Each and every spring we are blessed with an abundance of eggs. This abundance is often mirrored with a severe lack of eggs in the winter months when the gals’ egg production drops drastically (we prefer to follow the rhythms of nature and do not supplement lighting for the hens in the winter months).
While I am very happy to share our bounty with friends and family, I knew that had to be a way to preserve eggs into the winter months.
Freezing Eggs
This is a tried and true method of preservation for us. I have found the mini loaf silicone trays (like this one) to work the best for freezing. The first year I froze eggs I didn’t scramble them first. We found there was a texture difference between the egg white and yolk. This made them just fine for baking, but not to tasty for scrambled eggs.
This year I plan on scrambling them first prior to freezing in hopes that the texture will be more uniform.
Frozen eggs in this manner will keep in a deep freeze for about 6 months.
Water Glassing
This method of egg preservation has been around since the settler/pioneer days (1800s etc). This was during a time prior to refrigeration and electricity. Supplementing lighting was out of the question and so was freezing eggs. Enter in water glassing.
This method of egg preservation is making a come back as many folks are deciding to live off-grid and/or living a self sufficient life. No fancy gadgets, equipment or electricity are needed here.
What You’ll Need
- food grade bucket
- hydrated lime
- fresh clean water
- clean unwashed eggs
Hydrated lime is also called pickling lime. You can buy small bags used for canning, but it’s far more cost effective to purchase it from the hardware store.
The eggs must absolutely be unwashed and still have the “bloom” (protective coating intact). This will protect the eggs while they are in the hydrated lime solution. DO NOT use grocery store eggs for this method.
If your water is very hard and high in mineral content you may want to use distilled water (just in case). If you are on city water ensure that it’s filtered and all chlorine and flouride have been removed. I highly recommend a Berkey Water Filtration System for this.
Instructions for Water Glassing
You will need to mix a hydrated lime solution. I did not boil my water and I did find some of the lime settled out. Next time I will try using boiled water and letting it cool before preserving my eggs.
- 29 grams (1 ounce) of hydrated lime per 1 litre (quart) of water
How much solution you’ll need will depend on how many eggs you are preserving. I found I needed a litre per dozen eggs. You can always add solution as you go.
The lime solution is very alkaline which will dry your hands out and can be irritating, I recommend wearing gloves.
Ensure you date and label your bucket and store in your pantry (or a cool dark location) until you are ready to use them.
Tips
- Wash your eggs well before cracking them as the lime solution will cause your eggs to curdle.
- Apparently the eggs will no longer be porous after sitting in this solution. If you plan on hard boiling them, you will need to do a pin prick hole in the shell first or they will explode in the water.
- Many sources say eggs can be stored this way for up to 2 years. Personally, we plan on consuming them in the late fall/early winter (which is 6-8 months of storage).
For those who like videos, I made a YouTube Video on this as well. Check it out below.
May you enjoy many months of fresh eggs!
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I’ve wanted to try this, but haven’t gotten around to it. It’s very cool that some say they will last for up to two years! If that truly is the case, that would make eggs one of the most important and plentiful sources of protein during hard times, especially during the colder season. I’ll have to make a mental note to test that out when we try this!
I am hopeful that it works! We marked our eggs to consume by December but I will likely keep some longer than that just to test it. If this works it would be AMAZING!
Hi I live in your area and have wanted to preserve eggs this way. I bought the gardenime from home hardware but it has so many warnings it sounds toxic!! Is this the lime to use or do I have to buy pickling lime from online? Thanks
Hi Colleen,
What you are looking for is “hydrated lime” and that’s it. I’m uncertain if garden lime is the same thing. Check the ingredients and all it should say is hydrated lime. We got ours from Home Hardware.
Any toxicity associated with hydrated lime has to do with breathing in large amounts. So I do suggest in the video and post to wear a mask or cover your face while you are mixing it with the water. Once it’s in solution, there is no longer any concern with breathing it in.
Hope this helps!