If you follow me on Instagram, you might notice that eggs are sort of my where’s waldo food. They appear in countless photos. I love them. A lot.

I eat one hardboiled egg as part of almost every weekday breakfast, and usually pack one to go with lunch as well, whether that’s in a big salad or alongside some cooked grains and roasted veggies. If I’m working from home, I’ll throw a fried egg on top of my rice bowl. On the weekends, we brunch on Indian-style omelets spiked with cilantro, green chilies, tomato, and red onion.

We buy our eggs from a local farmer couple named Wes & Lou. They keep two coolers full of eggs outside their house, along with whatever else they have in season, and you pay based on the honor system. Usually there’s a chicken or two clucking around you while you scrounge up your cash (free range is an understatement here).

Wes and Lou’s eggs are phenomenal. The yolks are always a rich yellow-orange hue and they taste both fresh and natural, as eggs should. Some are huge and have a double-yolk, others are small and smudged. No two are alike. That’s the beauty of it.

We buy our eggs locally for a few reasons:

1. We think they taste better than grocery store eggs—even the “organic” ones (which can sometimes have a “fishy” taste due to the amount of omega-3s they pump into the chickens and sing about on the label). They cost less than those store-bought organic eggs, too. We pay $2.50/dozen for medium-ish eggs and $3.50/dozen for large-to-enormous ones.
2. The hens are pasture-raised, meaning they are treated kindly, eat bugs and grass, and roam freely. All of these conditions directly factor back into reason #1.
3. Pastured eggs are much more nutritious than typical supermarket eggs, with 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D, 1/3 less cholesterol, 1⁄4 less saturated fat, 2⁄3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene (Mother Earth News).
4. We like to support local agriculture.

When I first started buying and hard-boiling farm-fresh eggs, I would curse at myself every.single.time I went to peel them (the fresher an egg is, the harder it can be to peel). I’d lose half the white to the shell and have tiny shell pieces everywhere.

Then I read an article on Serious Eats about an easy way to boil eggs so that they peel without a problem. Instead of putting the eggs and water in a pot and bringing it all to a boil, you first boil the water and then add the eggs. Sounds ridiculously simple, I realize, but it has been completely revolutionary for me. I’ve probably boiled at least 100 eggs like this by now, and not a single one has stuck to the shell. The yolks also stay beautifully colored, and perfectly cooked (I like them tender, not chalky).

If you know someone who has chickens, or can find a local source, I don’t think you’ll regret picking up a dozen. Boil a couple off, toss them in the fridge, and hit ’em up all week long. I’ve yet to find a meal they don’t go with.

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

However many eggs as you like
Salt & pepper

Bring water to a boil in a large pot.

Take eggs straight from the fridge and carefully lower them into the pot with a spoon, taking care not to break them.

Lower heat to a low boil (this is a 6/10 on my burner) and set your timer for 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed while the eggs cook—it should be at constant simmer/low boil, meaning bubbles are constantly rising to the surface, but not so aggressively that they’re knocking the eggs around.

After 10 minutes, remove eggs and place in a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes; if you want to eat them warm, just chill for 2 to 3 minutes instead.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Sprinkle with good salt (I use Himalyan pink) and freshly ground pepper.

Eggs alongside an Indian breakfast of okra and paratha (whole-wheat flatbread).