Eggs are a wondrous food. On a near daily basis, our short female feathered friends push forth delicious orbs of protein that serve little purpose other than to nourish our beings. Yum. But unfortunately this wonderful thing is often mired in truly horrible animal cruelty practices. Clipped beaks, miniature cages, and horrible environmental effects can really put a damper on one’s egg-citement (sorry, couldn’t help myself). Fortunately Vermont has a plethora of small scale farmers that let their laying hens run, scratch and do what hens do. The diets of these birds are often far better than that of a concentrated laying facility and that improved diet translates directly into nutrients in the eggs we serve at our table. That diet can also make the eggs from different farms taste different. Try one farm this week and another next week. Find out what breed of hens are laying your eggs and scope out your favorite.

In honor of the culinary overabundance of Thanksgiving, I have two recipes for your enjoyment, both of which make delicious use of Vermont’s local eggs. The pumpkin pie is a reprint from last year. Too many people have asked me for this recipe for me to not run it again. The second is another slice of pumpkin heaven. I love this pumpkin bread but if you would rather not break out the oven mitts yourself, you can buy some pumpkin breads from the Butterfly Bakery of Vermont table at the Thanksgiving Farmers Market at Montpelier High School, this Saturday, November 20, 10-2. Don’t miss it!

Pumpkin Pie

1 3- to 4 lb pie pumpkin
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 unbaked 9” pie shell

1) Preheat oven to 450° F
2) Slice the pumpkin in half from pole to pole. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the pumpkin, open side down, on a greased cookie sheet. Roast until a fork easily slides through the skin or the pumpkin, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3) Scoop the flesh of the pumpkin into a medium bowl and puree with an immersion blender (or food processor).
4) In a large bowl, beat the eggs until uniformly yellow. Add 1-1/2 c pureed pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until smooth
5) Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
6) Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 20 minutes at 450°, lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves 8









Pumpkin Bread

1 pie pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup maple syrup
1 3/4 cup whole spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1) Heat your oven to 350° F. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Place the pumpkin flat side down on a greased baking pan and roast until a fork easily slides through the skin, about 45 minutes - 1 hour, rotating the pan about 25 minutes in. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool.

2) If your oven has cooled, reheat it to 350° F. Scoop the pumpkin flesh into a bowl or food processor. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the pumpkin. Measure out 1 cup of pureed pumpkin and set aside the rest for later use (soup, more pumpkin bread or the recipe below are recommended).

3) Combine the 1 cup pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and maple syrup in a large bowl and whisk together. In a small bowl whisk together the spelt flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. And the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk until fully combined.

4) Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool and enjoy!