No Time to Dye Easter Eggs? No Problem.

Easter is only a couple of days away, and if you don't have a lot of time to dye eggs to decorate the table, you may find an alternative solution at the

Melissa Powell of Oak Leaf Farm in Bostwick sells a selection of free-range eggs that naturally come in a variety of colors.

Chickens lay eggs that are layered in white, beige, light brown, chocolate brown, and even blue and olive colors, she said.

The Ameraucana breed of chickens --often referred to as an 'Easter Egger'--  is one of a couple breeds known to lay blueish-green eggs, explained Powell.

While the eggshell color depends on the breed, the yolk color can vary by a chicken's diet, she said. Just from her observations, she said a darker orange yolk comes from chickens that eat a lot of greenery.  She often sees lighter yellow yolk from those that consume more insects.

Powell attributes her passion for egg farming to divine intervention. One day in 2007, she was looking out of her kitchen window and spotted 3 white chickens that had fallen off of a chicken truck.  That's when she set up the first pen --though they were broilers.

"God sent us those chickens, and it has evolved to this," she said.  Oak Leaf Farm has about 150 layers right now and additional chicks will begin to lay in the next couple of months, which will double the farm's egg inventory, if predators like hawks and foxes don't interfere.

The farm's free-range chickens roam 10 acres, forging for food.  They are supplemented with all-natural feed, said Powell. Also noteworthy, there are no pesticides used on the property.

She and her husband, Bryan, own the business, and daughters Ansley, 15, and Alyssa, 10, help out.

At the , Powell brings 20-30 dozen eggs each week, which sell for $4.50 by the dozen.  Eggs she brings are no more than 5 days old, she said. Powell also brings a selection of homegrown produce to sell. Her daughter, Alyssa, usually runs a lemonade stand.

Take a look at some interesting egg facts.

Here is a list of other items vendors will have at the Oconee Farmers Market this Saturday:

• Lettuce, greens, green onions
• Herbs
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Grass-fed Senepol beef
• Lamb
• Pies (strawberry-rhubarb, apple, pecan, chocolate chess, and sweet potato)
• Whoopie pies
• Dog biscuits
• Breakfast items (muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, bagels, biscotti, granola),
• Bread
• Pretzels
• Mulberry jam
• Sea salts
• Handmade soaps
• Honey
• Beeswax candles
• Decorative gourds
• Recycled jewelry
• Live plants
• Bulbs
• Boiled and fried peanuts
• Beef jerky
• Pickles on a stick