Need eggs? New delivery service caters to Leechburg-area residents
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A new local egg delivery service is available for Leechburg area residents.
Kira Karpinski, 38, of Gilpin recently started a subscription egg home delivery service.
She said she has a surplus of eggs from more than 20 varieties of hens on her farm and she was inspired to offer the service because of the recent popularity of food home delivery options.
“Now more than every, grocery delivery services are becoming more popular. I think it’s a nice option to offer a fresh, hormone and antibiotic free alternative. I raise my chickens ethically and locally,” Karpinski said.
The rainbow egg subscription includes a dozen eggs weekly or two dozen biweekly for $20 per month.
The eggs are in a variety of colors, ranging from pale blue to brown to white, depending on which breed of chicken laid them.
“The colorful eggs (think green eggs and ham) come from Aracaunas and Cooper Marans,” Karpinski said. “People ask me if they taste different. The colored ones don’t taste different from the regular traditional brown or white ones.”
Delivery is only available to Leechburg, West Leechburg and Gilpin.
Karpinski’s 40 chickens include the following breeds: Aracaunas, Polish, Cockins, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds.
Her most reliable layer?
“Rhode Island Reds are the most consistent layer of a big, brown egg but I have all of the different breeds because I like diversity,” Karpinski said.
The hens roam the don’t have designated laying areas and the Karpinski family of six collect the eggs daily.
“We collect the eggs daily so they will not be more than a week old,” Karpinski said. “Customers say the store bought eggs don’t compare to the taste of a fresh egg.”
Karpinski Farm and Homestead is a small family-owned and operated 11-acre farm specializing in pork and free-range chickens.
“Our goal is to ethically raise as much food for our family as possible, eliminating most outside food sources,” Karpinski said.
Subscribers will receive eggs that are only days old.
Gilpin resident Linda Alworth grew up on a farm and had fresh eggs available as a child.
She insists on buying her eggs from the Karpinskis instead of from a grocery store.
“I know the health benefits of fresh eggs. You’ll notice the color of the yolk is darker, and the white of the egg more solid. The egg is much more flavorful,” Alworth said. “Store bought eggs can be stored up to 2-3 months before they arrive to your grocery store.”
A study from Penn State University found that eggs from pasture-raised chickens contained higher levels of vitamins A,D, and E and beta carotene compared to eggs laid from from caged hens fed a commercial diet.
Data from the USDA Sustainable Agricultural and Research Education Program revealed a pasture-raised egg contains 34 percent less cholesterol and 400 percent more Omega-3 fatty acids than store-bought eggs.
“My chickens main source of food is bugs and foliage, like grass and flowers and table scraps from family meals. During the winter I supplement with a layer crumble feed,” Karpinski said.
Karpinski said unwashed fresh eggs may be stored at room temperature for up to three months if the bloom, a protective exterior coating on every egg laid, isn’t removed.
The bloom serves as a protective shield of sorts, covering the egg pores and keeping bacteria and outside gases out.
Once an egg is washed, the case with commercially produced and sold store eggs, the bloom disappears and must be refrigerated.
For now, Karpinski will have to limit her egg delivery subscriptions if demand is too great.
She said she hopes to expand her egg offerings.
“I would like to service a larger area in the future like the whole Alle-Kiski Valley,” Karpinski said.
Sign up by messaging their Facebook: Karpinski Farm and Homestead or email: doublekleather@icloud.com