I understand eggs will keep for quite a long time as is but that some additional steps may also help. Besides keeping them cool, there is something called "waterglass"?? Not sure of actual word as I write but I'm sure it's close.

Beyond that, I hear third hand from a naval submarine cook that they used non-refridgerated eggs that had been preserved by oiling? I believe the eggs had been soaked in this oil for awhile to allow it to absorb and seal the shells?

How long can eggs (be made to) remain edible and what other methods are there?

Me.

-- Floyd Baker (fbaker@wzrd.com), December 06, 1998

Answers

That's a new one on me. I've heard that you can get god-awful sick just from eggs that are over 4 weeks old. If you're willing to take a chance on something like that then you will surely die.

-- M.D. (md@here.com), December 06, 1998.

You are right in that there are ways to keep eggs. German and Austrian farmers used to keep eggs up to half a year, pre- refrigeration times. Look it up at Waterg lassing eggs.

Maria

-- Maria (encelia@excite.com), December 07, 1998.

Eggs can be stored quite awhile- even without waterglass, if you have cool weather. Am Austrian aunt with a cabin used to wrap them individually in tissue paper- said they lasted a month that way. But the information you are asking about can be found at

-- Maria (encelia@excite.com), December 07, 1998.

You are right, there is such a method. An Austrian Aunt used to wrap her eggs in tissue paper- claimed that if the climate was cool and the storage place dark, they kept at least a month that way. Also, note that organically produced eggs do store longer, for whatever reasons. The site for the information you are looking for is

http:/ /www.mrssurvival.com/motherearth/messages/27.html

Good luck! Maria

-- Maria (encelia@excite.com), December 07, 1998.

You are correct. Eggs can be stored for quite awhile. In Europe, refrigerators didn't become common until after WWII, country people still know this. You will find the information you are looking for at the following site

http://www.mrssurvival.com/motherearth/messages/27.html

Good luck! Maria (pricklypear in "who are you"- am finally getting the hang of this- I hope)

-- Maria (encelia@excite.com), December 07, 1998.

Preserve eggs: Preserve eggs---5 quarts boiled, cooled water to 1/2 quart sodium silicate (waterglass) Obtain sodium silicate at any pharmacy.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), December 07, 1998.

Heres another URL for a product that purports to keep eggs fresh up to three years or more:

http://www.wwmagic.com/haphov/Ke-Peg.html

-- (zone@england.com), December 07, 1998.

Sorry, everybody. Our Netscape browser is slower than molasses today and keeps telling me "transfer interrupted", but shows the answers as posted. The Neoplanet browser tells me the answers got through, but doesn't post them. PMHO! (Pulling my hair out) Also quitting this site for now. Got to put together tomorrow's school schedule for the kids. To those of you who post information, links to information and good questions: Thanks! Maria

-- Maria (encelia@excite.com), December 07, 1998.

Floyd, Raise chickens that way the eggs will always be fresh plus you will be able to have fried chicken on sunday. :o)

-- Mickey (Mickey @homestead.com), December 07, 1998.

Eggscuse me! - get some chickens or go for the powdered version, the pv makes a mean omellette wit all the fixins.

-- Andy (andy_rowland@msn.com), December 07, 1998.

3 more ideas. 1. try pickled eggs, delicious. 2. keep fresh eggs cool in root cellar. 3. dehydration. i haven't tried that yet, but campers and backpackers probably know, not to mention military types.

-- Jocelyne Slough (jonslough@tln.net), December 07, 1998.

Oh I thought you meant eggs to throw at the newbies (and the Leo impersonators or alter egos).

-- Richard Dale (rdale@figroup.co.uk), December 07, 1998.

ROFL Richard, I thought so too.

Hey country boys, how do you raise chickens in the city? ;)

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), December 07, 1998.

Floyd,

The following is an excerp from "STOCKING UP III" by Carol Hupping and the staff of the Rodale Food Center. It is a good reference book to add to your personal library:

OLD FASHIONED STORAGE METHODS

Before farmers had access to freezers, they devised some simple (but not always successful) means of preserving their excess eggs. Some farmers relied solely on the use of salt to keep their eggs from rotting. After gathering their eggs, they packed them in a large barrel or crock with plenty of salt and stored them in a cellar or springhouse to keep them cool.

The majority, however, found some way to clog up the pores of the egg shells so that moisture would not escape and air could not enter. Eggs were rubbed with grease, zinc, or boric ointment, or submerged in a solution of lime, salt, cream of tartar, and water.

Probably the most popular way to seal egg shells was to waterglass them. By this method a chemical, sodium silicate, was mixed with water and poured into a crock filled with eggs that were about 12 hours old. The sodium silicate (which is used today to seal concrete floors and as an adhesive in the paper industry) would clog the pores in the shells and make them airtight.

Some people, even today, use waterglassing as a means of preserving eggs, but this storage method has its drawbacks. Eggs preserved this way are not good for boiling because their shells become very soft in the waterglass solution. The whites will not become stiff and form peaks, no matter how long they are beaten. No souffles, eggnogs, or meringues can be made with waterglassed eggs. There is also a very good possibility that by consuming eggs stored in waterglass you would be consuming some of the undesirable chemical, sodium silicate.

If you keep roosters with your hens, waterglassing may not be a successful means of preservation for you. The life factor in fertilized eggs makes these eggs deteriorate more quickly than sterile, unfertilized eggs, and waterglassing may not be enough of a preventive against spoilage.

I've gotten a lot of useful information from the book. I've been stocking up on the powdered eggs that I get from the natural food stores. I also have the grocery manager from the regular grocery store stocking his shelves with it now.

Hope this helps...

Texas Terri

-- Texas Terri (TYSYM@AOL.com), December 07, 1998.

If you dont want to pay through the nose for dehydrated eggs go to a bakery or other business that has an account with a wholesale grocer and have them buy cases of dehydrated whole eggs for you.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), December 07, 1998.

Today we went to a restaurant supply house to buy dried whole eggs. A neighbor and I went halves on $48.00 for the six 3 lb bags in a carton. Haven't figured out how many servings that will be but it certainly appears to be enough for getting through the winter.

Its packed in mylar bags. While four of the six bags seem to be fairly devoid of air, two of them bulge with pressure when pressed. It doesn't seem they would allow air in these packs so is it possible they are filled with nitrogen? It would make sense but if not nitrogen, we might want to repack each into several smaller, more vaccuumed bags.

I'd also like to see how coating works; for backups sake. It appears from all the word here, that if they haven't turned rotten, they will be ok to eat.

All or nothing it seems. Right?? :-)

-- Floyd Baker (fbaker@wzrd.com), December 08, 1998.