The humble chicken egg is a staple of our diet and often the first thing we reach for at breakfast or for baking. If you live in the Sioux Falls area, though, you have another option. Now you can buy locally grown duck eggs.
The Costlow farm has a myriad of animals, from chickens, to goats, to geese. But, of course, the stars of the show are Debra Costlow's ducks. Costlow has 6 different breeds of ducks so her flock comes in all shapes and colors.
“The black ones are Cayugas . I don't know if you can see the tall, skinny, lanky brown ones. Those are runner ducks. I just like the way they look. It says, they're described as bowling pin shaped.”
Costlow rotationally grazes the ducks. She is moving them to their winter home on a lush lot with lots of tall grasses. The journey isn't far but, as you can imagine, moving one-hundred ducks is no easy task.
Luckily, Costlow has two very eager helpers. Her 7-year-old twins, the oldest of five, Eden and Clara.
“I like collecting eggs the most because it's helping mom.”
“They're really good at helping. I'm glad I have them otherwise this would be, take a lot longer every day to do. They are actually the ones that are picking the eggs, bringing them in. They water the ducks, you know. They're awesome.”
Costlow is originally from Georgia and used to work in IT. She moved in 2007 with her husband, who is originally from South Dakota, to a farm just west of Sioux Falls.
A couple years ago she was buying chickens online and came across some interesting looking ducks so she ordered those too.
“I don't know what happened. I just bought some ducks as pets and all of a sudden, I'm trying to sell duck eggs.”
It's been a year since she started Mother Duck Farms. Costlow says there was a small dip in sales because of the pandemic but despite that her business is doing well.
Even though the how of starting her business is a bit fuzzy, Costlow certainly knows the why.
“Sell to my community sustainably, humanely farmed food. You know, organic, chemical free, I believe in it all. You know, I want to be a part of feeding South Dakota.
Costlow sells her eggs to two organic, local foods grocery stores in Sioux Falls. She also sells directly to customers. She says a lot of her first customers were really happy to have a local source of duck eggs because they are allergic to chicken eggs.
“The protein make-up is different so that people who are allergic chicken eggs can eat duck eggs.”
This is just one of the benefits of duck eggs over chicken eggs. Duck eggs are about twice the size of a chicken egg, which Costlow says is great for baking.
“The yokes are bigger and higher in fat. So you get richer bakes. They're good for custards.”
Costlow also says duck eggs have higher amounts essential amino acids, omega-3s, B vitamins and other nutrients.
The big question, though, is how do they taste?
“So, they're free range, just like our chickens. They eat the same feed, just higher protein, as the chickens. So our duck eggs, as far as taste, taste the same as chicken eggs.”
Besides custard, Costlow likes making deviled eggs with her duck eggs. Costlow's twin girls, Eden and Clara, also have a favorite way to eat them.
“Scrambled, with cheese.”
Costlow says she will keep expanding her business and soon she will provide duck meat along with her duck eggs.