tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post3680787922554656106..comments2024-03-28T19:52:27.301-05:00Comments on Althouse: What do you egg-spect?Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-79541049777560354422010-08-25T12:02:44.644-05:002010-08-25T12:02:44.644-05:00Eggscuse me, (sorry) but what bothered me most abo...Eggscuse me, (sorry) but what bothered me most about the story is all the reported rapes of workers at this guy's chicken coop.<br /><br />Second is the fact that he's gotten away with $o many violation$ for $o long.<br /><br />Third is I'm not going to eat Huevos Rancheros ever again.Junkyard Ballerinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03099387334525971631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75282885716245206582010-08-22T17:42:57.379-05:002010-08-22T17:42:57.379-05:00Do we have cities in Kansas? Um, yes. The State ...Do we have cities in Kansas? Um, yes. The State of Kansas has regulations for anyone who sells eggs. If you have under 200 chickens, and you sell directly to the consumer, either at your farm or at a Farmers' Market, the regs I mentioned apply. It does not matter if I sell my eggs at a Farmers' Market in Kansas City, Kansas, Topeka, Wichita or Leavenworth (which is the city I do sell my eggs, and my handspun yarns and mohair in).<br /><br />So far, the food safety bills I am talking about do not have exemptions for small producers in them. Both the House bill (which has passed) and the Senate bill (which has not yet passed) have severe reporting requirements, and the only thing I would be exempt from is the $500 a year registration fee (Since I make maybe $200 a year from eggs, well, why bother!).<br />There is no exemption for the paperwork requirements of the bill for small farms. I'm not sure why the other commenter would think I'm trying to pull one over on Ann, why on earth would I do that?<br />Big Ag loves this bill - it will severely reduce competition - and the egg producers with the bazillion bad eggs will still be in business and will still be able to sell crappy eggs. :)Beth Donovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01291132590140624679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86471439569451287812010-08-22T17:34:02.776-05:002010-08-22T17:34:02.776-05:00Do you have cites there? Are you talking about the...Do you have cites there? Are you talking about the same regulations? I have no idea.Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72393640195343510922010-08-22T09:58:19.783-05:002010-08-22T09:58:19.783-05:00hmmmmmm....
"Farms, restaurants, (including ...hmmmmmm....<br /><br />"Farms, restaurants, (including all operations that prepare food for, or serve food directly to consumers), fishing vessels not engaged in processing, and firms regulated exclusively by USDA would be exempted from the new recordkeeping requirements."<br /><br /><br />Ooops Ann is taken for a ride.Opus One Mediahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04041788083619471630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90072065604034851692010-08-22T06:21:55.951-05:002010-08-22T06:21:55.951-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Beth Donovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01291132590140624679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24217651279128736142010-08-22T06:19:40.994-05:002010-08-22T06:19:40.994-05:00I actually have some knowledge on this subject. I ...I actually have some knowledge on this subject. I raise free-range chickens (just 30 or 40, depending on how evil the local coyotes are at the time) and sell what eggs we don't use at the local farmers' market.<br />Each state has its own rules for selling eggs. Even those of us who sell locally have to abide by those rules - which are, in Kansas, anyway- we have to wash the eggs before selling them and we have to date the egg cartons one month from the date the eggs are laid. And our name, address and phone number must be on the carton.<br /><br />Because my chickens are true free-rangers, they wander around the yard, the pastures and the woods. They eat not only bugs, but mice and snakes and voles - I've watched them catch the above critters, and run joyously around, showing off their catch, while all the other chickens (and guineas, ducks and peafowl) chase the chicken with the prize until they all get a bite. They are most definitely omnivores.<br /><br />There is a protective coating that is deposited on the egg shell when it is laid that (in the case of a fresh egg) cannot be permeated by bacteria like salmonella. Now, as soon as you wash the outside of the egg, that protection is gone, gone, gone, and as the egg ages, there is a higher risk of contamination.