Freshness costs when it comes to homegrown eggs

There’s nothing like a fresh egg, sunny side up, poached, soft-cooked, scrambled or hard-cooked and made into egg salad. Eggs are nature’s perfect food, a good source of protein, and a delicious one at that. This week, when Easter and eggs are at the forefront, take a minute to consider the eggs you are buying.

Eggs grown in Hawaii are obviously fresher than eggs shipped from the mainland — by at least seven to 10 days. Fresh eggs hold their shape when you cook them out of the shell, and taste better, too. A brown egg is just an egg from a different breed of chicken; the same goes for blue and green eggs.

How to buy an island-fresh egg? Go directly to an egg farm. There are a few on Oahu, the only island that has commercial eggs farms in the state. For a list, plus great egg information, visit www.islandfresheggs.com.

Or, at your favorite supermarket, look for brands like Ka Lei and Hawaiian Maid, Mountain Apple at KTA stores and Maili Moa at Whole Foods. Egg cartons should tell you where the eggs were grown; the "Island Fresh" logo is an indication, too. Most important, open an egg carton and look at the eggs: If there’s a U.S. stamp on it, that means it’s an egg from the mainland.

True, mainland eggs are less expensive than locally produced eggs. But if freshness matters to you and if you want to help sustain egg farms and the families that run them, then an island-produced egg is for you.

Besides, a fresh egg just tastes better, especially in the Arzak egg, a unique poached egg created by Chef Juan Mari Arzak as published in Lucky Peach magazine:

Take a piece of plastic wrap and stretch it over a shallow bowl. Lightly oil the wrap to keep the egg from sticking. Break an egg into the wrap and lightly salt (truffle salt is wonderful here). Gather the wrap around the egg to form a pouch; tie at the top with a piece of string, trying to force out most of the air.

In a deep saucepan, bring water to a boil. Drop the egg pouch into the water and lower heat to a simmer. Leave pouch in water for 4-1/2 to 5 minutes, making sure the egg remains submerged. Remove with slotted spoon, clip off string and release egg into a small bowl. Enjoy a creamy, perfectly soft-cooked egg!

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.