Brown or White?

One of the advantages of living in a small town is that I can get fabric, my knives sharpened and pick up fresh eggs all from the same business. The most recent debate was over whether brown eggs, or white eggs, are better. Besides egg color, if you buy them commercially there's little difference. According to the website the "Straight Dope:"

According to the Egg Nutrition Board, White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. There is no difference in taste or nutrition between white and brown eggs.

The people at Crisco (who may know even more than the egg nutritionists) go further to say, They simply come from two different breeds of chickens. Brown eggs, however, are more expensive because the chickens that lay them eat more than those that lay white eggs.'

Among the breeds that lay brown eggs are the Rhode Island Red, the New Hampshire and the Plymouth Rock--all larger birds that require more food. But Bill Finch of the Mobile Register suggests that brown eggs may have tasted better at one time. He says, For years, chickens preferred by commercial growers happened to lay white eggs. A few smart cooks sought out brown eggs because most of the home-reared American flocks, which had access to flavor-enhancing weeds and bugs, happened to lay brown eggs. Commercial egg producers eventually got wise to this. They started raising chickens that laid brown eggs, and charged a premium for them at the store.' So basically if they are free ranging and home-raised, the chickens may be eating a different diet than commercial chicken producers and that difference in menu may affect the egg flavor.

Can you tell which ones I favor?

Charlotte