I sure do love eggs. I probably couldn't rattle off as many ways to eat them as Bubba could shrimp, but scrambled, poached and hard boiled are favorites. A few years ago I started buying brown eggs because they seemed more rustic and had a fresh-from-the-farm appeal. When I lived in Richmond, VA, I bought organic cage-free eggs from Ellwood Thompson's, an organic/natural grocery store. Those were the best eggs I had ever tasted. Deep orange in color, I loved them scrambled leaving them slightly wet and creamy. I am in search of such eggs.

As of late, I've been buying fresh brown eggs at the Dupont Farmers Market. On Sunday, I counted four vendors who were selling them. In the spirit of supporting local farmers and with the hope that these eggs would taste better, I've paid about double ($4.77) for a dozen eggs which I usually buy at Safeway (Lucerne large brown eggs). But, are they better? Will I find the elusive deep orange yolks?

I did a bit of informal experimentation with my eggs, comparing supermarket brown eggs which have been in my refrigerator for over a week, to fresh from the market brown and certified organic eggs from Sunnyside Farms (purchased from Eco Friendly). I compared the look of the eggs raw, and the taste and texture of the eggs both scrambled and hard boiled. My husband Frank and I were the testers.

First, I cracked the eggs and placed them in a white dish. The supermarket egg is on the left and the farmers market egg is on the right. I noticed that the egg whites differed more than the yolks. The whites from the older supermarket egg was watery, and the farm fresh egg was more viscous. I think you can pick that up in the photo. The yolks were really about the same. I was hoping to find a deep orange yolk with the farm egg, but alas, they were both deep golden yellow.

I then whisked and scrambled each egg separately in a non-stick skillet with a pat of unsalted butter and  a pinch of kosher salt (how I usually make them). I cooked them almost all the way through, but left them wet. The farm fresh egg (right) was creamier and more moist given the same cooking method. The taste was about the same.

Next, I hard boiled a supermarket and a farmers market egg in my usual method, which is to place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil. I then turned off the heat and left the eggs covered for 6 minutes, removing them to an ice bath to cool. This seems to be a great way to stop the cooking and reduce the green sulfur ring around the yolk.

I peeled the eggs by gently cracking the shells all over, placing them under slowly running cool water to separate the shell and membrane from the egg. Much to my surprise, the farm fresh egg peeled easily. In fact, it was easier to peel than the assumed much older egg. Older eggs are supposed to be easier to peel because the air pocket within the egg gets bigger as the egg ages. With a smaller air pocket, the shell and membrane stick to the egg more.

Again, both eggs looked about the same in color (farmers market egg on the right). The farmers market egg yolk was again creamier and more moist, with the supermarket egg yolk being dryer. The taste was about the same.

Perhaps there is a more notable difference when using fresher eggs in different preparations, such as pasta, or in baking. I really can't say that the farm fresh eggs were far superior to supermarket eggs, for the methods I used to prepare them, given the cost.

If you have any favorite egg vendors, or know where to get deep orange eggs, I would sure like to hear from you. Until then, I'll continue my search for Ellwood Thompson eggs.