Reuben and his hens at the barn

Eggs from Greenwood Farms

Photos Copyright Julie Atkinson

One of the best things about our business is the great people we meet. A few weeks ago, we were contacted by the Terry Phelps family from Salem, and asked if we'd be interested in being partners in their free-range egg business. We visited their farm and came away with new friends and a means to supply our customers with all the eggs they want. We have a small flock of free-range hens here on  Greenwood Farms, but the demand for farm-fresh eggs is much larger than our hens can meet. Enter the Phelps family! Their hens are as happy as ours - free to spend their days without boundaries in the fresh air and sunshine - producing the best eggs you'll ever eat.

Here's something you may not know: Free-range and Cage-Free are not the same thing. Free-range chickens (like ours and the Phelps') spend their days outdoors - free to roam anywhere they please, eat grass and bugs and enjoy the fresh air. Cage-Free simply means the chickens aren't kept in cages. In most cases, "cage-free" chickens are still prisoners, confined with thousands of other birds, in huge poultry houses. They've traded individual cages for one big cage.

Both our hens, and those of the Phelps, are truly free. They leave their hen house, where they spend the night safe from predators, and go out into a world of sunshine and grass. They chase bugs, dust-bathe, rest under shady trees, and scratch through the straw at the barn all day long, then, as night comes on, they saunter back to their cozy house where they roost together for the night. Its a good life - one richly deserved by the ladies that produce our lovely eggs.