With the easter holiday now past us, you have probably sworn off ham for at least six months even though you know it won’t be the case because Iowa’s pork farmers do such a great job producing delicious pork. You are also probably still eating the discount candy you bought on Monday and hid from the rest of the family. Don’t worry, I am not judging. I am doing the same thing.
One of the easter traditions that seems to ebb and flow with the times is the art of decorating Easter eggs. I remember doing this more as a child, but it seems to be back on the rise as parents look for things to get their kids off the screens, or to pass the time during weather that doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be June or January.
Iowans produce more eggs than any other state, and we have a huge stake in the yearly traditions around the Easter holiday. From church breakfasts to baking or decorating, eggs were all over the place this past weekend. Marc Dresner is with the American Egg Board, and they already have the figures for just how many eggs were used this year, and the answer may be a bit surprising. However, this is one of the biggest times of the year for the hen bullets that Iowa farmers work so hard to lead the nation in producing.
Yes, that is a billion, with a b. Despite higher prices on the store shelves, there doesn’t seem to be much of a hiccup in demand for eggs, especially during times when consumption is higher.
As for egg decorating, there are trends that the American Egg Board is following. Including some very time-consuming crafting practices that harken us back to a different era or eggs that try to brighten someone’s day.
Of course, while I was people-watching in the store around the eggs this past week, I heard a lot of talk regarding the supposed “differences” between egg colors. Contrary to the belief that diet or living arrangements affect the color of an egg, Dresner says it isn’t caused by anything that we can control. Lend him your ears, and he will tell you what is a determining factor.
Dresner says that brown eggs have been lending to some new ideas when it comes to egg decorating. Etching is a favorite crafting technique with brown eggs.
With Easter now being done, the American Egg Board reminds us that it isn’t a coincidence that the week is always National Egg Salad Week. It helps us repurpose those decorated eggs or the ones that may still be sitting in the carton sulking because they didn’t get to participate in egg decorations this year.
Learn more about the great eggs we produce in Iowa and across the country at the American Egg Board website.
