BUYING LOCAL
Oahu has four egg farms, three of which sell directly to customers. Visit www.islandfresheggs.com for more information.
» KK Poultry Farm Egg Store (41-656 Kakaina St., Waimanalo, 259-7832): 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays; 7:30 a.m. to noon Sundays
» Maili Moa Farm Egg Shop (87-136 Kaukamana Road, Waianae, 696-3823): 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 8 a.m. to noon Sundays
» Petersons’ Upland Farm (141 Dole Road, 621-6619): 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays
» Mikilua Poultry Farm: Supplies local supermarket under the brands Hawaiian Maid, Ka Lei, Maili and Times
UNDERSTANDING eggs
» Eggs keep about three to four weeks in the refrigerator.
» Tell a fresh egg from an older one by cracking it open. If the white, called the albumen, stands up high, it is fresh; if the albumen spreads, it is likely an older egg.
» There is no nutritional difference between white and brown eggs. Brown eggs simply cost more because brown hens are bigger birds and eat more food to produce the same amount of eggs.
» Daily egg consumption is not linked to the risk of heart attack in healthy adults, probably because blood cholesterol, rather than dietary cholesterol, has the biggest impact on heart health. Cholesterol in the diet has only a minor effect on blood cholesterol level.
» Eggs are an excellent source of choline, a vital nutrient used by all cells in the body, especially brain cells that require it for neurotransmitter formation. Choline also contributes to fetal brain development — adequate intake of choline reduces the risk of birth defects.
Source: Sharon Peterson Cheape and Joannie Dobbs
