If Plants Were Made to Lay Eggs - They Would be Pleggs

Real eggs - not pleggs

I've been watching FOX News a lot lately, it's the nature of my job, and last week a story came on about eggs made from plants.

EGGS. made. from plants.

What on earth is happening to our food supply?

First, it was in-vitro meat. Apparently eating meat that has been raised using naturally occuring hormones is gross however eating meat grown in a PETRI DISH in a lab is ethical and meets naturally grown standards.

Now, we are going to be seeing egg-less eggs in retailers around the nation and they will make their debut in none other than Whole Foods.

Dear Hampton Creek Foods (creator of this wonder): an egg by definition is a)  the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and especially by the common domestic chicken;  b)  an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence

You smellin' what I'm steppin' in? An egg cannot be plant based - eggs come from animals. I don't care how many plants, artificial sweeteners, preservatives or powders you put into a pot and melt together, the product that results is a plant. I'm calling them "pleggs" - join me.

 

The CEO of Hampton Creek Foods, says the product was developed for many reasons, including his concern about chickens contributing to greenhouse gas accumulation every year. I didn't realize chickens were so flatulent.

 

Do you know that eggs provide numerous nutritional benefits? Look at these digits:

• 6 grams of protein (12% of daily recommended intake)
• 10% of your daily Vitamin D
• 8% Vitamin B12
• all for only 70 calories per egg
• and they're super versatile and can be used in a variety of ways!

I was unable to find nutritional info for the pleggs (and I honestly looked on their website for such info) but I'd bet the farm that they have nowhere near the same amount of Vitamin D or protein as a regular, REAL egg. 

Just to clarify, I understand some people have food allergies and really embrace this type of product and for that purpose, I applaud pleggs Beyond Eggs. However, I think it's hogwash that, on the other side of the spectrum, a few folks who strive for natural, wholesome food are in favor of lab produced protein sources.

Asinine. Just asinine.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Raising Babies on the Farm

There are some new babies on the FroBuzz ranch... baby chickens! Now raise your hand if you thought I was preggo. Shame on you if your hand is in the air; tsk tsk. This uterus is uninhabited by any croissants, buns or mini-ninjas.

I'm calling this one Stella; but since they all look the same I'll probably call them all Stella. I might name one or two Rupert just because I like that name.

Anyhow, The Ninja and I are jumping into food production on a smaller scale. We'd love to have cattle but right now it's just not feasible since we have very little land and what we do rent is under the reign of the roping ponies.

 

So earlier this week, we welcomed 10 baby Barred Rock hen chicks to the ranchero. We are excited to raise them and I have every intention of giving weekly updates on their growth and also provide info about what they eat, how we care for them and basic information about raising your own chickens.

Aren't my baby Barred Rocks cute?

There were several reasons why we chose Barred Rock chickens:

- They are good layers and tend to live long lives.

- Once they reach egg laying maturity at approximately 5-6 months of age, they will lay year-round (although decreased production in the winter).

- Cold hardy breed; which is great because it's been cold and rainy this week!

- A multi-purpose breed, they are also good for meat. Fried chicken here we come!

 

Our chicks are less than a week old and even though I didn't watch them hatch, I know this because they still have their egg tooth. What's that you ask?

 

See that little protrusion on the top of their beaks?

The egg tooth helps the chick break the air sac while they're in the egg and also assists in hatching. It falls off when the chicks are a few days old because it's no longer needed. A few of our babies don't have their egg tooth anymore, they're the big sisters.

 

 As you can see in the pictures we put down pine shavings in an enclosed shelter with a light and heat source. Chicks need to be 90+ degrees F for the first few weeks of their life so we hung the heat lamp low and made sure there were plenty of shavings for warmth.

 

The heat lamp and shavings will keep our baby
Barred Rocks warm in the unpredictable Kansas weather.

You can also see a feed pan filled with starter diet and a waterer. Anyone know why the base of the waterer is red? That's because chickens are attracted to red. Some producers will cover up injuries or bleeding cuts on chickens with Blu-Kote to keep their contemporaries from pecking at the cut.

 

What chicken questions do you have? I'm so excited about our new venture!

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

 

 





What's in That Chicken McNugget?

 photo from here

I've been asked this question before on the blog - most recently in a comment from this post. And I've always forgotten to answer it; sorry, I'm not perfect and sometimes I forget. But McDonald's of Canada has stepped up to the plate and become completely transparent in regards to what is in their products. They have recently invited their customers to pose their questions online at Our Food. Your Questions. and boy are the inquiries rolling in.

Some of the more popular questions are - my synopsis is in italics, but to read the word-for-word detailed answers, visit the website.

-- How is it that a McDonald's burger does not rot? Too dry; not enough moisture for bacteria/mold.
-- Does Canada use pink slime? (which I hate saying but that is verbatim - the actual term is lean, finely textured beef) No.
-- Does your egg McMuffin use real eggs? Yes - a freshly cracked egg for every sandwich.
-- Inside the McNugget, is it actually the meat of the chicken or cut offs that nobody would actually want to eat? Answer (verbatim): It's definitely chicken inside our McNuggets. We use seasoned chicken breast and a few seasonings, along with a natural proportion of skin for flavour and as a binder.

I hope that clears up any misconceptions about random chicken parts.

 One of my faves is, "Would you live in the life of one of your cows for even a week?" That'll make you take a deep breath! McDonald's has yet to answer that one but you can see the answers to the above questions and more by following the link to the Your Questions website.

I applaud McDonald's for taking this approach to helping consumers make connections between their food and the way it's produced/prepared. You should definitely go over and look at some of the other questions being posed and maybe even ask one of your own.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~