Farm to Table: Protein from the farm

Spring signals the return of eggs to the farmhouse diet when hens start producing more eggs in response to the increasing hours of daylight. When you prepare eggs from pasture-raised chickens you are treating yourself to one of the most nutrient dense foods, rich in high quality proteins and fat soluble vitamins, which have nourished humans for thousands of years.

Eggs from pastured chickens, fresh off the farm, have a nutrient profile that is far superior to eggs produced on factory farms where hens are confined, medicated, and stressed. The nutritional difference is so vast that you can actually see the difference: When you crack open an egg from Sativa Valley Essentals’ flock of 75 laying hens, the first thing you notice is the hard shell, which comes from the chicken’s access to diverse foods as they forage around the farm, pecking and scratching in the soil to turn up seeds, sprouts and insects.

As you drop the egg into a bowl, the yolk stands up in a dark yellow hemisphere, rich in omega-3, EPA and DHA, choline, and Vitamins A and D.

In addition to what the chickens forage from their 3-acre botanical farm, Jude and Sam provide a blend of natural grains from local Sequim farms, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables from a local restaurant.

While the chickens provide us with their wholesome eggs, they also provide a service to the farm-assisting with pest management as they gobble up insects in the understory of perennial herbs and fruits, and enriching the soil with fertility as they peruse the gardens, ensuring a high quality crop of medicinal herbs used in the production of Sativa Valley Essentials relief recipes. They are available at the Sequim Farmers Market every Saturday through October, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

You will find another new source of farm-raised protein at the Sequim Farmers Market this year: Clark Farms will be at the market on alternating weeks, with grass-fed beef, pastured pork and tallow soaps, all from their farm right here in Sequim!

Tom and Holly Clark have set out to provide nutritional, humane and environmentally conscious meat for their community. They have achieved this by centering their animal husbandry on preventative care and a stress free environment while preserving their family’s pristine farm for generations to come.

They explain the philosophy behind their farming practices: “Our animals are an integral part of our farming operation and livelihood so we treat them with tender loving care. They are a part of our farm’s health and they in turn help keep the soils in balance. We feel good about providing an alternative product for our community that promotes well-being on so many levels.”

One of the many benefits of living in an agricultural community is access to direct relationships with people who produce the food we eat.

A special thanks to Bell & Davis Law, Brokers Group Real Estate, First Federal Savings & Loan, for supporting the Sequim Farmers Market and celebrating our local marketplace.

Elli Rose is the Sequim Farmers Market manager.

Sequim Farmers Market

9 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, May 12

Sequim Civic Center Plaza