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never from super market: from farmer's market, where they are not only free-range but also noticabley fresher

we get them with our vegetables - growalabama - they have a pick up every week from local farms. they are the only eggs i will eat soft boiled and sunny side up. ;-)

Always, but only a specific local brand.

I buy them for their "almost homegrown" flavor; embarassed to say, I don't really know how the hens are treated.

I should have added that I bought eggs at our local farmers market once, and once only. They were comparable to supermarket eggs. I know I could do better if I wanted to drive 45 minutes to a famous farmers market, but I don't.

I do wonder if there'd be much of a taste difference between farmer's market eggs and cagefree eggs from the grocery store. Interesting article, though!

I bake a lot and have seen the difference between the cheapest eggs and the most expensive organic ones: runnier the first, fresher, with darker yolks the latter. However, I don't buy eggs anymore: I swap a bag of my stale old bread for real eggs laid by happy innocent hens. The owner feeds them my bread and gives me 10 - 20 eggs each time. Pavlovas, creme brulees, frittatas, and eggs benedict till the cholesterol kills us.

Most people don't know that "free range" means that only one side of the cage has to be opened. Unless you are buying them from a farmer that you know or someone like Sol, and you see how they treat the hens, it is not a worthwhile added expense. Youb should also keep in mind that when they are in the cages, the conditions can be controlled. When they are "free range", they can no longer control bacteria, disease, etc. Farmers that raise laying hens have such tight controls governing them - they have regulations on everything, including keeping temperature moderate, have to humanely treat and euthanize any ill chickens, feeding and watering egulations, they can't feed them medicine, etc. Talk to a chicken farmer - they will tell you that free range is kind of a sham.

Totally agree with MC - what counts as free range, cage-free etc is subject to so many suspicious loop holes and regulations (such a tempting rubbish egg pun opportunity there...!) I just don't buy eggs. I eat them if they came from a place I knew was ok and treated the hens well - Sol i'm jealous that sounds like a great arrangement! If i ever live anywhere with enough space I want to keep my own chickens!

I'm with tin_angel, I just don't buy eggs. It's too much trouble to do it right.

I don't look for cage-free eggs, I get the ones that say not treated with rBST which are the growth hormones. I have to hope for the best that the label is true.

We buy organic/free range/no hormone eggs from the supermarket, but they are from a local source here in Colorado. Because Denver is the biggest city in the state, but relatively small, we still have a LOT of people earning a living through farming, so our supermarkets can easily source local and fresh food.

I buy them from the farmer. I'm also happy that my workplace cafeteria is run by Bon Appétit, which uses cage free eggs.

Free-range only.

Im an other - I dont eat eggs, or anything with eggs in it anymore.

Having said that, I do agree about knowing where the eggs come from. Also, as MC pointed out free range does not equal the best cared for chickens.

I eat very little animal products. My biggest reason for doing it is becuase I have very little trust for how animals are raised these days. If I could find a local farmer I trusted I would love to have creme brulee again.

No eggs. Vegan. Frankly, the concept of eggs has always freaked me out.

I keep my own chickens, who get to roam the yard during the winter months and get cooped up in 250 sq. ft yard during the garden season. Lovely eggs and always fresh. I have 7 chickens and a bag of organic crumbles is $15 and lasts about 3 weeks but I don't feed them much during the winter as they have the run of the yard and all the lovely bugs and plants.