preserving raw eggs

[joanfromzone6]

have this ever been discussed here ? if not, i've found a source and will post it if there is any interest in it -

it's a cheap way to store eggs over the usual "lean days" in winter when the chickens are not laying -

[Valerie]

Please do post!

We've discussed dipping them in wax and packing them in boxes of salt. What else ya got?

[joanfromzone6]

ok -

PRESERVATION WITH LIMEWATER.--To prepare limewater for the preservation of eggs, dissolve 1 pound or 1 pint of salt and 1 quart of finely slaked lime in 3 gallons of water, stir the solution at frequent intervals for a day or two, and then allow the liquid to settle. Place the eggs in tall stone crocks or kegs with their pointed ends turned down, filling the receptacles to within a few inches of the top. Pour the clear limewater over the eggs so arranged, allowing it to rise an inch or two above the top layer. Then stand the vessel in a cool place where the temperature will not exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs so treated will keep for at least 6 or 8 months. The only objection to this plan is that the eggs preserved by it sometimes acquire a slight lime taste.

PRESERVATION WITH WATER GLASS.--Putting eggs down in a solution of water glass is without doubt the most satisfactory method of storing them in the home. So effective does this method prove that the housewife who has a convenient and proper storage room should not fail to take advantage of this way of laying up a supply of eggs.

The commercial form of water glass is usually a mixture of potassium and sodium silicate, which, besides being cheaper than that which is chemically pure, is the kind that is preferred for the purpose of preserving eggs. A good quality of it either in a sirup-like solution or in the form of a powder retails in drug or grocery stores for about 10 cents a pound. To make a solution of the desired strength to preserve eggs satisfactorily, dissolve 1 part of water glass in 7 parts of warm water that has first been boiled to drive off bacteria, mold, spores, etc. One quart of water glass will make sufficient solution to cover about 12 dozen eggs. With the solution thoroughly mixed, it is ready to pour over the eggs.

In selecting eggs for the purpose of storing, be careful to choose only those which are clean, fresh, and perfectly sound, and, if possible, infertile. It is advisable not to wash them before they are put into the preservative, for they will keep better if their bloom is not removed. Place the eggs in receptacles in the manner explained for preserving eggs in limewater, and over them pour the water-glass solution until they are all covered. If the eggs so prepared are stored in a cool place, they will keep as long as those preserved in limewater; besides, there will be no danger of their acquiring any foreign flavor.

No matter which of these methods is adopted, however, it will be well to note that only eggs laid in April, May, or June should be used for storage purposes, as these are the best ones laid during the year; also, that the eggs should always be packed with the small end down, because the yolk will not settle toward the small end so readily as toward the large end or the side.

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six to eight months do sound a little optimistic, no ?

[Valerie]

Probably about right, though. I read that they keep fine at room temp for 2-3 months, so extending that to 6-8 through preservation doesn't seem impossible.

[catinhat]

You can also freeze eggs, but you have to separate the yolks and whites from what I understand. Also, I have the instructions for pasteurizing eggs. I do that when I make mayo from scratch. I've been thinking lately that I should put some in my root cellar as an experiment, see how long they keep. It's about 35 degrees down there.

[eyeofthestorm]

Cat, I freeze them together, but I mix them a bit (breaking up the yolks into the whites) and put in a bit of salt or sugar (depending on how I plan to use them). I mark the containers with how many eggs and salt or sugar.

The one thing I haven't done with them is thaw and scramble. I really want to try that and see if the family notices the difference.

[catinhat]

Sandra, I had forgotten that part. I was thinking of whole eggs rather than scrambled. Sorry!

[Granny Smith]

I beat them lightly, just enough to break up the yolk, and freeze them individually in tart pans (wider and shallower than a muffin tin) or plastic containers. After they're frozen, I pop them out and put them in a ziplock. I've fried the frozen discs and made fried eggs (with broken yolks) out of them. They fry up fine. I've also thawed them and made scrambled eggs. You need to add a bit of water to make up for the dehydration that occurs in the freezer, but they were fine, too.

Still, I like the idea of preserving them so they don't require refrigeration or electricity of any kind.

[catinhat]

Seems like I remember something about being able to scramble them, then dehydrate, then powder? But since I have chickens, I never get interested enough long term to acutally do any of it Even in the dead of winter we get more eggs than we use.

[Granny Smith]

I've read you can dehydrate cooked, scrambled eggs, but I haven't tried it. I have tried dehydrating raw beaten eggs and they don't keep long at all - only a couple of weeks. They would keep better in the shell at room temperature!

[Valerie]

I always forget to use the ones I froze. Probably because we keep getting so many fresh! They don't all stop laying in the winter here, they just slow down a bit.

[Granny Smith]

If mine just slowed down, I could get a few more chickens and not have to buy any. Mine quit laying near mid-summer and don't start back again until late winter. Of course, I still have to feed them, even when I'm buying eggs.

[catinhat]

Does it get too hot for them to lay? Just curious.

[Granny Smith]

Here it usually gets too wet, but I've seen it get too hot, too.