At the end of this page, you will find the USDA information on
storing eggs with Liquid Sodium Silicate, known sometimes as the brand name,
K-Peg. This is highly informative and very important if you are going to use
this product to store eggs.
Have you ever wondered how your
great-grandparents stored eggs? Perhaps they didn't, perhaps they used only
fresh eggs. But many folks regularly stored their eggs and used them throughout
the winter months.
Chickens normally respond to daylight by laying more
eggs. Oppositely, when there is little daylight, there are fewer eggs layed. So
in the winter when days are shorter, it's good to be able to depend on a fresh
egg supply.
There are two ways that I know of to store eggs without
refrigeration. They both require cool temperatures, however. A cellar, cool
basement or cool room in the house will suffice. The cooler the better the
chance that your eggs will last longer.
The first method is to coat the
eggs with a non-toxic substance, sealing the pores in the shell and thereby
sealing out oxygen and moisture. When oxygen is present, many bacteria can grow,
thus spoiled eggs.
To use lard or shortening to coat the eggs, first melt
the grease and cool it til it begins to solidify again. Dip each egg in the
melted grease individually and set them on a paper towel to dry. When the
shortening or lard is dry on the eggs, rub the eggs with a clean towel, removing
excess solid grease. Rub gently and buff each egg. Now repeat the process,
before the shortening solidifies. Work fast, allowing the shortening to get
almost solid before re-heating it.
Line the bottom of a flat box with a
clean soft towel. Place the eggs in the box in a single layer. Cover the box
with either a lid or another towel. Place the box of eggs in a cool, dry
environment. Eggs prepared this way will last up to 6 months, although I have
heard people say that they have kept eggs this way for 1 year if they are kept
very cool. A product used to coat eggs in this way, but that is supposed to
keep the eggs fresh longer is K-Peg. The eggs are coated with this product much
the same way they would be coated with the shortening, and prepared for storage
the same way.
The other way to keep eggs works on the same principle,
cover the pores and keep the eggs cool. However, the eggs must be kept immersed
in a solution of Liquid Sodium Silicate. It is usually mixed with sterilie
water.
Liquid Sodium Silicate is a non-toxic substance that will cover
the pores of the egg shell so well that you will probably be able to keep fresh
eggs for up tp 2 years! You can buy it as Sodium Silicate Solution at any
pharmacy, however they may not have it on hand and have to order it for
you.
Again, you will have to keep the temperatures very cool and the
humidity low.
Place clean fresh eggs in a ceramic crock, one layer deep.
Pour liquid sodium silicate over the eggs until the eggs are covered and
completely immersed in the solution. Place a towel over the crock and tie it
into place. Place the crock of eggs in a cool, dry place and don't disturb them
til you are ready to use them. To use them, just take out how many eggs you
need, wash them off in clear water and use as you normally would.
Two
tips I would include are; When you crack your eggs after storage, crack them
in a cup, not directly into your food. You might get an awful surprize and ruin
a dish. Practice these techniques before you think you might really need to
store eggs. Practice makes perfect!
Here is some information from the USDA on storing eggs in
Liquid Sodium Silicate:
"What Uncle Sam Says About Preserving Eggs. These
are the months when the thrifty housewife who has her own hens, or who can draw
upon the surplus supply of a nearby neighbor, puts away in water glass or
limewater, eggs for next autumn and winter. (These months being Spring time when
the chickens begin laying again after winter)
To ensure success, care
must be exercised in this operation. Following directions are from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture: In the first place, the eggs must be fresh,
preferably not more than two or three days old. This is the reason why it is
much more satisfactory to put away eggs produced in one's own chicken yard.
Infertile eggs are best if they can be obtained-so, after the hatching, exclude
roosters from the flock and kill them for table as needed.
The shells
must be clean. Washing an egg with a soiled shell lessens it keeping quality.
The protective gelatinous covering over the shell is removed by water and when
this is gone the egg spoils more rapidly.
The shells also must be free
from even the tiniest crack. One cracked egg will spoil a large number of sound
eggs when packed in water glass. Eathenware crocks are good containers. The
crocks must be clean and sound. Scald them and let them cool completely before
use. A crock holding six gallons will accomodate eighteen dozens of eggs and
about twenty-two pints of solution. Too large crocks are not desirable, since
they increase the liability of breaking some of the eggs, and spoiling the
entire batch. It must be remembered that the eggs on the bottom crack first and
that those in the bottom of the crocks are the last to be removed for
use.
Eggs can be put up in smaller crocks and eggs put in the crock first
should be used first in the household. Water Glass Method Water Glass is know to
the chemist as sodium silicate. It can be purchased by the quart from druggist
or poultry supply men. It is a pale yellow, odorless, syrupy liquid. It is
diluted in the propotion of one part of silicate to nine parts of distilled
water, rain water, or other water. In any case, the water should be boiled and
then allowed to cool. Half fill the vessel with this solution and place the
eggs in it, being careful not to crack them. The eggs can be added a few at a
time till the container is filled. Be sure to keep about two inches of water
glass above the eggs. Cover the crock and place it in the coolest place
available from which the crock will not have to be moved. Inspect the crock from
time to time and replace any water that has evaporated with cool boiled
water.
When the eggs are to be used, remove them as desired, rinse in
clean, cold water and use immediately. Eggs preserved in water glass can be used
for soft boiling or poaching, up to November. Before boiling such eggs prick a
tiny hole in the large end of the shell with a needle to keep them from
cracking. They are satisfactory for frying until about December. From that time
until the end of the usual storage period-that is until March-they can be used
for omelettes, scrambled eggs, custards, cakes and general cookery.
As
the eggs age, the white becomes thinner and is harder to beat. The yolk membrane
becomes more delicate and it is correspondingly difficult to separate the whites
from the yolks. Sometimes the white of the egg is tinged pink after very long
keeping in water glass. This is due, probably, to a little iron which is in the
sodium silicate, but which apparently does not injure the egg for food
purposes."