<br /><br />I would NEVER sell an egg with any fecal material on it, by the way - my eggs are washed right before I take them to market - I collect them daily, refrigerate them for up to a week (we have a once weekly farmers' market here) and then I wash them with anti-bacterial soap either the morning I take them to market or the night before.<br /><br />Eggs from huge producers are treated quite differently. Also, most state laws allow grocery stores to restamp the dates on egg cartons if they change the grade to a lower one - you can get much, much older eggs from the grocery store than you would from a local producer.<br /><br />If you wonder why eggs are only $1 a dozen at Aldis, well, they are likely Grade B (old). <br /><br />You can check for egg freshness by putting the egg in a bowl of water, if it stays flat down at the bottom, it is very fresh - if it floats, toss it. If it stands on end, it is still edible, but use it quickly, and cook it well.<br /><br />Generally, eggs that are from free range hens will have a very deep orange colored yolk, not a pale yellow one. They have more Omega 3 fats in them than factory produced eggs, and the chickens, outside of the risk of being eaten by hawks and coyotes, have a much happier life, and on my farm, when they get too old to lay, they still live here, happily chasing bugs and voles and little snakes.<br /><br />The government is pushing these food poisoning events because they want to over-regulate. You should look into some of the regulations currently being considered by the FDA and USDA. These regs are going to increase the price of food considerably, if they are put into place - and they are doing it all under the guise of food safety.<br /><br />These regs will also likely put small producers like myself out of business. I'll still raise chickens for our eggs, but I'll be disallowed from selling the eggs to anyone else unless I take some draconian steps and agree to paperwork for each individual chicken from hatching until death - if a skunk, opossum, raccoon, coyote or hawk kills a chicken, I'd have to report that to the government.Beth Donovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01291132590140624679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-58112744041245730262010-08-21T22:20:22.280-05:002010-08-21T22:20:22.280-05:00How much less than 1%? 1% of 7B is 70M. That's...<i>How much less than 1%? 1% of 7B is 70M. That's a lot of bad eggs.</i><br /><br />It's all the eggs that have been recalled, which is every egg that two large farms produced between April and now (that is around 500,000,000). The great majority of those eggs have nothing wrong with them. (As we can see by looking at salmonella cases; the article says there have been about 1300 more than usual, and that sets an upper bound on salmonella-infected eggs.)jaedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03328666344764784829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-44424818059468260142010-08-21T21:53:05.190-05:002010-08-21T21:53:05.190-05:00"The image of the pecking around in the dirt ..."The image of the pecking around in the dirt AT&T the farmer in the dell's place is probably inaccurate."<br /><br />Ha! I wrote that on my iPad in a café and didn't notice the autocorrect. Sorry!Ann Althousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87066321621680813922010-08-21T20:58:11.570-05:002010-08-21T20:58:11.570-05:00Jorg wrote:
What I really hate is the hysteria wit...Jorg wrote:<br />What I really hate is the hysteria with which this information is presented. I had a doctor's appointment Thursday, and the whole time, 30 minutes each way, I listened to a local news radio station. <br /><br />Honest to God, they made it sound like an imminent nuclear attack. And I don't remember even one mention of washing, cooking thoroughly, etc.<br /><br><br />Once Al Qaeda realized they couldn't get their hands on a dirty bomb they resorted to the next best thing. Eggs contaminated with salmonella. If only noone cooks them and washes their hands they will achieve a great victory, praise Allah!jr565https://www.blogger.com/profile/07630491937904835553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30909564693246886632010-08-21T18:49:15.486-05:002010-08-21T18:49:15.486-05:00"But the most dangerous food of all for food ..."But the most dangerous food of all for food poisoning? Plain ordinary chicken." <br /><br />I don't know about that. Most common perhaps, but not the most dangerous. That would surely be botulism from some kind of anaerobic food preparation.chuck b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00882763861745236443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1198601227923019362010-08-21T18:43:29.993-05:002010-08-21T18:43:29.993-05:00You can get sick from oysters, raw fish, and a hos...You can get sick from oysters, raw fish, and a host of other things. But if the food is fresh and of high quality the risk is very low. Live life and stop worrying. <br /><br />But the most dangerous food of all for food poisoning? Plain ordinary chicken.Fred4Preshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574159710712259945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86159641115834566652010-08-21T18:41:23.639-05:002010-08-21T18:41:23.639-05:00Synova, I have chickens too. The eggs are better....Synova, I have chickens too. The eggs are better. Far better. The yokes are bright orange from all the beta carotene that they eat. Fresh veggies and fruits keep the chickens happy. <br /><br />An no jokes about the Kids In The Hall skits of the Chicken Lady I posted above. There is no abomination stuff at Fred4Pres' chicken coup. That sort of stuff only happens in Canada.Fred4Preshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01574159710712259945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35434808872314102082010-08-21T18:28:57.456-05:002010-08-21T18:28:57.456-05:00With such caution you never experience the ultimat...With such caution you never experience the ultimate Mighty Caesar with raw egg. I take the chance because you only go around once.Sissy Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04316411260777111360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-9298655541297819842010-08-21T18:27:21.322-05:002010-08-21T18:27:21.322-05:00"This egg scare represents less than 1% of th..."This egg scare represents less than 1% of the US egg production. The US produces about 7 billion eggs per month."<br /><br />How much less than 1%? 1% of 7B is 70M. That's a lot of bad eggs.chuck b.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00882763861745236443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4909962807185263392010-08-21T17:41:13.613-05:002010-08-21T17:41:13.613-05:00This comment thread explains why the yolks are ora...This comment thread explains why the yolks are orange here in Germany. I'd wondered.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12824506338738265111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-29311671145169662692010-08-21T17:38:07.873-05:002010-08-21T17:38:07.873-05:00"Can I get salmonella from eating fried eggs ..."Can I get salmonella from eating fried eggs with runny yolks?"<br /><br />Yes. But you can get salmonella from almost anything if the conditions are right and the bacteria is there.<br /><br />The truth is you are highly unlikely to get salmonella poisoning from eating eggs, as very few eggs are infected with salmonella bacteria. Rinse off the egg with hot water before you break it, and enjoy your eggs the way you like them. Don't waste your life worrying about things that are unlikely to happen.Palladianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01105490715666718993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-84120357747147231222010-08-21T17:18:21.588-05:002010-08-21T17:18:21.588-05:00Can I get salmonella from eating fried eggs with r...Can I get salmonella from eating fried eggs with runny yolks? <br /><br />I wish we'd get over our superstitions and just irradiate everything that can spoil.ASThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14591247136037620408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-24366456306069949312010-08-21T16:24:36.862-05:002010-08-21T16:24:36.862-05:00What I really hate is the hysteria with which this...What I really hate is the hysteria with which this information is presented. I had a doctor's appointment Thursday, and the whole time, 30 minutes each way, I listened to a local news radio station. <br /><br />Honest to God, they made it sound like an imminent nuclear attack. And I don't remember even one mention of washing, cooking thoroughly, etc.<br /><br />Then I got to thinking. Is it just me, or has the "news" reporting gotten even more hysterical this past year or so?<br /><br />Here in the Detroit area we've had "tornado watch" news that lasted for hours [repeating the exact same info over and over and over until I thought my ears would bleed just from having it on as background noise]. Before that we had "lightning alerts". Same thing. <br /><br />Then there are the drownings, apartment break-ins, and, my favorite, winter storms.<br /><br />You would think that we had never had a "winter storm" in Michigan before. Not a blizzard, just a "winter storm".<br /><br />I wonder if it has anything to do with a declining audience.<br /><br />"Scary shit happening in YOUR neighborhood!!!!!!!!!! News at 11."<br /><br />Jeez.JorgXMcKiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509568525555189690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4279911094093496662010-08-21T16:24:20.302-05:002010-08-21T16:24:20.302-05:00@Synova
