Our program in May was about eggs, and we decided to forego our usual sandwich lunch in favor of quiche. We enjoyed a shrimp quiche as well as a ham and mushroom quiche. Salad and a delicious dessert rounded out the menu.

Eggs, which were a no-no for a time, are back in favor. They are low in calories and high in nutrition, with most of the nutrition in the yolk.

We learned how eggs should be stored and to read the codes on the egg boxes which tell how fresh they are. Cartons with a USDA label indicate that they came from a USDA-inspected plant.

An interesting fact was that generally, brown eggs come from chickens with brown feathers, and white eggs come from chickens with white feathers, and there is no difference in nutrition or flavor. There were also tips on how to tell if an egg is fresh, as well as the proper way to hard boil an egg. To avoid that green ring that often appears on a hard-boiled egg, plunge it into cold water or an ice bath right out of the pot.

Eggs can be cooked a number of ways: boiled, scrambled, poached, shirred, or the whites made into meringue. They are a basic ingredient in many recipes.

Consumers are concerned about the conditions where chickens are raised. They are leaning toward cage-free and free-range chickens.

Our next meeting is about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).