This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

This  Week at the Market

• Saturday 9am-Noon Greenwood Commons 54110 Hwy 55 Durham, NC 27713
• Special Market Guest: Elizabeth Turnbull sampling pork chili
• Music by Nick White
• In Season; cabbage, kale, potatoes, carrots, squash, broccoli, and bread.

Duck, I Says
Pickings are slimmer at market this time of year, but there’s still plenty available, and we are turning the corner as the days grow longer and warmer. Besides speeding up the growth of all the early high tunnel produce, longer days also encourage our farmers’ hens to grow more serious about their egg production. And, when I say ‘hens,’ I mean the lady ducks, too.

One of the most recent additions to Fickle Creek Farm’s assortment of livestock is a team of ducks, and every week they have been bringing dozens of delicious fresh duck eggs to market (including this Saturday!).  I have occasionally eaten duck eggs – they taste like a richer chicken egg – but until prompted by this article, I didn’t realize how much they had to offer.

Compared with chicken eggs (which are already nutritional powerhouses), duck eggs have higher amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids, possess a longer shelf-life, are alkaline producing foods, and they have a greater yolk to egg white ratio! Not to mention, duck eggs contain more of the protein, albumin, which helps to give baked goods an airy lift.

Also, at the ‘Meet the Farmers of the SDFM’ event last month, I learned from Ben Bergmann, co-owner of Fickle Creek Farm, that all of their farm animals fill a niche in creating a balanced and sustainable ecosystem that requires few outside inputs. None of us could guess the purpose of ducks (look cute?), but we were quickly enlightened: ducks just love to eat slugs, which are the bane of any vegetable gardeners’ existence.

Come out this Saturday to enjoy the beautiful weather and pick up some duck eggs for a flavorful and nutrient dense brunch! And don’t forget this is our last week of chili month!