waterglass and eggs
 

I have heard different stories about waterglass preserving eggs. As I was in chemical work before becoming disabled, I can make waterrglass from lye and sand. But is it effective for store bought eggs, or must they be farm fresh? Also i heard that mineral oil is as effective as waterglass. I plan to test the ideas with some store bought eggs inb the future. Any imput will be very appreciated.

Go over to Mother Earth News and look around. They did extensive testing of about every known way to preserve eggs. There's comparison charts of egg quality over time, details on the methods they used, etc.

Their final conclusion - just store them in the fridge. They'll be perfectly fine for months and months, and you don't have to go any extra trouble or expense.

good info
 

Thanks, I'll check it out. But as far as eggs in the fridge, I was thinking of preservation when there is no refrigeration, such as long term loss of power.

I used to store my turkey, duck and chicken eggs in waterglass for up to 6 months. The thing is, they still had the "bloom" on the shells because they only got wiped down gently with a dampened cloth, and the eggs that you get in the store have been disinfected and usually had the bloom washed off entirely before they go to market. That bloom is important to the preservation and longevity of the egg prior to it being incubated .... it helps to prevent premature porosity of the shell and prevents air from getting inside the shell too soon. When a bird is incubating her eggs the bloom gets removed naturally since she's daily moving them, turning them and getting her tummy feathers and feet constantly rubbing over them so that does remove the bloom slowly over the weeks that she's incubating them and allowing in the air and slowly softening the shell to make it easier for the chicks inside to pip the shells.

You could put store bought eggs that have been disinfected and had the bloom washed off them into waterglass but I don't think they would stay preserved as well and for as many months long as fresh eggs that have not had the bloom removed.

As to the mineral oil - I personally would not use mineral oil (a petroleum product) or any other kind of petroleum product on eggs if I wanted them to stay preserved for a long time. The reason for that is the mineral oil and other petroleum products will eventually soften the calcium in the egg shell and make them susceptible to cracking too easily. My mother used to mail fresh eggs to her relatives in England just after WW2 when they were still on food rations - she sent the eggs layered inside big cans of parrafin wax (melted and poured over each layer of eggs) and if they left the eggs in the parrafin wax for too long it would soften the shells. Beeswax did not soften the shells but that was not so easily accessible in large quantities at that time. So then she started mailing the eggs inside big cans of lard and that did not soften the shells and was a pretty good preservative.

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Pickle them would be another option.

Thanks for the imput
 

I thought mineral oil was not a good idea. Pity pariffin also has a negative effect, or you could get a "two-fer" storage, eggs for future eating and pariffin for candles.
When I do my test I'll use both store bought and farm fresh eggs and set it up for 3 and 6 months and see how it comes out.

I have had a general prep policy of buying up 6-8 dozens of eggs whenever some local chain store has a loss leader sale on them, in the past that's been 90c-$1 a dozen. Then I've stored them in the fridge tucked away in the back and tried to rotate use some, but often left a few cartons for months. A couple weeks ago I noticed a few dated "sell-by" April and May so gave up on those, cracked them all to mix shells in with potting soil. None of them were rotten, none had strong odor, but of course all would float in water from air infiltration and I guess moisture loss internally. The yolks on the oldest were a darkish yellow-orange and I would bet somewhat rancid, going on stored six months at that point. I wasn't about to cook and taste test in a non-emergency, lol.

Any season but summer and/or any access to something like a root cellar or ice house you'd be able to come close to 45F fridge storage temperatures, I'd think. I have read the Mother Earth research article but don't have it at hand. I seem to recall they didn't think much of water glass usage and got pretty good storage just letting eggs sit in coolish shaded room temperatures, but don't recall details.

Really longer-term, I have a case of powdered egg set aside. Also, ground flaxseed reportedly makes an acceptable substitute for egg in cooking recipes.

barefootboy, be sure to take pictures along the way of your experiment and keep us all updated. I can't wait so see some results.

My Grandmother who was born in 1889, told me that when she was a child they would coat eggs with lard and keep them in barrels of oats, so they had eggs all winter when the hens were not laying as well.

Will do stamphappy, but it may be awhile as I have a number of fall things to do, and being disablied I don't get around that fast..lol. I will try experimenting with the first stage, making the waterglass from the sand, this month ( Oct/12) . I will need a good crock to store them in, but I will go with a good glass jar if nothing else is available. Believe me, if I share this with you all , the steps will be kept clear, as easy as possible, and as low cost as possible. Maybe one day I'll do the total job from scratch, that is, actually get the lye from wood ashes, but for right now I'll get it at the store and go from there.

I've used waterglass with great success for over 10 years now. The longest I ever kept eggs was 18 month - the last one pulled out had been there 18 months and it was fine so I'm sure they would have lasted longer...I just ran out!

