Eggs: The Gateway To Buying Local In Granby

Granby and East Granby are a haven for the family farm, evidence of which can be seen by taking a quick drive through the towns.

Eggs, meat, produce, cheese, and even soap can be found along the roadside in the Granbys.  These roadside stands and farm markets may not accept credit cards, but they offer the freshest foods around.

"Eggs to me are like the gateway drug to buying local," said Mapleview Farm owner Kate Bogli.  "It's an easy way to support farms."

Mapleview Farm generally has about 50-60 laying hens and about four roosters roaming the farm.  In addition to eggs, Mapleview Farm offers horseback riding lessons, horse boarding, a weekly summer camp, and they also raise free-range cattle and pigs for meat.

As daylight hours increase, so does the egg production at the farm.  Hens, like most living things in nature, have an active reproduction cycle in the spring and summer months.

"Right now is a big season for eggs," Bogli said.  "They lay their eggs according to the daylight, so in the winter time they have very low production."

To make sure she's always got plenty of eggs, Bogli partners with Heartgate Farms in Granby and sells eggs for them in her farm market.

"In Granby, it's unbelievable how many people have backyard flocks," she said.  "I would encourage people to find their neighbor who has a flock of 15 hens or someone who probably has an extra couple dozen eggs a week, and you can just buy eggs from them."

A quick visit to the Granby Agricultural Commission's Granby Agriculture Web site will give you a number of places to find locally raised eggs.

"There's no reason anyone in Granby should be buying eggs at the grocery store," Bogli said.

Here's a list of some of the local spots listed on the Granby Ag Web site to find cage-free, well fed hens that are producing some delicious eggs:

• Mountain Spring Farm, 359 North Granby Road, Granby
• Emery Farm, 71 Loomis St., Granby
• Holcomb Farm, 113 Simsbury Road, West Granby
• Windham Gardens, 87 Notch Road, Granby

Know of a local spot we've missed?  Email jeff.brush@patch.com and we'll be sure to add it.