Egg preservation let's talk about it. As someone who has a fairly large chicken flock we get a ton of eggs, between 20-30 a day! While I do sell them to people I also like to make sure we are taken care of year around. We don't force our chickens to lay through the winter like the commercial egg laying facilities do. Chickens need ample amount of light each day to lay an egg. Our days get too short in the winter for them, therefor we go a few months without eggs being laid. You can put a lamp in their coop to supplement light so they lay through the winter, we just personally don't do that. So I will preserve quite a few eggs throughout the spring and summer to get us through winter. Many people don't know that you can actually preserve fresh eggs for later consumption!
There's a few different ways you can do this. We have a freeze dryer which essentially takes all the moisture out of them and makes them into powdered eggs that will last 25 years on the shelf. You just add back some water and you have essentially raw eggs for making into scrambled eggs and omelettes or to be used in baking. I absolutely LOVE my freeze dryer, however I know the it isn't feasible for some people. Here is some pictures of what freeze dried eggs look like. We always do them raw then we can cook or bake with them afterward. You can also freeze dry them cooked but I personally don't like the texture, they tend to get a bit rubbery.
Raw fresh eggs.
Once you Have the powder, you can store it in sealed Mylar bags with O2 absorbers for long term storage. You can also stored it in mason jars with 02 absorbers if you are going to use it. Re-hydrating them is easy for one egg the equation is.
2 TBSP Egg powder
2 TBSP Water
add the two together and you have a re-hydrated raw egg ready to go.
Now Lets talk about a cheaper more feasible option for more people.
Water glassing
Water glassing has been around for hundreds of years. It was used to preserve eggs prior to having refrigeration. When eggs are first laid they have a protective layer on them called the bloom. This protects the egg from getting bacteria and other things into the egg. Unwashed farm fresh eggs are actually able to just sit out on the counter for a couple weeks while you use them up. We personally for our eggs will keep them on the counter. Now of course we get dirty eggs, we only keep the cleanest ones out and unwashed. We have whats called a roll-away nesting box, which means when the egg is laid it rolls away into a clean area where the chickens can't access it. We do have hens that just lay in the straw underneath the box which as long as the straw is fresh and clean the eggs will stay clean, but things happen!
Once the bloom is washed off however they have to be refrigerated because that protective layer has been washed off and the egg is now a porous surface and bacteria can get into it.
*Disclaimer*
Water glassing will not work for store bought eggs. Store bought egg are washed so the eggs will absorb the lime mixture and we don't that. Also, If you buy farm fresh make sure you ask them for unwashed. Most people want washed eggs so we will generally wash them prior to selling.
Back to water glassing. Once I have a couple dozen clean, unwashed eggs I take them and put them into 1/2 gallon jars, and pour the water glassing solution over them. Your water glassing solution is:
1 quart of water
1 oz of pickling lime
You can double, triple or quad
Once my eggs are nicely in the jar, I mix up the ratio of solution and pour it over the eggs. It is cloudy and the lime will settle in the bottom of your jar. Its NORMAL and totally fine! Once the solution completely covers your eggs, put a lid on them to prevent evaporation and put them into you pantry for however long you need! I put them where all my canning stuff goes.
When your ready to use them, pull an egg or however many you need rinse the lime mixture off and crack the egg!
Preservation is a dying art, especially with my generation and I'd love to help bring it back! It is one of my passions and as we go through harvest season I'll be doing different posts in regards to how I preserve my garden. It will be a combination of canning and freeze drying. I'm happy you're here and hope you stay for the ride through harvest season!
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