Store bought eggs do not work (ask me how I know...*shudder*) as they've been washed. Take fresh, unwashed eggs and make sure they are completely submerged. I keep mine at a steady temperature in the back pantry of my basement - about 60* year round. I remove a dozen at a time, wash them and put them in the fridge for use.

I've never MADE waterglass before and would be very interested in learning how! My hens lay all winter, but with us working, we never seem to get to them before they freeze and crack in the cold, so I've learned to store up over the summer and fall to get us through until spring. And there were a couple of years that I over-did the storage and ended up with WAYYYY more than we needed just for those few months!

Once I have tested the steps and made sure of the result and safety I'll post it here. The method is similar to glassmaking, but at a much much lower temperature. Unfortuately lye is being used for illegal purposes, so I can no longer get the old "Red Devil" lye in stores for the low cost and have to pay somewhat higher for it. Basicly put, sand is what you end up with if you heat waterglass until the water is gone. But because not all sand is the same, some testing needs to be done.

barefoot boy, you werent in Schiel's supermarket two weeks ago, grand reopending sale?? I had a conversation with a gentleman there about this subject. Cant help but wonder if it might have been you :)

beaglebiz, If you were the lovely lady buying the cases of canned goods, yes it was I. Small world isn't it?

barefootboy, I get my lye at Ace Hardware. It's not really cheap, I want to say $4 for a small bottle. I heard you can get it online if you are comfortable with that option.

Thanks stamphappy, but the mix is a 1-1 ratio, so I'll need a good amount at least for the first test batch. Lowe's looks like it has a large bottle for about $15. If I really get rolling with this in the spring, I'll make some lye from wood ashes I can get from people who used their wood stoves in the winter. But for the first batch I want to keep tight quality controls at every step. I didn't spend all thoses years as a lab rat for nothing..lol

I keep my eggs on the counter. So far, I've used them past a month without refrigeration or anything special done to them, just don't wash them. The only difference is that the yolks don't seem to hold up as well as fresh eggs, but other than that, they still taste the same, so long as you're ok with scrambled eggs instead of dippy. :)

We just made a breakfast casserole with 24 eggs stored in waterglass last October. They were fine, but some of the yolks wouldn't hold shape. We're new to chickens, and heard about the winter vacation they take, so we stored about 150 eggs. Of course the hens kept producing (we lit the coop with a timer), but it does show how to store eggs with no refrigeration.

I bought lye for soapmaking from Essential Depot on ebay: eBay My World - essentialdepot

Good prices and fast shipping. I'm not affiliated with them at all, just a satisfied customer.

the mother earth article is almost 40 years old. It would be nice if they redid the experiement to see if there is new data.

Thanks starlady. I'll try to get to the first step this week. The rest will be easy as I have places around here I can get farm fresh eggs. I'll try to get them with as much "bloom" as I can. I'll have to look up some of the articles I've written to see about other easy chemical "tricks" that everyone could use.

I would bet you dollars to dounuts that I could store farm raised eggs, for six months without using the fridge. You just have to keep them cool, not cold, and it`s better if you turn them also. Most store bought eggs from the day they are laid to the experation date on the carton, they are already six months old. Most people don`t know that, but they are, eggs will keep a long time if done right. > Thanks Marc

There may be a point that the waterglass may NOT be necessary to preserve eggs. But I recall from a fiction story called Not This August, where the US was under a Soviet occupation, that they hid eggs in waterglass in a covered crock in an old well. Maybe it would be helpful to be able to stash them in a hidden location. In any event, I'll still try making the waterglass and using it, so we can have a clear result by a controlled test.

WOW and DOUBLE WOW!!!
I KNEW It!!!
I am sending you a friend request :)

An update here....Lowes has the lye I need for $14.99. I should pick it up as early as tomorrow. I have the sand already. As far as equipment, I am NOT using ANY "lab type" glassware, etc. ( Having any of that might get you a visit from the police looking for a meth lab..lol) I will be using two methods, both using everyday items. I want this to be something anyone of average ability can do with the simplest and most economical means available. When I went through my notes , I remembered there is also another way to produce lye other than wood ash, but I'll save lye making for another time.

I posted this several weeks ago but you might not have seen it so I thought you might be interested in this link - it lists ways to preserve fresh eggs using waterglass or lard.
How to Store Fresh Eggs


And here is a recipe for using lime water as preservative. The Old Foodie: Preserving eggs, otherwayes.

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Thanks naturelover, the more imput the more ideas the more options the more we all can benefit. None of us alone are as good as all of us together.

If you have a dug well you can build a shelf along the inside wall of the well only as far down as you can reach easily. Eggs, butter or even milk will keep cool there if the well has a cover. You can also put a metal cooler in a dirt cellar or rock wall cellar and keep eggs an indefinite time if they are not washed before storage.

Growing up my husband said they had a small cement block building on the farm where they kept blocks of ice covered in sawdust to slow it melting. In this ice house they kept eggs, butter, cheese and milk. Milk and cream cans were metal and set in galvanized tubs in cold water.They were picked up every other day by the dairy milk truck and taken to the dairy.