I occasionaly get eggs from friends who s...@Synova<br /><br />I occasionaly get eggs from friends who supplement the grain feed with greens from the veggie garden and table/kitchen scraps and the yolks are a deep gold or orange. The yolk is also larger and the texture denser. Those eggs do taste different than factory eggs or the bartered grain fed eggs, not necessarily "better" just different.BJMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447134335568803085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66289015209955065282010-08-21T15:38:50.551-05:002010-08-21T15:38:50.551-05:00Chip;
The word 'cloaca' never fails to cra...Chip;<br /><i>The word 'cloaca' never fails to crack me up.</i><br /><br />hopefully, you alone, and not the eggsPhil 314https://www.blogger.com/profile/04133300763922742206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40370116151086319622010-08-21T15:25:22.062-05:002010-08-21T15:25:22.062-05:00"And farm fresh eggs are 1000% better than fa..."And farm fresh eggs are 1000% better than factory farm eggs. They are fresher, the chickens generally get to walk around and get in the sun, and they eat a more varied diet (not just controlled feed). Nothing wrong with chicken feed, but eggs are soooo much better if the chickens eat a variety grass, veggies, fruit, etc. Some animal protein (bugs, etc.) helps too. Chickens are ominvores and need protein."<br /><br />Penn and Teller did a great Bullshit episode on the farm-raised/organic food scam. In a blind taste test, every one of the folks who thought the organic/farm fresh food was better were totally surprised when it turned out to be factory/non-organically grown food.<br /><br />People are paying much more for food that is not only not better tasting, but also not significantly better for the environment.<br /><br />But, hey, if it makes them feel good about themselves, well that's something I guess.TWMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06114010593299066911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10815744211304114812010-08-21T15:25:13.769-05:002010-08-21T15:25:13.769-05:00In the spring and summer, we get fresh eggs a few ...In the spring and summer, we get fresh eggs a few times a month from a local woman who also raises rabbits (not for pets). Rabbit in lemon sauce, ftw! The eggs are much better than the ones in the store. Darker yolks, firm whites and very thick brown and sometimes blue shells. World of difference from the flabby, fragile, stale eggs in the supermarket.<br /><br />You do have to wash the eggs sometimes before using. Big deal.<br /><br />My Grandmother would always tell us...."you're gonna eat a peck of dirt before you die" I don't know how big a peck is but when I drop something on the floor and use the 5 second rule, I think about that.<br /><br />I've eaten many underdone eggs in my life; even raw eggs and I'm still alive.<br /><br />Much ado about nothing and the Nanny State trying to make a BFD about anything it can so that the government can keep us in control.Dust Bunny Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13341429444562280127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63740630805109092472010-08-21T15:18:28.034-05:002010-08-21T15:18:28.034-05:00"I believe that the acidity of the lemon in t..."I believe that the acidity of the lemon in the recipe helps kill the bacteria."<br /><br />Many micro-organisms need a specific range of pH to multiply and even survive. From my quick research, Salmonella-genus bacteria require a pH range of 4.4 to 9. If you keep your mayonnaise on the acidic side (a lower pH value), and especially if you don't eat it right away, many microorganisms will be destroyed or severely inhibited by the hostile, acidic environment. Nice, tart mayonnaise with a pH of around 3 is probably not going to make anyone sick.<br /><br />And remember, it's not usually the mayonnaise that spoils in food containing it, it's the <i>other stuff</i> that provides the hospitable environment for the growth of microorganisms.Palladianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01105490715666718993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-91589122463368141292010-08-21T14:59:52.225-05:002010-08-21T14:59:52.225-05:00I recently made a batch of mayonnaise from eggs th...I recently made a batch of mayonnaise from eggs that eventually got recalled. Nobody got sick... though I believe that the acidity of the lemon in the recipe helps kill the bacteria.Roshanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930248544855767188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70406566826800409922010-08-21T14:55:37.511-05:002010-08-21T14:55:37.511-05:00Nothing wrong with chicken feed, but eggs are sooo...<i>Nothing wrong with chicken feed, but eggs are soooo much better if the chickens eat a variety grass, veggies, fruit, etc. Some animal protein (bugs, etc.) helps too.</i><br /><br />Don't forget the rodent feces!Ignorance is Blisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17351664545145783244noreply@blogger.com