Water Glassing Eggs
Water glassing is one of the most common methods of egg preservation. Eggs have pores all over their surface (as many as 17,000 to be precise). The shell is considered a semi-permeable membrane meaning that overtime, air and moisture can pass through its surface. By filling in these pores, you can prolong the time in which your eggs are good for. Using this century old technique, you can preserve eggs 6-8 months. Some have even claimed to have had their eggs last for up to two years using this method.
Ingredients:
- 1 Quart of water ( I recommend filtering your water if you have city water) If you are not already filtering your water, Berkey is my favorite company and has the best quality water filter’s in my opinion. You can check out the water filter I use by clicking here or you can visit their website for more information.
- 1 oz of Pickling Lime ( Also known as Hydrated Lime, Slacked Lime, or Calcium Hydroxide)
- A large jar or container that can be sealed
Directions:
- First you are going to select the container in which you plan to store your eggs. Whether it be a large jar or even a food grade 5 gallon bucket. Large recycled pickle jars work really well for this. You are going to be using 1 quart of water per 1 oz of pickling lime so keep that in mind when selecting your container size.
- You will want to use fresh unwashed eggs, straight from the coop so that they still have their protective coating on the outside. This will prevent them from absorbing the taste of the pickling lime. Only select the eggs that are clean and do not have any poop or mud on the outside. A good way to prevent your eggs from getting dirty in your coop is to use roll down nesting boxes. You can purchase roll down nesting boxes here.
- Go ahead and mix your solution of water and pickling lime until it appears milky and is mixed well. Then pour into your container of choice.
- Now, you can gradually add fresh eggs to it each day until it is full.
- Once it is full, you can seal it up, date it, and store in a room temperature space.
(If you are ever unsure if your eggs have gone bad, a good way to check is by filling up a large pot or container of some sort with water and dropping the eggs inside. If they float, they are no good. If they stay on the bottom, they are still fresh.)
The Butter Method for Preserving Eggs
This method originated in Ireland. Irish farmers realized that by smothering their eggs in butter, they could extend their expiry date by several months. The best time to do this is while the egg is still warm. So, if you can pluck it right out from under your hen and lather it up with butter, you will be golden. By applying the butter while the egg is still warm, it helps to harden or “set” the shells which helps with the prevention of oxygen getting through the pores of your egg. In some places, these eggs are considered a delicacy as the butter can seep through the shell and give the egg a nice buttery flavor.
Directions:
All you are going to do for this method is take some softened butter and rub it into your eggs individually until they are nice and glossy. Once done, place them in an egg carton or container of your choice and store in a cool dry place. They will last for up to 6 months with this method. ( Do not wash your eggs, use fresh clean unwashed eggs )
How to Dehydrate Eggs
Dehydrated eggs are so convenient and can be a really great option for someone who likes to go camping, hiking, or likes to prep for emergencies as they offer a longer shelf life and require less storage space. Dehydrated eggs can be shelf stable for up to five years if done properly.
Directions:
- First, you will need to blend up your eggs. Either by hand with a whisk, or in your blender.
- Depending on your dehydrator, you will likely need to line your trays with an edged liner so that it will be able to hold liquid. These Silicone Dehydrator liners from Amazon are great, just make sure that the liners you buy will fit your specific dehydrator. Once you have lined your trays, just pour your eggs straight in.
- Cook at 138°F for about 12 hours. If your dehydrator cannot be set to exactly 138°, just try to get it as close to that temperature as possible.
- Once 12 hours has passed, remove your trays and stir up your eggs. Depending on how thick your eggs were poured in, there may still be some areas that still have moisture left. If this is the case, just pop it back in your dehydrator until all of your eggs are dry and flaky.
- After your eggs appear dry enough, go ahead and blend it into a fine powder with a food processor or blender.
- Pour your powder through a sieve and remove any clumps.
- Pour your powder back into your dehydrator on clean dry trays and cook for another 1-2 hours just to make sure there is absolutely no moisture left in them.
- Pour into jars and seal. I highly recommend placing a Silica gel packet into your jar and then using a mason jar vacuum sealer to ensure a good seal.
- Once you are ready to enjoy your eggs all you will need to do is combine your powder with water using the following ratio:
- 1.5 tablespoons of powder to 2.4 tablespoons of water to equal one egg.
Refrigeration or Freezing Eggs
Refrigerating Eggs
Refrigerating eggs is probably the most common method that people use when storing eggs and although this method can prolong the life of your eggs, it is not the best option out there if you prefer to preserve your eggs for longer periods of time. Refrigerated eggs can last for 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator. If you are going to stick with refrigerating your eggs, keeping them in an air tight container such as this one will help prevent moisture loss and protect them from absorbing any odors from the other foods in your fridge. Some other things that will help include placing your container of eggs in the body of the refrigerator rather than the door as well as not washing eggs until use. Eggs have a natural protective coating on them known as the “bloom” or sometimes called the “cuticle”. This coating fills the pores of the eggs surface preventing air from entering the egg. By not washing it off, you can naturally increase the life of your eggs.
Freezing Eggs
Freezing eggs is another great option. Frozen eggs can be stored for up to one year but are best used within 3-6 months if you want them to have the best taste.
When freezing eggs, it is best to freeze egg whites and yolks separately as they have different freezing requirements. However, this is not necessary. If you would like to skip separating, you may choose to go straight to step 4.
Directions:
- Crack all of your eggs, making sure to separate your whites and yolks into separate bowls.
- Once separated, whisk both your whites and your yolks.
- To your bowl of yolks, add a pinch of salt. This can help prevent them from thickening during freezing.
- Next, there are two options. You can choose to pour your eggs into freezer safe bags, squeeze all the air out, and place into the freezer. Alternatively (and my favorite method) you can pour your mixtures into ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove the cubes and place into bags. This method is great because then you have small chunks that you can easily remove. If you prefer to skip the above steps you could even crack your eggs straight into ice cube trays so that you have exactly one egg per cube which is beneficial if you need exact measurements for a recipe.
Thawing
If you loved this post and plant to or have tried any of these preservation methods, let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!
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