I have an old oak ice box [ a non-eletric fridg ]. It's insides are lined with tin. A lid on top opens to place a big block of ice. A door below opens to place eggs, milk, or whatever. This one was my husband's Grandmothers. I also had one about 40 years ago in my house in the city. Back then I could still buy blocks of ice. I used it to keep milk and eggs cold when we had no electricity for lack of money. The old ice boxes worked fine. Don't know if you can still buy blocks of ice now or not?

Update on experiment. I tried getting the lye at Lowes, as it was 100%, but had a hassle with a stupid cashier. So I went to Home Depot and got a different type. It only says contains sodium hydroxide, so we will see how it works tomorrow. If the results are unfavorable, I'll get someone to get me the one at Lowe's . Failing that, I am also doing an experiment of making my own lye from powdered lime and a pool chemical.Stay tuned for the latest.

have you tried Walter's hardware?? I have purchased 100% lye there I used in soapmaking. it was labeled for use as a drain opener, but it was labeled 100% lye.

Actually I went ahead and made my own lye and tried it with the sand. So far the results look interesting , but more testing need to be done before I can put the process here. See my thread in the soapmaking category for alternate lye making. I'll be putting the procedure for the lye there as soon as I am confident with all the steps and results. The canned lye /drain cleaner is good, but you get at most 2lbs for $15.00. With my alternate process you may get somewhere near a gallon of pure lye for about the same price.

I'm very interested in how to make lye. I think this might come in useful if you are going to have to make soap.

You are a very interesting person, and brave as well.

AR transplant,
See my thread in the soapmaking area on alternative lye creation.
I don't see where I am brave. I am simply taking the knowledge of my former occupation and attempting to put it out in a manner helpful to others out there.
I am testing the ideas so that I know they are simple and above all SAFE.
I have created a qt of "homemade " lye solution, but I am waiting for more pH testing papers so I can determine results. Once I am sure of all the steps , I'll list it here.
The science, or in this case , the chemistry , is solid. Silicon Dioxide and Sodium Hydroxide ( Lye) will create waterglass It is the practical considerations that need to be covered. Sand is not pure Silicon Doxide, but it does have a good amount in it. And lye, from dry or homemade with also have flaws. Plus, this has to be something someone with NO training or fancy lab equipment can do. It should be no more difficult than making a cake.

UPDATE I have been tied up a bit making lye ( see soapmaking topic ) but I was able to run a mini test yesterday. The results look promising, but I need to wait until I get some more test papers. Once I am assured of the strength of the homemade lye, I'll make a more controled batch and test it. I can see I'll need to adjust the mix as sand is NOT 100% silicon.
The main goal here, as with the lye making, is a simple and SAFE method of making waterglass that anyone can do with ordinary items that I can then use to test with the storebought and farm fresh eggs.
I'll keep you posted along the way.

Barefoot boy,
if you don't mind me asking, what did you used to do?

LOL many things Former US Army Primary specialty Infantry secondaries Military Itel, small arms specialist, demolitions. Later in life, lab tech USDA, EPA and finally Nuclear Medicine. Now disabled, living at the foot of the mountain, growing my veggies and being a part time writer

QUICK UPDATE My testing papers arrived today and my batch of "homebrewed" lye comes in at 13 on the pH scale, making it at least a 50% lye solution, suitable for the next step.
Tomorrow I will take 5 oz of the lye solution and mix with 3 oz of sand and warm over a water/steam bath until the sand dissolves. As sand is estimated to be only 40% silicon,I should be filtering out 2/3 of the rest and have a solution of waterglass.
One I have produced enough waterglass for four test jars, I'll start the 3 and 6 month tests on the eggs.With luck I should be ready to start testing by 1 Nov.

SInce this test will take 3 months and 6 months for the different eggs in the waterglass, I'll make this the last entry until the test begins , hopefully by 1 NOV.
Some may say, why bother when there are powdered eggs.
I believe in having as many aces up my sleeve as I can, and since it is now appearing that I can produce the waterglass for mere pennies, and regular eggs are still much less cost than powdered, it is worth the test. If it suceeds, I will add another food source that I can keep in reserve.
Besides, you can't get sunny side up eggs out of powdered....lol

What a silly thought, and on a survival forum, even. :)

Go buy a fridge, already. :indif:

That said, we worked with waterglass and eggs for a time.
Results were satisfactory for baking eggs and such, but they weren't quite as up to snuff for just making a plate of fried eggs come morning.

Our solution has been to make noodles with the excess. Noodles store well.
The other solution is to set up the chicken operation to effect a surplus of eggs more often than not. The excess can be dealt with. No eggs is a drag.


ETA..... Love your thinking outside the box, Barefoot. :)

We've made a lot of liquid lye for brain tanning deerskins, but have yet to perfect that for soapmaking. We could sure float an egg in our wood ash lye solution......