Eggs Anyone?!
Watch this video or keep reading to learn how to preserve your farm fresh eggs in limewater. They keep for 8-12 months!
Imagine a busy breakfast diner with a single cook slinging omelettes like a mad man. That is exactly how I have been feeling trying to keep up with our chickens’ egg production! Last summer they were hot and molting and not offering us many eggs, but this winter and spring they have been laying SO many. Eggs were piling up on the counter and in the refrigerator. We were giving them away to ANYONE who wanted them. I needed to figure out a way to preserve the eggs that were piling up so during their times of molt and rest we would still have all the eggs we needed. Luckily, I stumbled on a few old school ways of preserving eggs before there were refrigerators. One uses a solution called “water glass” and the other uses a limewater solution.
The water glass technique uses a solution that contains sodium silicate. When diluted properly and fresh, clean, unwashed eggs are used, it helps seal the shell so that harmful bacteria cannot enter it. It is important that the eggs are not washed, because once the natural bloom has been washed away, the egg is more porous and the chance of bacteria getting in and spoiling the egg is higher. Another way to preserve your eggs is with a limewater solution. Both of these techniques are old ones that have been around since at least the early 1900s. Early research comparing eggs preserved in the water glass solution versus the limewater solution showed similar results between the two. Pickling lime may be more desirable to work with by some. Both recipes should preserve your eggs for around 8-12 months. Remember, if you pull out a week’s worth of eggs to store them in the refrigerator until you use them.
Preserving Eggs in a Water Glass Solution:
- Mix 11 parts water with 1 part water glass solution.
- Use distilled water or boil tap water and then let it cool.
- Mix thoroughly in a food grade bucket.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes or so and then mix it thoroughly again.
- Add your clean, unwashed, intact eggs to the mixture (pointy sides down). Eggs should be completely submerged with about 2 inches of liquid on top.
- Place a lid on top to prevent the water from evaporating. If evaporation does occur, add water to keep the eggs completely submerged.
That’s all there is to it! You can consider them preserved and can reach in for eggs as needed! The eggs should stay completely submerged in the solution. If it evaporates you can just add more water to it. If you plan to boil eggs that have been preserved this way, be sure to poke a hole in the large end of the egg with a needle to prevent it from breaking while boiling. Remember that the undiluted water glass solution is alkaline and can be harmful if it is splashed on you. It is recommended that you wear protective gloves and eyewear when mixing the solution.
Preserving Eggs in a Limewater Solution:
- Mix 5 ounces hydrated lime (pickling lime) with 5 quarts of distilled water.
- Mix thoroughly in a food grade bucket until completely dissolved.
- Add your clean, unwashed, intact eggs to the mixture (pointy sides down). Eggs should be completely submerged with about 2 inches of liquid on top.
- Place a lid on top of the bucket and add water if evaporation occurs.
Please note the recipe above is for a 3 gallon bucket. For a 5 gallon bucket you can double the recipe. The 3 gallon bucket should hold around 80 eggs including the solution.
That’s it! No more eggs piling up on the counter! Go ahead and breathe that big sigh of relief and give one of these recipes a try. I’ll bet you won’t regret it.
Resources:
Preserving Eggs for the Home by Byron Alder https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=uaes_circulars
A Farm Girl's Guide to Preserving the Harvest by Ann Accetta-Scott