Dawn Amundsen began selling farm-fresh eggs at the Elgin Area Growers’ Market three years ago because she was running out of room in her fridge for the eggs her chickens were producing. She has expanded her products to also include small craft items such as pot scrubbers, dog and cat toys, T-shirt bags and feed sack bags, among other items. (Chris DeBack photo)
Eggs, baked goods and craft — oh my!
By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com
The Elgin Area Growers’ Market on Thursday evenings in Elgin is a great place to find farm-fresh eggs, produce, baked goods, and other local craft items for sale.
Dawn Amundson of Elgin has been selling her farm-fresh eggs at the Growers’ Market for three years now. It all started because she was simply running out of room in her fridge.
“Some years ago, we bought 12 chicks one time but didn’t expect them all to survive,” she recalled. “Well, they all did, and eventually we started to run out of room in our fridge for all the eggs that were being laid. So, I decided to start selling the cage-free, part-time free-range eggs that our chickens were laying.”
What makes her eggs unique are the different colors, shapes and sizes that can be found in one carton.
“I tell people that eggs aren’t perfect,” she explained. “When you buy them in a grocery store, they were carefully selected and sorted, whereas mine, I collect them, clean them and let them dry; then I carton them up and don’t care about matching size, color or shape. I think it is fun.”
