what does fresh really do for you? Well, reference after reference cites nutritional degradation over time, and the following graphic brings this home.
So, more nutritious I can understand, but lower in cholesterol and saturated fat? This also shows up in reference after reference and seems to be linked to the fact that chickens raised on local farms are themselves healthier, especially those raised on pasture.
Raising animals on pasture allows them to be themselves. In other words, pastured chickens get to act like chickens, foraging for plant matter, bugs and worms, while always being on clean litter. This is good for the soil too as the fertility in the chicken manure is spread naturally around the pasture, which in turn grows better plant matter and bugs for the chickens to forage on. Everybody wins! Look at what it means for the eggs they produce:
This is explained even better in this video:
All of this just makes me more sure than ever that we are on the right track at The Wegener Farm, and we are so glad you are on it with us! Thanks for being part of our journey!
Warm regards,
Rob (your personal farmer)