North Carolina’s egg farmers are located all over the state from Hyde County to Cherokee County. The farmers have approximately 9 million birds which lay about 7 ½ million eggs a day.

Hens lay an egg about once every 26 hours and usually skip a day in the week.

North Carolina has egg producers who have a variety of egg production systems, offering consumers choices of types and prices of eggs. There are modern cage systems, free running houses, vegetarian feed, organic feed, white and brown eggs and specialty branded eggs, reports the North Carolina Egg Association.

Mexican Rice and Beans Baked Eggs

Got to be NC, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon each ground cumin, dried thyme and chili powder

¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup corn kernels

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)

2 cups cooked long-grain rice

4 Eggs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

¼ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon lime zest

2 teaspoon lime juice

What to do

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in ovenproof skillet set over medium heat. Cook onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, thyme, chili powder, salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or until onion starts to soften.

Stir in black beans and corn until well coated. Stir in tomatoes; bring to boil. Stir in rice.

Make 4 small divots in rice mixture with spoon; crack egg into each divot. Transfer to oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until egg whites are set and yolks are cooked to desired doneness. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro.

Meanwhile, stir together sour cream, lime zest and juice. Drizzle over rice and eggs.

Notes: Serve this hearty dish with Salsa and a favorite cheese. The eggs and beans are so filling you won’t even miss having a meat as the protein.

Classic Egg Salad

North Carolina Egg Association

Ingredients

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced onion

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

½ cup finely chopped celery

Lettuce leaves

What to do

Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.

Add the chopped eggs and celery and mix well.

Refrigerate, covered, to blend the flavors.

Serve on lettuce leaves. Serves 4.

Tips: This creamy egg salad can be layered with crunchy lettuce on whole wheat toast for a simple sandwich, or stuffed into cherry tomatoes for an impressive appetizer.

Fast Scrambled Eggs with Herbs

Mark Bittman

Cooking.nytimes.com/recipes

Published 2010

Ingredients

4 or 5 eggs

1 or 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A small handful of mixed herbs

1 to 2 tablespoons milk, cream, lemon juice or water (optional)

What to do

Beat the eggs lightly and combine in a medium skillet, preferably non-stick, with the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the sides of the pan (a heat-proof rubber spatula is a good tool here).

As the eggs begin to curdle, you may notice that some parts are drying out; whenever you see that, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until the cooking slows down a bit. Then return to the heat and continue cooking. The eggs are done when creamy, soft, and still a bit runny; do not overcook unless, of course, you intend to. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman.

Serves 2.

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