Four Eggs From Local Chickens That Have a Better Life Than You

Photo by Aubrie Pick

What’s the latest restaurant menu status symbol? Fancy, farm-fresh eggs with marigold yolks. Here are a few of the golden ones.

Shelly’s Farm Fresh Eggs

These girls hang out on a small family farm in Brentwood, diving into a pasture planted with a customized omega-3 chicken forage blend. There aren’t even doors on the coops, so they have access to the fields 24-7. $6 per dozen at the Wednesday Castro Farmers Market; shellysfarmfresh.com

Shady Oak Organic

Over in Turlock, Lynne Hunt raises about 500 mostly Rhode Island Reds that roam free and dine on flaxseed and kelp. $7 per dozen at the Thursday San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

Riverdog Farm

Buff Orpingtons, Barred Rocks, Red Stars, and Araucanas are moved around in a mobile super coop and are allowed to eat their way through the pastures. $6–$8 per dozen at the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Berkeley Farmers Markets; riverdogfarm.com

Red Hill Farms

From 2,700 white leghorn chickens come organic, pastured eggs gathered on this fourth-generation family farm in Petaluma. $8 per dozen at Molly Stone’s, 2435 California St. (at Fillmore), 415-567-4902; redhillfarms.biz

Glaring miss here - Soul Food Farms eggs and their chickens live the life of Riley!

By Anonymous (not verified) on August 05, 2011

You know this isn't so much a "status symbol" as an awareness that these eggs taste so much better than eggs that come from factory farms. For 50 to 60 cents you get a great tasting (and far more nutritious) egg. After you eat these "real" eggs it's hard to go back!

By AnotherAlex (not verified) on August 05, 2011

This made my day! Thanks for sharing!

By Bernadette Gatsby (not verified) on August 04, 2011