One in the dirt equals two in the nest...

So I've been hearing quite a bit of hullabaloo about the "yard egg." It seems that anything from pizza to pasta or even burgers can be improved with the delicious addition of an egg.  And not just any egg...a "yard" egg.  At first I thought it meant that the egg had to be prepared in such a way that enables the yolk to ooze all over the desired  entree...partly true, but not quite.

Then I did a search for "yard egg" on Google, and the first entry that popped up was this:

We call eggs we find out in the farmyard "yard eggs" These eggs have been "dropped" by a hen unable to get to a nesting box and sometimes overlooked when gathering eggs. They can still be good but must be float tested to ensure they have not been in the yard for a number of days.

Uhm ew? First off, how can you tell you are purchasing an egg meeting that description? Do you ask the vendor at the farmer's market? "Excuse me sir, but I was wondering if this particular egg fell out of your chicken's butt prematurely...you found it in the dirt right?"

And if they miraculously said yes, do you trust that they performed the "float test" or do you bring a bowl of water along with you when you purchase eggs?

I assume a "yard egg" is fresh, not refrigerated or processed in any way. Additionally, I would hope it came from a "free-range" chicken raised on organic or natural feed. But is there really that much difference in the flavor? This is something that will keep me up nights until I find out for myself.

Believe me, I will let you know.