This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Devilish Eggcellence

We take fresh, local eggs and give them a diabolical twist.

Easter is but a hop, skip and a jump away. And the Easter bunny is sure to hide plenty of eggs for excited kids to find, but what do you do with all those eggs after they’ve been found? We suggest turning them to the dark side.

If the Easter bunny bought his eggs, he’d buy them from Eben-Haezer Poultry Ranch, located in Ramona. The family-owned farm has more than 55,000 chickens, including chicks and laying hens, and sells their fresh eggs to about a dozen farmers markets around San Diego, including Coronado’s.

Luis and Bernice Navarez, of the family-owned chicken farm, can’t make it down to Coronado every Tuesday, so they have rare fruit farmer and his wife transport and sell the eggs for them. However, Lammers isn’t a regular at the market.

Find out what's happening in Coronadowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Dan’s fruit is seasonal,” said Bernice Nevarez. “So you get our eggs when he’s down there with his fruit.”

Lucky for you Eben-Haezer egg lovers, there are 13 markets in San Diego that sell these delicious, local eggs. And these eggs are worth the extra mile. The hens aren’t fed the usual meat by-product, but are instead fed what’s called a “veggie pro” diet.

Find out what's happening in Coronadowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Veggie pro means a vegetable protein diet,” Nevarez said. “There are no fillers and no hormones.”

The simple concept has a big impact on the taste of the eggs. While Nevarez has no way to describe the taste besides “good flavor,” she says that repeat customers are not unheard of.

“People tell me they can’t go back to grocery store eggs,” she said. “Those eggs are shipped from the Midwest, ours are fresh.”

Aside from a fresh and family-owned mindset, Eben-Haezer Poultry Ranch does their part to keep the environment clean. Coronado residents can bring their used egg cartons, so long as they’re egg-free, to the farmers markets to be recycled. The cartons will be reused by Eben-Haezer and will be slapped with a new label and fresh eggs.

“Coronadans are very good recyclers,” Nevarez said. “Recycling egg cartons help keep the cost of the eggs down and it’s so much better, environmentally.”

If you haven’t tried these locally farmed eggs, this is the time to do it. Grab a dozen large grade AA eggs for $3 or a dozen of extra large grade AA eggs for $3.25. Eggs are also available in other quantities, such as half dozen, 18 count, or a flat, which holds 30 eggs. The farm sells both white and brown eggs, regular and free-range.

"We are farmers first," Nevarez said. "We raise our own chickens and make sure we have a high-quality product."

Click here to check out more information about the family-run farm, including how the original founders emigrated from the Netherlands and started up their own successful business that’s still around 54 years later. Then go to the farmers market tomorrow and buy a dozen or so and turn these already-delicious eggs into sinful Easter treat.

Deviled Eggs Ingredient List

  • 6 Eben-Haezer Poultry Farm eggs, hard boiled (I cover my eggs with an inch of water, bring it up to a boil, cover, and turn off the heat and let them sit in the hot water for about 15 minutes.)
  • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 dashes of your favorite hot sauce, like Tabasco
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sweet, smoked paprika
  • 6 Spanish olives, halved

Make Them Devilish

  1. Cut the cooled, hard-boiled eggs in half, scooping out the yolk into a medium sized bowl. Set aside the egg whites.
  2. Mash the yolks with the mayo, mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
  3. Salt and Pepper, to taste
  4. Scoop the mixture evenly back into the egg whites.
  5. Sprinkle paprika over each egg.
  6. Top off each deviled egg with a halved Spanish olive.

Tips, Tricks, and Variations

  • Use half of an in the yolk mixture for “green” eggs.
  • Add some cooked and chopped to both the mixture and the topping.
  • Add in some whipped cream (whipped until soft peaks form) for extra creamy filling.
  • Scoop the mixture into a plastic bag and snip one of the corners off and pipe the mixture evenly into the whites for a prettier presentation.
  • Add some chopped celery and crab meat to the recipe above for a seafood twist.
  • Add a teaspoon or two of horseradish for a devilish egg with a kick.
  • Add a smoky note with one chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped, mixed in to the filling.
  • Top with some smoked salmon.
  • Cut to sprinkle on the finished product.
  • Using the recipe above, add a tablespoon of barbecue sauce for a southern-style deviled egg. The devil did go down to Georgia, after all.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?