A few weeks ago a friend and I went on a tour of a bunch of different chicken coops in the Wilmington area (file under: reasons I love my small Southern town), which left me not only completely inspired for my chickens, but also with a dozen of the cutest eggs I’ve ever seen. Did you know that bantam chickens lay the tiniest of tiny little eggs? I was smitten as soon as I saw them.

I spent a lot of time considering what to do with these tiny eggs. A few of them were soft boiled and served on top of gnocchi with fresh leeks and onion. A handful found themselves fried up and served in burrito bowls. But the majority of them became the cutest deviled eggs you’ve ever seen.

I would like to take a moment to encourage everyone who has never eaten a fresh egg to go forth to your local farmer’s market, and buy a fresh egg. Just trust me, it’s different. It’s better. It’s… heavenly. Eating an egg that my chicken had laid just hours before changed my life a little bit. Go support your local farmers and buy a dozen (or two) eggs laid by happy free range chickens. And then ask me about the time I caught one of my chickens “free ranging” (read: escaped) in the woods with a snake in her mouth. Homesteading!

Farm Fresh Deviled Eggs (i.e. Deviled Eggs with Horseradish & Cornishons)

1 dozen fresh eggs (aged two weeks in the fridge for ease of peeling)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp horseradish

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon

Cornishon pickles for garnish

Bring pot of salted water to a boil and boil eggs for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Halve, combining the yolks in a bowl and setting the whites aside.

Use a fork to mash the yolks together, and then stir in remaining ingredients. Stir well, adding more mayonnaise as needed, until the yolks are creamy and light. Season to taste, and spoon filling back into egg whites. Top with pickle slices and serve.