How preserving fresh eggs for a long time?

[stardust]

I have not found anything on the subject, I hope it will not be a "double" somewhere...

So I was wondering how to perserve eggs for a long time, i.e. several months, in case of crisis.

After many research, I found a recipe, used in ancient times by farmers who had a lot of eggs in summer and not so much in winter so to keep a provision of "fresh eggs", here what they did :

For approximately six to ten dozen eggs

In a big jar (or several smaller) , put eggs (as fresh as possible).
Then, cover them with a solution of hydrated lime ( calcium hydroxid) : 1kg of hydrated lime with 15 L of source water and 225g of salt.

Keep in a fresh and without light place.

The mixture will fill up the pores of egg shell.

It is said that the eggs could be preserved until one year.
For security, when you use the eggs, break them one by one in a separate container.


One could find (in France) "water of hydrated lime" in pharmacy (it is used for babies colic) ~4.50€/500ml but it is cheapest to find hydrated lime in powder ( http://www.proxisante.com/cosmetiques/388-chaux-eteinte.html) for 3€/ 100g




Hard eggs in vinegar can only be preserved for one month so this solution seems very good.


If someone knows other recipe, please share ! :)

 

[nicklebleu]

I just boil the eggs first, just enough to be able to peel them, then I put them into some water with vinegar and can them for 90 minutes - just like meat. They turn out a little bit on the hard side, but I really like them!

 

[loreta]

I just boil the eggs first, just enough to be able to peel them, then I put them into some water with vinegar and can them for 90 minutes - just like meat. They turn out a little bit on the hard side, but I really like them!

How many time the eggs like you prepare can be store? Thanks.

 

[nicklebleu]

I just boil the eggs first, just enough to be able to peel them, then I put them into some water with vinegar and can them for 90 minutes - just like meat. They turn out a little bit on the hard side, but I really like them!

How many time the eggs like you prepare can be store? Thanks.

I think that if you follow the canning procedure exactly, you should be able to keep them as long as you want, they may get harder over time maybe, but still good to go.

 

[Horseofadifferentcolor]

I have not found anything on the subject, I hope it will not be a "double" somewhere...

So I was wondering how to perserve eggs for a long time, i.e. several months, in case of crisis.

After many research, I found a recipe, used in ancient times by farmers who had a lot of eggs in summer and not so much in winter so to keep a provision of "fresh eggs", here what they did :

For approximately six to ten dozen eggs

In a big jar (or several smaller) , put eggs (as fresh as possible).
Then, cover them with a solution of hydrated lime ( calcium hydroxid) : 1kg of hydrated lime with 15 L of source water and 225g of salt.

Keep in a fresh and without light place.

The mixture will fill up the pores of egg shell.

It is said that the eggs could be preserved until one year.
For security, when you use the eggs, break them one by one in a separate container.


One could find (in France) "water of hydrated lime" in pharmacy (it is used for babies colic) ~4.50€/500ml but it is cheapest to find hydrated lime in powder ( http://www.proxisante.com/cosmetiques/388-chaux-eteinte.html) for 3€/ 100g




Hard eggs in vinegar can only be preserved for one month so this solution seems very good.


If someone knows other recipe, please share ! :)

I had not heard of this before. Thanks for sharing. I did find this about the lime.....

A glut [of excess eggs from your chickens] in late spring and early summer can be used in the early fall. Old-timers sometimes preserved their surplus by packing eggs in sawdust, small ends down. Or they applied a protective coating of oil or grease and packed the eggs in bran and salt. One cookbook of the past century suggests using lime water for keeping eggs. This is done by mixing one pound slaked lime (hydrated lime) in one gallon boiling water. When cold, the mixture is poured over the eggs in a jar or crock. Place a saucer on top to keep the eggs submerged. Store in a cool place. Renew the lime water every three weeks. Raising a Small Flock of Chickens for Home Use,” by R. M. Bacon, May 1975

This site has a few different ways
_http://gorambling.com/go/food_and_drink/2010-08-05_egg_storage_and_how_to_preserve_eggs_for_the_long_term.htm

I will try out the lard version and see how that works. I have pickled eggs and after a few months they get very tough and rubbery. Really the best way is to have your own chickens and stagger your hatches so your early spring chicks will start laying in the fall through their first winter.

