Let's just get this out of the way up front: I WAS WRONG.
There.
I said it. Back in the winter when I hauled just over 50 dozen eggs to the local food bank, I was happy to be able to share out of our surplus but was very discouraged about our egg sales. John told me to be patient and predicted that soon our supply wouldn't be able to keep up with demand. Basically, I told him he was crazy. Let me say it one more time: I was wrong.
Fast forward a few months. . . At both the June and July farmer's markets, we'd sold out of eggs in a mere hour and a half. And, when I sent out the email last Monday asking who would like eggs for that Wednesday's delivery route, we were sold out via email in 2 hours. 2 HOURS! This, of course, left me sending a lot of emails of apology, explaining that we didn't have any eggs left for that week.
I wish that we had eggs enough for everyone. And, we are actually making plans to enlarge our flock: installing another set of nesting boxes and ordering 60 new chicks. But, it will, of course, be months before those chicks are laying age.
After some consultation with a couple marketing consultants/friends, we've settled on a new temporary plan. . .
Through November, while the Main Street Farmer's Market is in operation, we will scale back our egg delivery to ONCE A MONTH.
Now, before you start drafting your responses in outrage, here me out.
We will space the delivery dates out so that they are approximately 2 weeks from our farmer's market days. Therefore, if you're able to take advantage of both delivery and market, you can still have Brood Farm eggs every two weeks. If you're not able to make it to market, consider these two tidbits:
1. You are still more than welcome to purchase eggs from the farm at any time. Just check ahead to assure that we have them available. ashley@broodfarm.com, or 870.834.5315 (texting is fine).
2. Eggs at the store are typically 6-weeks old before they even make it to the shelves. Then, you keep them in your fridge for weeks as well. If supply allows, go ahead and stock up on Brood Farm eggs during our once-a-month delivery. They will still be fresher than what you might pick up in the store. They really should be good for a few months in your refrigerator. (If you're unsure about whether your eggs are still fresh enough to eat, try the float test. Gently place an egg into a glass of water. The fresher the egg, the closer to the bottom of the glass it will stay. If it floats all the way to the top, it's past its prime.)
I will continue to send out a delivery email on the Monday before Wednesday's delivery. But, so that you can plan, here are the tentative delivery dates and market dates:
Delivery: July 30, August 27, September 24, October 29, November 26
Main St. Market: August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8
In December, once the market is closed down for winter, we will consider altering our delivery plans based on supply/demand at that time. Thanks so much for your understanding and cooperation as we figure out how best to meet the needs of our amazing customers! I can't tell you how very blessed we feel to have so many folks enjoying our eggs and sharing in our mission to Take Care and Eat Well.