Lathrop, Missouri, is a small town a half-hour north of Kansas City and just to the west of Interstate 35. Its most famous residents aren't humans but the chickens and other animals at Campo Lindo Farms.
My carton of Campo Lindo eggs the other day included this note:
Hi from Campo Lindo Farms. The ladies are being a little finicky these days. Jay built some new nest boxes for them to lay eggs in, and we were sure they would love them. These are community nests -- a cozy little hut with straw where they can settle in and lay eggs, and on the plus side for us, that are easier to gather eggs out of. I guess the ladies are not too worried about making it easy on us, because so far, only a couple of hens have used them. Oh well, maybe they'll grow to like them. We sure hope so!! Thank you for supporting local, very set in their way, hens. Carol, Jay, Brandon & IsabelCarol Jay, Brandon and Isabel would be the Maddick family. They own Campo Lindo and, in addition to writing the notes, do everything else there is to do on the farm.
According to Campo Lindo's Web site,
they gather eggs from their 3,600 hens by hand several times a day.
Jay and Carol also have a small processing plant on-site and "hand
eviscerate every bird."
even drive their eggs and chickens into town to the various grocery
stores and restaurants they supply, such as Blue Bird Bistro, Michal Smith and Extra Virgin.
You
don't have to go to a restaurant to find their goods, though. The eggs
are sold at Cosentino Markets, Cosentino Price Choppers and the
area's three Whole Foods. The shells are noticeably thicker than those of regular eggs. Yes, the eggs taste like regular eggs, but now, while I
wait for them to boil, I get to read notes like
this one:
Hi from Campo Lindo Farms! Life is such a miracle. On oneof our coldest mornings, right at dawn, we found a tiny newborn lamb.
Momma was doing her best to lick her dry, but the lamb was so small,
that I felt certain that it was a preemie and wouldn't survive.
Nonetheless, Jay's warm bathroom was put to use, and within a couple of
hours, she was all warmed up and looking for breakfast. Still doubtful,
we took her out to mom, and to our surprise, the little girl is now
almost two weeks old, still tiny, but going strong. I guess the lesson
there is to never give up! Thanks for supporting one more lamb in this
family farm.
When you catch yourself tearing up while reading an egg carton, you know you've found a special product.
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