Louri St. Jean will be the first to talk about the benefits of duck eggs.
The owner of Munchkin Acres farms on Highway 17 in Wahnapitae is in the business of raising ducks for meat and eggs.
“Duck eggs are higher in protein and vitamins and minerals. They have less water content and they are double the size of a chicken egg,” she said.
St. Jean also says duck eggs make for a baker’s dream.
“They make cakes fluffier and provide for a batter that is moist.”
She said the majority of people are conditioned to buy chicken eggs, but duck and turkey eggs are next level.
“I’ve always loved ducks. They are so fun to watch, especially when they play in water,” St. Jean said. “We started with two call ducks and then there were more in different varieties, and now we have about 25 ducks on our property.”
Last year was the family’s first time hatching and this year they started harvesting for meat.
St. Jean said there are different methods of care depending on if a customer wants duck eggs for eating or hatching.
In addition to the duck eggs, St. Jean also raises goats, turkey, geese, bunnies and chickens, and divides her time as best she can with her second passion: making jams, jellies and preserves.
She can usually be found at the Thursday night York Street market selling some super creative canned goods from her foraging expeditions on the farm.
“I have peonies, dandelions, daisies, clover, lilacs, crab apples, roses and fiddleheads from around here and turn them into jams and jellies,” St. Jean said.
She said she loves to mix flavour combinations and be adventurous with everything from blueberries and lemonade, to the chokecherries that grow down the road.
She said the household favourites are the traditional raspberry or blueberry jams, as well as the carrot cake jam.
Her savoury favourites are the sweet and sour dills with the perfect punch of crunch and salt.
St. Jean said customers really enjoy the pickled asparagus and the pickled pineapple recently took off at the Sudbury Market.
St. Jean mastered preserving 15 years ago and has never looked back. Originally from the Markstay area, she was happy to leave the city and kickstart farming life with her husband and four children three years ago.
“When you live on a farm, nothing is wasted,” she said. “If I use pineapple in a jelly, the peel is used for boiling and juicing for jelly and whatever is left over the chickens devour. And the ducks love watermelon rinds.”
The family plan was to have a farm stand up on the highway this season, but an electrical fire in the farmhouse last November has set the family back.
“We are now splitting the time with the animals on the farm and then doing preservative and duck egg incubation work at both the farm, and my parent’s house.”
There’s always next summer season and that will give her a whole year to prepare for it.
Munchkin Acres Farms is located at 2423 ON-17 in Wahnapitae, east of the city.
Customers interested in her duck eggs, meat or preservatives are encouraged to reach out on Facebook at Munchkin Acres Farms.
Locals can also visit her at the York Street market on Thursdays and the Indoor Sudbury Market.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.