UNrefridgerated eggs?

[Quiver0f10]

I finally found a woman in my area selling farm fresh eggs. The problem is she delivers on Monday morning to a place I stop at on Tuesday evening. They don't have a fridge available so they have to leave them out. Are they going to be safe to eat? Thanks!

[o&itw]

Yes, eggs can last quite a while (days) before they need refrigeration... Once they are refrigerated, though, they need to be kept refrigerated.

[ginnie5]

I used to leave mine sitting on the counter. Now though Tucker has decided he likes eggs and they are in the fridge. I prefer them on the counter as they peel better when boiled.

[Quiver0f10]

Originally Posted by o&itw

Yes, eggs can last quite a while (days) before they need refrigeration... Once they are refrigerated, though, they need to be kept refrigerated.

Thanks. The problem is I don't know if she has refrigerated them or not. I will ask today before I order. It's just too far out of my way to make the trip two days in a row.

[marvella]

it's more important to know if they have been washed. unwashed eggs have a natural "bloom", a layer that keeps them fresh for a couple weeks. that's why a hen can lay an egg each day in a nest, then start sitting a couple weeks later and hatch out her chicks.

eggs that have been washed lose that protective layer and soon grow stale.

[Quiver0f10]

Originally Posted by marvella

it's more important to know if they have been washed. unwashed eggs have a natural "bloom", a layer that keeps them fresh for a couple weeks. that's why a hen can lay an egg each day in a nest, then start sitting a couple weeks later and hatch out her chicks.

eggs that have been washed lose that protective layer and soon grow stale.

Thanks. I will ask her this too. maybe she can leave just my eggs unwashed/unrefrigerated.

[TxMex]

In Mexico nobody refrigerates eggs. They aren't refrigerated in the grocery stores nor in peoples homes. I've gotten out of the habit of putting them in the fridge. Been eating eggs in Mexico every day for a year now with no bad side effects. My 2 pesos.

[salmonslayer]

I used to get eggs at a small farmers market when I lived in Haifa Israel and they were actually pretty warm when I took them home and in other places I have lived over seas they generally dont refrigerate eggs either. They just dont buy as many and they use them in a week or so.

[ozark_jewels]

We don't was or refridgerate our farm-fresh eggs. They last for weeks and taste great.....

[Ohio dreamer]

In Europe I would buy eggs and they would sit on the counter for a month or more sometimes before we ate them all. Never a problem.

[highlands]

We keep our eggs on the counter, unrefrigerated. Hasn't killed us, yet. :}

[Quiver0f10]

Thank you all!

[TheMartianChick]

We don't refrigerate eggs in our house. I leave them unwashed in a basket. I generally wash about a dozen eggs and keep them on the counter for easy accessibility when cooking. The washed eggs are usually out for a week. Eggs can last a long time. I know that the ones in the grocery store can be a month old or more by the time that you buy them.

[Willowynd]

I leave ones for my own use on the counter too...though any that are soiled are rinsed and rubbed with my fingers to remove dirt. I keep about a dozen for myself, the rest are rinsed, scrubbed and placed in cartons in the fridge for sale. Any that are stained are given to animals.

[MWG]

If in doubt use the float method. Put them in a glass of water and if they float they are bad....

[blooba]

Originally Posted by TheMartianChick

I know that the ones in the grocery store can be a month old or more by the time that you buy them.

ALL STORE BOUGHT EGGS SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED IN THE U.S.. They all have had the "bloom" washed off and previously refrigerated. Fresh eggs are a totally different story
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciq-egg-dates.shtml

According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), "Many eggs reach stores only a few days after the hen lays them. Egg cartons with the USDA grade shield on them must display the "pack date" (the day that the eggs were washed, graded, and placed in the carton). The number is a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year (the "Julian Date") starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. When a "sell-by" date appears on a carton bearing the USDA grade shield, the code date may not exceed 45 days from the date of pack."

[Old Swampgirl]

Thanks for the info. Do not often have to buy eggs, usally only in the dead of winter, but will use this info. about the pack date. I've ordered some white leghorn chicks, due to arrive later this month, so hopefully will have "real" eggs year round.

[deaconjim]

I spent a few years on submarines, and we carried enough fresh eggs along to last 3 months. They were stored in an unrefrigerated area and lasted most of that 3 months. We were told that the eggs had a very thin wax coating that kept them fresh longer.

[TheMartianChick]

Though most store bought eggs have the bloom washed off, they usually have a thin coating of veggie oil on them to help to "seal" them. In my case... All of our eggs are from our own quail or chickens.

The breed of chickens that I have is prized for their deep dark brown eggs. When the birds began to lay, I wouldn't allow any of them to be eaten. I was saving them up so that I could take a photo of them in a basket, as proof that my birds lay the most desired color. I got my first egg at the end of October or the beginning of November. I neglected to take the picture until February. Afterwards, I scrambled the eggs and fed them to my hens. Not a stinker in the bunch! One did look as though it had a few darkening spots on the yolk and the yolks were more watery than when fresh... Beyond that, I could have eaten them myself!

[beaglebiz]

we always keep them in a basket on the counter. Have done this since I was a child, so I guess my parents did what their parents did.
never had one go bad.
Once found a cache of 45 eggs under a tonka truck underneath our deck (where it is not easily accessible). All 45 were good, and we only had about 6 layers at the time, and were bringing in 4-5 eggs every day, so I think they were all from the same hen.