The days of taking the egg for granted, sometimes reducing its worth to a series of puns, are over.
An eggs-amination (oops) shows clearly that eggs are the backbone of many dishes, to be treated with respect and purchased no matter how high the price of a dozen eggs rises.
Without eggs, baking becomes impossible, meatballs fall flat and omelets become extinct. The egg is a building block, yet also fiercely independent. The egg can withstand a shell-shocking price hike like the one we’re seeing today, its foothold in most kitchens appearing to remain strong, bringing a measure of respect to the little oval that features a Swiss Army Knife’s-worth of options.
“It’s used in so many other ways and it’s one of those staple foods,” said Bridget Clapp, who lives and works at the Clapp Farm in Concord. “Eggs are like bread and milk, used for a lot of different purposes while always being one of those inexpensive items.”
Higher egg costs stem directly from the rising fuel, feed and transportation costs, pushing the price for a dozen eggs from $2 or $3 to what it stands at today, $6, $7, even $8.
Bridget married Jason Clapp, who at 52 has lived his whole life at the farm, founded 100 years ago. They charge $5 for a dozen eggs, $2 higher than their normal price, and a few bucks lower than grocery outlets.
“(The prices) have not gone up like this that I have seen,” Bridget said. “Not to this extent.”
Yet her sales remain steady, a sure signal that eggs can stand on their own – scrambled, over easy, pouched, fried – in the morning, or play a supporting role later in the day that is subtle and delicious.
Like the Clapps, Seth Lamontagne, the owner of Almosta Farm Farmstand in Concord, says egg sales create a small part of his income, calling it a hobby “to produce a good product for people without breaking the bank.”
Media reports on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics are dark, revealing that the average price nationally for a dozen eggs in January of 2022 was $1.93.
The average price rose to $4.25 during the holiday season last year. Reports from grocery stores and convenience stores this month were troubling, with prices jumping to $6.99 and beyond for a dozen eggs all over New England.
The culprit went beyond high prices across the board. The Avian Influenza, deadly and contagious, surfaced recently, and one estimate said more than 43 million egg-laying chickens died last year from the illness. News of the infection spread like the infection itself.
“Even in the grocery store, prices are astronomical,” Lamontagne said. “For a lot of people in the industry, there is no option but to increase costs, just from increased costs elsewhere.”
Lamontagne has had to balance his business side with his local loyalties. He’ll raise his prices soon, but he won’t go as far as some of the other outlets.
“We’re selling them for $3 this past year,” Lamontagne said. “But the feed has doubled over the past year, so we’re going to have to go to $5 per dozen in the spring.”
The price increase has opened many eyes, reminding folks that the egg is worth your hard-earned money, despite the media’s unfair portrayal.
Endless scenarios depict the egg as weak, too easily broken, lacking in resilience, a cholesterol magnet.
The egg has long been used as weaponry on Halloween. You don’t bacon someone’s home.
You don’t rye toast it either.
You egg it.
And who could forget the egg-chugging scene in “Rocky,” forcing movie-goers nationwide to unify as one and yell, “Eww.”
But the egg sometimes is misunderstood and deserves far more credit than it gets.
Eggs make Easter fun. They dominate breakfast and gladly play second fiddle to other meals with no ego, always working as a team player.
So, long live the egg, greeted with an eye-roll and pursed lips these days at the grocery store, but never – if ever – removed from the grocery list.
“I noticed on TV that they’re pushing ready-made food in a tin foil box,” Clapp said. “Meals are already done, so people don’t know how to cook. They think it’s hard, but cook an egg and it’s delicious.
“It’s healthy and it’s easy to do.”