Right now we can get eggs at a good price at the grocery store. They aren’t the best of all eggs, but the good eggs are at the farmers’ market and it is beyond busline range. Eggs are not strictly vegetarian, but unfertilized eggs, as most are, do not ever become chicks. (You need a rooster in with the hens to get fertilized eggs that will hatch.)

We used to have our own chickens. Some chickens are lots of fun. We had three at one time who were real pets and followed us around like dogs. They liked to come in the cellar door and watch Nicholas stoke the wood furnace. If we didn’t pay attention, they would try to get upstairs into the house and that just drove the dogs crazy. These chickens had names – Jet, Ginger and Penny. My chicken-raising friend rolled her eyes and said, “You don’t name the chickens!” I did, and they were great. Other chickens have been just chickens and sometimes a little nasty.

The big pay-off is that if the chickens are fed right they produce eggs. We got about five eggs a week from each chicken for about nine months out of the year. (They sometimes don’t lay when the days are short and when they are moulting – growing new feathers.)

But even grocery store eggs are a good source of protein (free-range eggs are lower in cholesterol.) So here are a few ways to cook eggs that aren’t expensive or time-consuming.

REALLY GOOD SCRAMBLED EGGS

This is too simple to believe. Forget milk, cream, or water. Forget herbs and seasonings. Melt a little butter/margarine in a nonstick or well-seasoned pan. (Use olive oil if you prefer.) Break four eggs into a bowl, gently scramble with a fork (not a whisk or some electric doodad.) I mean, really gently, so that you can still distinguish some white. Don’t beat until fluffy, keep it calm. Now pour the beaten eggs into the pan, and stir around lightly with a wooden spatula. The wooden implement means you aren’t overscrambling. Keep the heat medium-low until the eggs are mostly set, but still a little moist on top. You won’t believe how tender the eggs are cooked this way, treated with gentleness. Transfer to a warm serving dish. This is enough for two good eaters, or enough for one very good eater.

A SIMPLE OMELET WITHOUT FOLDING

Do you find omelets intimidating? Try this instead. Dice a small onion and a small green pepper finely, fry in a little oil or butter at medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium. Meanwhile, beat together four eggs until well-mixed. Use a fork, not  a whisk. Pour the eggs into the vegetable mixture in the skillet. Have on hand some diced, grated or sliced cheese- real cheese, from a block, that is, like cheddar or gouda or whatever you like. Let the eggs start to set, then slide a spatula under the cooked rim and let the raw egg flow under. Do this all the way around until most of the raw egg has gone to the bottom and cooked. While the eggs are still moist on top, lay on the cheese evenly, then cover, reducing the heat to almost nothing. Peek in after a minute to see if the cheese is melted. Divide into portions and serve. Try other vegetables, cheese mixtures, or fresh herbs minced. Just sprinkle the herbs on top, don’t mix into the eggs. Again, keeping the heat low will keep the eggs from getting tough. (If you use a hot pepper and some cilantro, serve the omelet with salsa and tortillas.)

PICKLED EGGS

This takes some time and preparation, but is worth it. It is one way of dealing with surplus eggs. Get your equipment together: Pot for hardboiling eggs, kettle for heating vinegar, hotwater canner, canning jars (quart size is good), lids, jar lifter, extra towels, kitchen timer.

Ingredients: 2 dozen or more fresh, raw eggs; gallon of vinegar (I prefer cider); seasonings such as garlic cloves, bay leaf, pepper corns, mustard seed, one clove or leaf per jar, or a half dozen seeds/corns.

Hardboil the eggs and peel. I don’t have a fail-proof method for getting the shells off without the white splitting. The fresher the egg, the easier it peels. Meanwhile, heat the vinegar with an equal amount of water; you probably won’t need the whole gallon, but best to have extra to top up jars. Put the peeled eggs in the clean canning jars and add seasonings. (Note that raw garlic turns copperous green in vinegar! But isn’t harmful.) Pour in the hot vinegar mixture. I put a metal table knife or skewer in each jar as I fill it to avoid any cracking. Put the lids on properly, following the manufacturer’s directions for making the seal. Immediately lower into the boiling canner, cover the canner, and process for ten minutes. (Less than that will not give a good seal.) Lift out with the jar tongs (if you don’t have these, get some, since they will save you many burns.) Cool on the towels. Keep for about a week before serving. Open jars should go in the refrigerator.