If you have healthy chickens, chances are you have an abundance of eggs.
While this is a beautiful issue to have, it can be stressful trying to figure out how to use them up before they go bad.
I dreamed of the day that we would add chickens to our homestead and even more for the eggs that I hoped they’d produce. What I wasn’t expecting, was just how much they would produce. At the beginning, we were getting 1-4 eggs a day, but once all the hens started laying, it quickly became a dozen to two dozen a day. I was very excited but you can only eat so many eggs and make so many quiches so I started looking into methods of preservation.
During my research, I was surprised to see that there were quite a view different ways to preserve eggs.
Methods Of Preservation
- Salt Curing
- Pickling
- Freeze Drying
- Freezing
- Water-Glassing
Salt Curing
Salt curing eggs is basically drying them out by sandwiching the yolk between two layers of salt. The shelf life of this method is only one month so not a great option when thinking about long-term food preservation.
Pickling
Pickled eggs are hard boiled eggs preserved in a vinegar brine. I have not tried this method yet, but my grandparents used to have purple pickled eggs for holiday dinners and they were my favorite to snack on.
Freeze Drying
Freeze-drying is the process of removing all moisture from a product and giving it a longer shelf life. Freeze-dried foods can last anywhere from 25-30 years so it’s a great option for long term food storage. The downside to this method is how expensive the machine is but also that there are only so many ways you can use freeze-dried eggs when rehydrating them.
The Methods I Use
My goal when searching for ways to preserve eggs was to find a method that would allow me to use my eggs as if I had just plucked them from the coop. The problem with methods like freeze-drying, salt-curing, and pickling, is that the eggs are preserved the way you’re going to consume or use them.
When I go about learning a new homestead skill, I always ask myself, “How would this have been done 50+ years ago?” There were methods our ancestors used before the luxuries of electricity and I knew there had to have been a way they were keeping their eggs fresh for months. This is how I came across the process of water-glassing.
Water-Glassing
Water-glassing eggs is the process of taking clean, unwashed eggs and submerging them in a solution of pickling lime and water.
This method DOES NOT work with store bought eggs and is ONLY safe with clean, but unwashed eggs. This is because eggs naturally have a bloom on their shells that fills in their pores and protects them from any harmful bacteria. Grocery store eggs are washed and sanitized before entering their doors, effectively killing their bloom and requiring them to be refrigerated.
This has become my absolute favorite method of preserving because it has allowed me to preserve my eggs without solidifying their use. If the hens slow down their production over the winter, I won’t have to worry about purchasing eggs because I have hundreds preserved in jars on my shelf. Every single one of them is able to be used as if they were fresh out of the coop.
The best part is just how EASY it is to do!
Water-Glassing
Materials Needed
There is very little you need aside from the actual eggs to do this.
The first thing you’re going to need is the vessel you will be preserving your eggs in. I like to use half-gallon or quart sized mason jars. Quart sized jars are easy to come by at any department store but the half-gallon ones are hit or miss. If you don’t have any luck finding them locally, you can always get them on Amazon here.
I have seen others choose five gallon buckets for this and it seems to work for them, however I’ve tried it and ended up having an egg crack and spoil the entire batch of eggs. I choose to preserve in smaller containers because of that.
The next thing you will need is Pickling Lime.
I have never been able to find this in stores anywhere so I always get this off of Amazon, which I have linked here.
Pickling lime is also used to provide extra crispiness to home canned vegetables, like pickles.
We’re going to be measuring in ounces so a food scale is necessary. These can also be found at any department store, but if you don’t already have one, I have linked an inexpensive one here.
Okay, now let’s get to the actual preserving process!
How To
Step 1:
The first thing you need to do is find the eggs that are free of dirt and poop. Water-glassing is only safe with clean, unwashed eggs. Sometimes there are eggs that are spotless aside from one or two spots but they are still not safe to preserve this way unless you can remove those spots without using water. I will take a dry paper towel and gently wipe my eggs. If the spot doesn’t come off by wiping, then I will try to scratch it off with my fingernail. Typically, scratching will remove it, but not always.
Step 2:
Once you have your clean eggs separated from your dirty eggs, its time to start layering them in your container. Place your eggs, pointy side down in your container, layering until you’ve placed all the eggs inside.
Step 3:
Now it’s time to mix your lime solution. You’re going to mix 1 ounce of pickling lime with one quart of water.
I have designated one jar as my mixing jar because the lime does leave a film behind. Plus, it’s easier to shake the powder into the water than trying to mix it with a utensil.
Once mixed, you’re going to pour in over your eggs. The eggs have to be fully submerged in the solution for the preservation to take place, so you may have to mix more lime. For a half gallon jar, I usually use 2- 2.5 quart jars of solution to fully cover.
Even if your eggs only fill half the jar, you will make just enough liquid to cover the eggs and then, as you get more eggs, you can just keep adding eggs and solution until full.
Step 4:
Lastly, you’ll want to seal the jar with an airtight lid and label it.
These eggs should stay good for up to 18 months. It’s important to check your jars periodically to make sure that none have cracked and spoiled.
When ready to use your eggs, just rinse well and cook as normal!
A Quick Note: Water-glassing is possible for Guinea, Duck, Goose, and Quail eggs as well.
Freezing
Chickens are messy. They poop where they lay and often times you’re going to have dirty eggs. Dirty eggs cannot be water-glassed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t preserve them.
When I’m sorting the eggs, I always end up with more dirty than clean. The first thing I do is wash the eggs and fill my refrigerator cartons. Once those are full, I will take the rest of the eggs, wash them well, and then prepare them to freeze.
Step 1:
Grab your bowl, whisk, and eggs.
Step 2:
Crack your desired amount of eggs into the bowl and whisk. I like to do a dozen eggs at a time and freeze them in gallon sized bags.
Step 3:
Label your bag and then pour the mixed eggs into your freezer bag of choice. Next, take the bag and try to get as much air out as possible before sealing. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to lean your bag against the edge of a counter, just above where the eggs are, and use your hand to push out the rest of the air.
Step 4:
Lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. You don’t need the cookie sheet but it helps create a flat, even layer for the eggs to freeze as.
That’s it! Easy peasy! When ready to use, just thaw and cook as scrambled eggs. I was worried about the texture changing after being frozen but they cooked and tasted just as they would from a fresh egg.
Alternatively, you could freeze individual eggs into ice cube trays and use them for baking as well as cooking.
Knowing there are ways to prolong the life of my eggs has taken so much stress out of using them up. I hope you found this post helpful and take it with you on your own homesteading ventures!
I might have to start doing this with all our eggs lol if we ever find them 🙃