I am interested in preserving eggs. My "Cooking with Stored Foods" book recommends using sodium silicate, or "water glass". Does anyone know where to find it, have any experience with it or any alternatives to offer?

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), September 17, 2000

Answers

Hi Mitzi,

how do you want to preserve them.... freezing or ? I usually freeze my eggs for future use when its the off season for my layers. i freeze by breaking the yolk and then slipping about 3-4 in zip-loc bags. It depends on the number of eggs you wish to have.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), September 17, 2000.

I bought water glass at a drug store in Indy about 20 years ago. That's the only place I would know to get it. Or you can coat the eggs with lard and bury them in a crock of salt-salt, layer eggs, salt layer etc. My friend that put that in Carla Emery's book says it's the best way to keep them because nothing grows in salt.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), September 18, 2000.

There was a big article in TMEN several years ago where they gave the results of an experiment they had done in storing eggs. They compared several methods and also compared store-bought eggs with farm-fresh fertile ones. I believe there were a couple of other methods that worked as well or better than the water glass, one being the lard-coating. I may have saved that article -- will see if I can find it after I fix breakfast!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 18, 2000.

I did the lard-coating method last year. Haven't tried any of the eggs, though. One thing I remember is that the eggs are recommended to be farm-fresh when they are coated.

-- Mike O (olsonmr@yahoo.com), September 18, 2000.

Happy Hovel (they have a web site) sells water glass.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 18, 2000.

How long did you want to keep them for? Eggs stay fresh in a refrigerated setting months on end. Just ask your local wholesaler! The eggs purchased at a grocer's are often 3 months or older. That means you might keep those laid now for December usage. Won't be as good as fresh though.

We get stingy with our eggs come winter. Really, it might be easier and better tasting (all that salt???) to have chickens of varied ages so production is more even. Or providing a window for winter light. Or keeping a few dozen in your fridge or freezer.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), September 18, 2000.

Sorry I didn't make things clear. I'm interested in preservation for either camping/backpacking purposes or for hurricane supplies, against an electricity outage. Thank you everyone who has taken time to respond. Has anyone tried the larded or sodium silicated eggs, and do you know about how long they are good for?

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), September 18, 2000.

They eggs in lard and salt are good for at least a year for cooking purposes.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), September 19, 2000.

Mitzi, the storage situations you are talking about are fairly short- term -- if you buy eggs sealed in plastic wrap (like the five-dozen flats we get at B.J.'s or Sam's Club) they will keep for six months in the refrigerator without doing anything else to them. It would be pretty easy to keep eggs for a camping trip or a forecast hurricane by just dipping them in melted lard and setting them aside until you need them. They might keep without refrigeration for months that way, but it doesn't sound like you would really need to have them keep for that long. Don't set some aside until you know you will need them, and they should last as long as is necessary. Even unrefrigerated eggs with no treatment, if they aren't fertile, will keep for longer than you might think. Any of these eggs should be first broken into a separate container before adding them to whatever you are making, though.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 19, 2000.

"Mix one part waterglass with ten parts cooled boiled water and pour into a large stone crock. Wipe off fresh eggs with a flannel cloth and place in solution. Eggs should be covered with 2" of solution. Cover crock and store in a cool dry place. That's out of the Boston Cooking school cook book by Fanny Farmer copywrite 1886." This is what is written in Lehman's. They also sell the waterglass but I got mine at the local hardware store. It's non hazardous and fumeless they claim. I am going to try mine out over the winter.

-- evelyn Bergdoll (evandjim@klink.net), September 20, 2000.

Hi Mitzi, In pioneer days they preserved eggs by coating them and then sticking them in a container with fine wood ash. I haven't tried it, but plan on doing so. The idea is to seal the egg's pores so that no air can get to the inside of the egg which is why waterglass and parafin works. Fine wood ash does the same thing.

-- Mary (barnwood@preferred.com), September 24, 2000.