a timeless paradox . . .

of which came first ~

we'll not attempt to answer here . . .

From the tale of "Humpty Dumpty" . . .

to the stance of a "Proud Mama" . . .

eggs have played an important role in the survival of humanity.

No matter how you like them, soft boiled, scrambled or sunny side up . . . in a quiche or a sauce of hollandaise ~ and lest we not forget cakes, cookies and desserts galore ~ enjoy some fun facts about eggs that may be as surprising as a farmer finding a . . .

"Balloon in my Orchard" . . .

Many folks know that the color of the egg shell is determined by the breed of the chicken; but if you saw a chicken crossing the road, would you know how to determine the color of the shell of the eggs she would lay?

It's really quite simple indeed. Take a look at her ear lobes. Hens with white ears produce white eggs while hens with red ears produce brown eggs, and hens with bluish-green ears produce bluish-green eggs!

Let's take a look at "Susan's Basket of Eggs" . . .

The incubation of a chicken egg is twenty-one days. When a light source is placed in front of an egg shortly after it is laid, this is called "candling." In the old days, they used a candle to this. Now, I'm not sure whose idea it was to try to take a look inside; but they did learn quite a bit about the quality of the little orb of goodness. This is how fine cracks in the shell are detected as well as what the inside looks like. This is also how they determine the size of the egg's air cell within.

Now, you may wonder why it is important to determine the size of the air cell because you are such an inquisitive sort; and it is a very important thing to know.

This is how the grade of an egg is determined by the government. The grade is based on the size of the air cell in the egg, its quality and freshness. The smaller the air cell, the higher quality the egg. Grade AA egg must be less than ten days old from packing, while Grade A eggs must be less than 30 days from packing.

Here's another important little tidbit about freshness and quality. When you see the whitish, twisted material (albumen) in a raw egg yolk as part of a layer of dense egg white surrounding the entire yolk, it means the egg is fresher and a higher quality egg. It is there to keep the egg yolk centered.

And speaking of yolks, the yolk of an egg is actually one cell and one of the largest in nature. Consider the size of the yolk of an ostrich egg and be amazed because it can feed twenty-four people. The yolk will be a deeper yellow color from hens that eat a high quality diet of grasses, corn, and other nutrient dense foods that are deeper in yellow color. Many claim these eggs taste better, too!

Hope you enjoyed our tour through the hen house!

~ Carolyn

---

The Art Loft Gallery, LTD., a locally owned and operated business in Collinsville, Illinois, has been open since 1984. In addition to offering custom picture framing services, The Art Loft Gallery, LTD. is an authorized dealer for renowned artist, Patricia Buckley Moss, and also has a wide variety of antiques and giftware for sale. Come in for a unique shopping experience and enjoy a cup of Starbucks and a cookie while you shop. Contact Us