“Free For Flock Or Stew Pot”

As spring blooms into summer here in the Hudson Valley, the messages have already started — unwanted roosters need homes by the dozen. At Catskill Animal Sanctuary, we are no strangers to this heartbreaking reality. Each year, well-intentioned individuals find themselves with roosters they never intended to have. The birds are often offered to us … Read more

“If hens lay eggs anyway, why is it unethical to eat them?”

We get this question a lot. And with idyllic images of hens exploring grassy fields plastered on egg cartons and in grocery stores, challenging that notion can be difficult. However, even the happiest hens in the world (yes, even the ones in cage-free farms or your neighbor’s backyard) will suffer unnecessarily from egg production. It … Read more

Ask Chef Linda: Labels on egg cartons

Labels on egg cartons

Dear Chef Linda, Thanks for your wonderful recipes however, we still do eat eggs; they are free-range, organically raised, and vegetarian fed.  Is this considered “cruelty-free” or am I still deluding myself? Ann Dear Ann, Without wanting to disappoint you, I’m sorry to say that commercial eggs are never cruelty-free. We can fault the marketing mavens for … Read more

Ask the Chef: What’s the story with local milk and eggs?

Humane myths, eggs and dairy

Are there best practices for buying local milk and eggs? Dear Chef Linda, “I am a baker. I like to resource local ingredients. Recently I have made an effort to learn more about where my food comes from and in doing so I am now struggling with continuing my current practicing of baking with eggs … Read more