As consumers look to more humane, healthy, and earth-friendly protein options, pastured eggs are the latest trend. Pastured eggs come from chickens whose diets are made up predominately of forage, bugs, and worms (in other words, their natural diets). They live in moveable, permeable coops, so they can roost and lay wherever they please.

Even the cage-free eggs sold in supermarkets come from chickens living in crowded conditions in huge hanger-like barns. The birds are often de-beaked, their wings clipped, and their laying cycles artificially manipulated.

Not so with pastured eggs. Pastured chickens live like chickens, not machines. As a result, their eggs have an intense, slightly wild flavor that makes regular eggs taste bland as industrial tofu. If you can find pastured eggs at your local farmers’ market, snap them up. Since it’s not possible to produce pastured eggs from the huge factory flocks, they sell out quickly.

Look for future posts with recipes and health information about pastured eggs. In the meantime, peck around in this eye-opening run-down on egg marketing terms.

Image: PeskyMac