Edible Sacramento Summer 2022

N ot all eggs are created equal. Some are bite-sized (and very cute); some are mammoth (and could feed a whole family). Big or small, both take some practice to open. Raising quail and ostriches can be a lot more interesting than farming chickens, and so are the eggs these birds produce. “Every day is like an Easter egg hunt,” says quail breeder Linda Easton, owner of GullyRumpus Farm in North Highlands, as she shows off a handful of light blue eggs. “Unlike chickens, quail don’t need a nesting box; they just stop and drop.” TINY BUT TASTY Other species of quail lay cream-colored eggs splotched with brown specks. About the size of a jumbo olive, a quail egg is one-third the length of a chicken egg and contains only 14 calories. Packed with nutrients, quail eggs have about twice the iron and thiamine of chicken eggs and are rich in selenium, riboflavin, vi tamin B12, and choline (which helps the nervous system).

People trying to cut down on choles terol or egg consumption are attracted to quail eggs as a way to enjoy egg flavor with a lot less actual egg; four to five quail eggs equal one large chicken egg, by volume. GullyRumpus supplies quail eggs to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and several local restaurants, includ ing Kru, in Sacramento, and There & Back Again, Sacramento’s new Lord of the Rings -themed restaurant, which fea tures boiled quail eggs as part of its Shire charcuterie board. The best way to enjoy these little treasures is in dishes that show o— their precious size — for example, fried or poached quail eggs on itty-bitty avocado toast or a garnish of pickled quail eggs. Kru chef and owner Billy Ngo has been a quail egg fan since he opened his restaurant 17 years ago. “They’re sushi sized! They’re fun! They fit perfectly with what [Kru is] do ing. They’re a bite, and bites make a meal. They’re the perfect size for that applica tion,” Ngo says, referring to his restau rant’s menu of sushi and small plates.

This page, from top: Most quail lay speckled eggs, but few carry a rare gene that lets them produce beautiful blue (celedon) eggs; Quail at GullyRumpus Farm enjoy daily dust bathing; Quail breeder Linda Easton holds a Japanese quail at her North Highlands farm; Opposite, from left: Easton uses a cigar cutter to open tough quail egg shells and then fries the tiny eggs in a skillet. Photos by Raoul Ortega; Quail egg and oyster shooter at Kru Restaurant. Photo courtesy of Billy Ngo

34 SUMMER 2022

edible Sacramento