Lime is also good for a good of things for the home and garden. White washing in the past was used for more than just making pretty white walls and fencing. Great for bugs.
_http://www.poultryonthegwydirweebly.com/benefits-of-using-aglime-and-hydrated-lime-in-your-poultry-yards.html

 

[Dirgni]

I remember that my mother preserved eggs for winter use in waterglass. She told me that (after a while) eggs preserved in that way could be only used for baking and cooking as they were not exactly fresh any more. She stopped preserving eggs in waterglass when fresh eggs could be bought the whole year.

My grandmother made some remarks in her handwritten cookbook about preserving eggs in waterglass:

If you want to put eggs in waterglass you first wash them thoroughly in warm water. This is because each uncleanness will rot / be foul soon and will also contaminate the other eggs. Put the cracked eggs aside. Watch through the others with a light and check that you do not not see black spots in them. Now you lay the eggs in a clean bowl small side down. You put 1 liter waterglass in 10 liter water, stir it thouroughly. You pour the mixture over the eggs. The last layer of eggs has to be completely covered by the "water". Eggs can be kept half a year in a cool and dry cellar / basement (cache) and you can still make whipped egg whites.

Mix 1 liter waterglass with 9 liter cold water; This is sufficient for 3 - 4 "schock" eggs (1 "schock" = 60 eggs)

You could consider to have eggs from a couple of hens. It is maybe easier to store hen fodder than eggs. Modern keepers of egg-laying hens keep light on in the hen houses to simulate longer hours in summer. Hens lay eggs in winter when there is light long enough. They stop to lay eggs in winter because of too short daylight time. From the hens you can make a soup when they stop to lay eggs.

_https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate#Food_preservation
Food preservation - eggs

World War I poster suggesting the use of waterglass to preserve eggs (lower right).
Sodium silicate was also used as an egg preservation agent through the early 20th century with large success. When fresh eggs are immersed in it, bacteria which cause the eggs to spoil are kept out and water is kept in. Eggs can be kept fresh using this method for up to five months. When boiling eggs preserved this way, it is well advised to pin-prick the egg to allow steam to escape because the shell is no longer porous.

How to Store Fresh Eggs
By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors
_http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-store-fresh-eggs-zmaz77ndzgoe.aspx#axzz36nb9xT1a

According to an old joke, "The best way to keep an egg fresh is to keep it in the chicken."

Egg Preserving Test Conclusions

At the end of seven months (all of our experiment that was finished and processed at the time this issue went to press), then, we had drawn these conclusions about our egg preservation experiment:

[1] Unwashed, fertile homestead eggs seem to store much better than washed, unfertile agribiz eggs. Why? Probably for the simple reason that they're unwashed . . . and not because they're fertile. Hen fruit, as it comes from the chicken, is coated with a light layer of a natural sealing agent called "bloom". And, while a good wash may make a batch of eggs look more attractive, it also removes this natural protective coating . . . leaving the eggs more subject to aging and attack by the air and bacteria in the air.

[2] The very best way we've found to stash eggs away for long-term storage is in a sealed container at a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Their whites may become somewhat runny looking over a period of time, but even after seven months—the cackleberries stored in this manner smell good, taste good, have a good texture, and — in short — seem "almost fresh".

[3] The widely touted idea of covering eggs with a solution of one part water glass (sodium silicate) mixed with nine parts of boiled and cooled water does indeed seem to work better than any other "room temperature" preservation method we tried. If our experiences are any indication, though, it's really good for only about five months and is a distant second to controlled refrigeration.

Another point: As good as some eggs kept in water glass were, almost every batch we opened seemed to contain one real stinker. Which makes it a superior idea to open any water glassed egg (or any egg, for that matter) separately into a cup . . . where it may be inspected before pouring it into a skillet, pan, or dish with other food.

[4] Unwashed, fertile eggs submerged in a solution of 16 parts water/2 parts lime/1 part salt, packed in lard, and coated with lard seem to keep at room temperature almost as well as unwashed fertile eggs that have been given the water glass treatment. Washed, unfertile eggs do not.

[5] Unwashed, fertile eggs packed in dry sand or coated with vaseline and stored at room temperature keep a little longer — but not much — than unwashed fertile eggs that are just left lying out at room temperature. Washed, unfertile eggs exhibit the same characteristics . . . with all storage times running a few days less across the board.

[6] Forget packing any kind of eggs in wet sand or sawdust! Our tests show that such methods of "preservation" can turn eggs rotten within a month and are worse than doing nothing at all to the hen fruit.

 

[Ronnie]

I just spoke with a friend about this Yesterday. I don't know the "Best Way" but here's another way. I'm going to be trying this. This lady say's 9 months for this method. What a "Co winki dink" !

http://<iframe width="640" height="...ge" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[stardust]

Thank you all for your sharing !

