The label on a carton of eggs became the subject of speculation in a Vermont-focused online forum.

A Reddit user posted a picture of an egg carton from the Salisbury, Vermont-based Maple Meadow Farm and asked why Vermont was placed in quotes. This post inspired users of the popular online discussion forum to offer up their theories. The 16 Redditors who had commented as of Friday morning suggested the quotes may be a way to get around regulation of the Vermont brand, while others charged a general ignorance of punctuation.

Two Redditors tagged the thread in another forum focused on suspicious quotes.

Another post suggested simply calling the farm. The Free Press obliged.

So what's the real story behind 'Vermont' cage-free eggs?

Jackie Devoid, who runs Meadow Maple Farm with her husband, put the speculation to rest. The eggs are, indeed, laid in Vermont.

She said in a phone interview Thursday that she could not remember why she decided to put quotes around Vermont when the label was created circa 2008. However, she guessed their motivation at the time was to make the state's name "pop out," drawing attention to the fact that the eggs are local.

A closer look at quote confusion

The use of quotes certainly popped out to those commenting on the Reddit thread, but it also gave people pause. One person posited the quotes could signal either emphasis or irony, meaning that the quotes reverse the meaning of the word.

This irony theory has plausibility because style and grammar conventions allow for the ironic use of quotes. AP style, which is followed by the Burlington Free Press and many other news organizations, offers this guideline:

IRONY: Put quotation marks around a word or words used in an ironical sense: The "debate" turned into a free-for-all.

Where can I get my hands on those local eggs?

The Maple Meadow Farm's membership to the Vermont Fresh Network and the state's seal of quality can be found on the website. It provides eggs to multiple grocery stores and restaurants, including City Market in Burlington.

The farm was established in 1946.

A few other locations where the eggs can be purchased include:

Price Chopper, Rutland

Bellomo's Market, Belmont

Boise Citgo, Bridport

Brattleboro Co-op, Brattleboro

Dorset Union Store, Dorset

Greg's Meat Market, Middlebury

Healthy Living, S. Burlington

Hunger Mountain Co-op, Montpelier

Kingsbury’s General Store, Waitsfield

Lisai’s Market, Bellows Falls

Mehuron’s Market, Waitsfield

Nichol's General Store, Danby

Prunier's Market, Bomoseen

Quality Market, Barre

Uncommon Market, Montpelier

Village Green Market, New Haven

Contact Maleeha Syed at mzsyed@freepressmedia.com or 802-495-6595. Follow her on Twitter @MaleehaSyed89.