Of all the many wonderful things to eat -- just-pulled carrots or fresh-out-of-the-water oysters, slowly roasted Berkshire pork shoulder or a pot of rice and shell beans -- there is one item that I truly do not like my fridge to be without: fresh, local farm eggs from free-ranging, bug-eating chickens. After late nights of cooking until almost midnight, the one thing that brings a little balance back into my dirty, tired, and hungry soul is a perfect fried egg sandwich. Many years ago a group of celebrated chefs and myself had a tough night preparing a complicated dinner at a friend's restaurant. After all the fancy food and expensive wines had been served, I returned to the kitchen to prepare for myself and fellow chefs one of the most satisfying late-night suppers. Some toasted rye was slathered with homemade mayonnaise and spicy mustard, the apple-smoked bacon was sizzling, and the eggs were fried until the yolks had just begun to thicken. Beers were passed around and we had survived another day. 

For the last couple of years, two young boys, Frank and Luke McEwan (and their father and grandfather) have provided us with some of the best farms eggs we could ever hope for. It does not hurt that their dad runs a feed mill and also mills our organic stone ground grits, but that's another story. These home-schooled boys are setting aside half of their earned income from selling eggs to go toward their college fund. Their chickens are a beautiful sight to behold: black and gray "Dominickers," Rhode Island Reds, Araucanas with pretty golden feathers. The eggs are mostly shades of brown with the dramatic baby blue ones mixed in. The yolks are deep orange-yellow and the flavor is so pure and rich you face transcends into a warm smile as you savor the wonderful, incredible egg. 

Search out the local farmers who offer freshly laid eggs -- even at $3 or $4 a dozen, this has got to be one of the world's greatest and least expensive foods around.