I wonder if covering the eggs with oil + some drops of essential oils (like Satureja Montana) could help preserving : in one hand oil avoid the air penetration and in an other hand, E. oil could avoid bacterial infection or proliferation...

 

[loreta]

I just boil the eggs first, just enough to be able to peel them, then I put them into some water with vinegar and can them for 90 minutes - just like meat. They turn out a little bit on the hard side, but I really like them!

How many time the eggs like you prepare can be store? Thanks.

I think that if you follow the canning procedure exactly, you should be able to keep them as long as you want, they may get harder over time maybe, but still good to go.

Thank you. I will try! :)

 

[oakwood]

You can also dry your eggs for a shelf life of approx. 3 yrs. Just take your eggs, scramble them with a little butter/bacon fat, etc. blott them on a paper towel then chop them into small pieces, place them on a cookie sheet( maybe with parchment paper to blot up more grease as they are drying) place them in the oven at about at about 110-125 degrees for about 4 hours. The take and grind them in a coffee grinder/food processor. place them in airtite jars and you can use the for baking or making whatever. I believe the ratio is 1 Tablespoon for one egg. The reciepe is on the Howto websight. I'm planning on doing about 3 doz. eggs this next month.

 

[stardust]

You can also dry your eggs for a shelf life of approx. 3 yrs. Just take your eggs, scramble them with a little butter/bacon fat, etc. blott them on a paper towel then chop them into small pieces, place them on a cookie sheet( maybe with parchment paper to blot up more grease as they are drying) place them in the oven at about at about 110-125 degrees for about 4 hours. The take and grind them in a coffee grinder/food processor. place them in airtite jars and you can use the for baking or making whatever. I believe the ratio is 1 Tablespoon for one egg. The reciepe is on the Howto websight. I'm planning on doing about 3 doz. eggs this next month.

I didn't think about dried eggs but it's a good idea !
I've not found the "howto" websight : could you please give the link ?

Nevertheless, I've found an other video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppiWt9jvQh4 they said at the end that the egg's powder can be stored nearly 5-10 years

 

[3DStudent]

Nevertheless, I've found an other video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppiWt9jvQh4 they said at the end that the egg's powder can be stored nearly 5-10 years

Nice video! They'd probably keep long if you vaccum sealed them, or vacuum sealed in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber. It kind of looks like cereal or corn grits in powdered form. ;) :P

 

[Skyfarmr]

You can also dry your eggs for a shelf life of approx. 3 yrs. Just take your eggs, scramble them with a little butter/bacon fat, etc. blott them on a paper towel then chop them into small pieces, place them on a cookie sheet( maybe with parchment paper to blot up more grease as they are drying) place them in the oven at about at about 110-125 degrees for about 4 hours. The take and grind them in a coffee grinder/food processor. place them in airtite jars and you can use the for baking or making whatever. I believe the ratio is 1 Tablespoon for one egg. The recipe is on the Howto websight. I'm planning on doing about 3 doz. eggs this next month.

Scramble them in a little butter/bacon fat?... yummm, great made fresh for breakfast, but I would question the use of butter/bacon fat or any other fat for dried eggs for storage. Only because we find the leanest meat for making and preserving as jerky because the fat in meat can turn rancid over time. Not a good fat to digest or taste.

Here's a link comparing two different methods of making powdered eggs.

One method, called the cook dry method, requires scrambling the eggs and cooking in a non-stick pan, no fat, then dehydrating and grinding.

The other method is the wet dry method using a fruit-roll sheet and dehydrator. (recommended)

Both are comparable when reconstituted for "scrambled" eggs, however, the wet dry method gives powdered eggs a more versatile product and will maintain the levening ability if used for baking since they will fluff up.

The method you choose will probably depend on what equipment you have and what you want to do with your finished product.
Haven't tried to make powdered eggs, and have never used them either. If I were ever to consider it, though, I would want to try preparing them first before going to all the effort of making a large quantity for storage.

Read more here: http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-powdered-eggs.htm

They give tips on reconstituting and using powdered eggs, too.

 

[oakwood]

O.K. Your right Skyfarmr, I was not really very clear on the fat issue. What I do is, I have a LODGE griddle so first I place a little bacon grease on the griddle ( it is hot at this time) then I smear it around to make sure the whole surface is covered then I take off as much as is possible (I call this dry oiling) the eggs will still stick a little but not overly. Sorry I took so log to respond to your post but things got a little hecktic around here.