Well, we're so glad you asked! The short answer is, "Yes! They are completely safe to eat!" And did you know that most of the world doesn't refrigerate their eggs? The U.S. is one of the few countries that requires commercially produced eggs to be washed and refrigerated prior to sale. However, in the European Union, washing and disinfecting eggs is actually illegal! There are a few caveats, however, so we've put together this handy dandy little infographic to explain it in more detail.
If you want to know more, visit The Egg Safety Center
Nope. Everything we produce and/or grow at FlatTop Farm is chemical-free, pesticide-free, and preservative-free.
We pride ourself on managing the Farm as a sustainable, regenerative, healthy and productive producer of high-quality, heirloom foods and products. We grow many of the ingredients we use and others are wild-harvested from the beautiful White Mountains of Arizona. What we can't grow or wild-harvest is purchased from others with a similar philosophy. While this sometimes limits the amount we can produce of certain products (looking at you wild raspberries growing on rugged mountainsides...) we choose quality over quantity every time.
As a small, family-owned and run farm, the arduous record-keeping, costs, and daily reporting required for the USDA Certified Organic label just doesn't make sense -- so we chose not to pursue it. However, we have moved a step beyond organic requirements into sustainable, regenerative techniques that don't just maintain the land but actually improve it over time. Our standards are actually higher than what the certified organic label requires.
We don't use any synthetic products on our land. No commercial fertilizers. And we don't ever apply pesticides (even those labeled 'certified organic'.) Instead, we incorporate green waste, compost, goat and chicken manures, egg shells, and coffee grounds (thanks to our local firefighters!) back into our soils to improve and enrich them. Sure, we have a few bugs on our plants -- sometimes we even lose an entire crop to the wee beasties -- but the birds and the bees and the people are happy and healthy. You'd be AMAZED at how effective nature is at knowing just what to do!
Our chickens and goats eat the highest quality feed available -- and they produce copious amounts of beautiful 'poo' that makes the best compost you've ever seen. (You know how it works ... good stuff in, good stuff out!)
Ah! You noticed our seal! And thank you for asking.
The mission of The Livestock Conservancy is to protect endangered livestock and poultry breeds from extinction. Today, 1 in 5 of the world's livestock breed are in danger of extinction. Biodiversity is key to the future of our food systems and genetic diversity creates an important safety net for the future.
At FlatTop Farm, we choose to focus on endangered, heritage livestock breeds to supply our farm with products. We breed and raise Oberhasli dairy goats, and Light and Buff Brahma, Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock chickens. Each of these breeds is adapted to our harsh mountain climate with bitterly cold winters and brutally hot summers.
Want to know more? Just check out The Livestock Conservancy and the work it does.
FlatTop Farm is located in the most beautiful part of Arizona - the White Mountains on the eastern edge of the state. (OK. We may be a little biased but if you haven't visited...you don't know what you're missing.)
Sitting just a few miles west of the New Mexico border, the Farm climbs up the side of Flat Top Mountain and is bordered by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on 3 sides. At an elevation of 7600', we enjoy clean, crisp, clear air, four beautiful seasons, and everything wild thing the forest has to offer.
