Of Local Yolks and Yokel Jokes

Happy 2008 everyone! The United Nations has declared 2008 both the Year of Languages and the Year of Sanitation. Guess that means we should all clean up our mouths, basically. I promise not to indulge in any foul talk in this blog, although there will be a fair amount of fowl talk. For instance, let’s talk about eggs.

The local farm markets are few and far between this winter. If you remember, you can go to a Year Round Farmers' Market every Saturday morning in Leesburg, or the monthly Winter Market in Berryville. I tend to forget about these, so I generally sleep in on the weekends and miss them. I hope to visit them soon so I can report back on them.


Even though I miss the regular weekly markets of the spring season, I refuse to forgo my farmstead eggs. The deep, orange yolks, the satisfyingly crunchy, thick brown shells, the divine taste, are all good indicators of happy birds. For a short while, local friends were supplying me eggs from their backyards, but in the fall and winter, a lot of the flocks out here in western Loudoun were hit hard by predators such as foxes and even unleashed dogs. So I needed to find a reliable winter source for my eggs, and lucky me, I did, just one town over, at the Bluemont General Store in Bluemont, VA.

Located at 33715 Snickersville Turnpike in the center of town, the Bluemont General Store sells their mostly brown eggs for well under $4 a dozen. They come primarily from Rhode Island Red crosses, who get to roam around and live on a wholesome natural diet. In mid-February, they will have live chicks available. The store has also begun carrying locally-raised meats. For more information on Bluemont General Store and their offerings, you can call 540-554-2054.

One helpful hint when buying eggs sustainably-if you can return your empty egg carton when you make your next purchase, that will help everyone out. Oh and here is another tip: Bluemont has a wonderful country fair every fall. You can find out more at the Bluemont Fair website.

I am very happy to bid adieu to 2007 and to welcome the new Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. The BoS provided me with one of the drollest jokes of the past year. It was the memorable comment of Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling), that "....When told there were more than 30,000 cows in the county, Delgaudio said he could not believe that number because he had not seen them." (from "County Enacts Water Restrictions" Leesburg Today Print Edition). Well, I have yet to lay my eyes on Delgaudio, I wonder what that means?