The net home of Lara

A large egg represents less than 4% of the daily calorie intake of a person eating 2,000 calories a day; it provides 10% of a person's daily recommended protein, and valuable iron, B vitamins, and minerals, including the folate recommended for pregnant women.

Statistics are one thing, but seeing is believing. Crack open a shop bought egg -- it should be easy, the shells are thin. The yolks are pale yellow and break easily, and the whites are watery and tinted. You may not know it if supermarket eggs are all you ever eat, but this isn't the way eggs are supposed to be.

Now crack open an egg from a hen allowed room to move around and access to vegetation. The shells are thicker, the whites are firmer and whiter, but the big difference is usually seen in the yolk -- larger, much firmer and bright orange in color. (That color is the beta carotene, by the way.)

The taste is different, too. Backyard eggs have stronger flavor, and if you ask me they lack a certain aftertaste that supermarket eggs always seem to have. But if you've been raised on supermarket eggs, backgarden eggs may take a little getting used to.