This post is monetarily sponsored by Burnbrae Farms. You can follow Burnbrae Farms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love!
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of Burnbrae Farms‘ newest solar powered egg laying facility (coined ‘Ralos’) in Oxford County! The moment I stepped on the farm, I instantly felt the passion they have for their business and a strong sense of family that is far-to-often lost. For anyone who has been following along with me over the years knows how important eggs are to my family and my business. This summer alone, I went through over 2000 Burnbrae Farms eggs, so without innovative businesses like Burnbrae, my small business would not be as successful as it is.
I wanted to share a little bit of the history of Burnbrae Farms so you can truly get the feel of how 6 generations of Hudson’s have cared for, nurtured and grown this business nationally. Their origins go as far back as 1891 when Joseph Hudson arrived from Scotland. He purchased a farm in the small village of Lyn (not far from where I currently live!) and settled on the name Burnbrae. From its early beginnings as a dairy farm, Burnbrae evolved into egg production in the 1940’s, still under the guidance of the Hudson family. Over the following decades, Burnbrae Farms became an integral part of Canadian agribusiness, expanding operations across the country, all while offering innovative products and excellent quality eggs. Today, 120 years after Joseph Hudson bought the first farm, the business is still owned and operated by the Hudson Family. Their deep history and continued drive for excellence is the kind of story that warms your heart and gives you goose bumps all at the same time.
Our tour of the farm started in the visitor’s centre with CEO Margaret Hudson and her sister Sue Hudson. We learned a little about the history of the business before heading in to the free run barns to visit the ladies of the hour – their hens! Margaret and Sue were excited to share that the opening of this solar powered farm is just one of the products of the their mission to reduce greenhouse emissions by five per cent by 2020 and also demonstrates their commitment to increase the use of sustainable green energy throughout its many locations across Canada.
Ralos, the name of their new facility, consists of four barns; one starter pullet barn, one free-run layer and two free-range layer barns. The entire facility operates off the grid and is powered by the sun with solar panels installed on the roof. The farm itself actually creates excess power that is then shared with their neighbouring farm. Ralos utilizes high efficiency motors, lighting and ventilation systems to ensure the farm is using as little power as possible to run the equipment.
But what about cloudy days, you ask? For the protection and safety of the hens, the farm has a backup generator to ensure power is always available on the farm, however the farm has battery storage that stores energy for use overnight or during extended cloudy periods where there is limited sun.
We had a chance to walk around the barns with the farmers who look after the hens every day. We learned so much, from how they train the hens to lay their eggs in the nests each day (only about 150 hens out of 35,000 in each barn forget and lay their eggs on the floors!), the difference between free-run (the hens, usually younger, can rome free around the barn without cages) and free-range (the hens, typically older who have figured out where to lay their eggs, are able to rome free inside and outside the barns), and how they have narrowed it down to a science how much feed each bird eats per day.
The ladies of Ralos typically lay around 90,000 eggs per day. These eggs are then cleaned and packaged on site and labeled under the Green Valley Farms brand. They can be found in the health food section of your local grocery stores such as LCL Market stores (Ontario and Alberta), Sobeys (Ontario), Metro (Ontario) Foodbasics (Ontario), Farm Boy, and Independents/Others (Coppa, Highland, Galati, Concord Foods, Pusateri’s). When you buy Green Valley Farms eggs you know your eggs are produced in barns that support 100% green energy. Enriched Colony Omega 3 eggs come from hens raised in small social groups in enriched colony housing furnished with perches, scratch pads, and nesting areas and are fed with omega-3 enriched diet consisting of flaxseed and other wholesome ingredients.
So, in honour of the Grand Opening of Canada’s largest solar powered egg laying farm, I created this easy but delicious dinner recipe that showcases Burnbrae Farms eggs as they should always be – front and centre!
TOMATO PESTO, GRILLED CORN AND GNOCCHI EGG BAKE
ingredients
2lbs. cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, divided
2/3 cup pecans, toasted
1 cup plus a handful basil, divided
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
16 oz. potato gnocchi
1 zucchini,peeled in ribbons
2 ears corn, grilled and removed from cob
3-4 Burnbrae Farms eggs
steps
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper to a baking dish. Toss well, making sure the tomatoes are coated in olive oil. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes collapse. Remove, and allow the tomatoes to cool slightly. Add half of the tomatoes (reserving the remaining tomatoes for tossing with the gnocchi) and 2 cloves of garlic to a food processor along with the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, handful of basil and the toasted pecans. Pulse until mostly smooth. Add the lemon zest, crushed red pepper and parmesan, pulse to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain the gnocchi well, and place in a large bowl. To the gnocchi, add the zucchini and give it a good toss. Next add half of the tomato pesto and toss, adding more pesto if desired (you may have extra to use another day!) Stir in the reserved roasted tomatoes, grilled corn and basil. Mix together and pour into a cast iron skillet (or oven proof baking dish). Gently create 3-4 wells in the to of the gnocchi dish and crack a Burnbrae Farms egg into each well. Carefully transfer skillet to the oven and bake at 400F, covered, for another 10-15 minutes or until egg whites have set. Be careful not to over bake as the eggs will become rubbery.
Man this sounds fantastic! A must try!
Not going to lie… its SOOO good! And easy to make!!