Did the Waterglassing Eggs Experiment Work?

This is actually our second time trying this technique in preserving eggs.  The first time we tried it, we documented the process here: Water-glassing Eggs  At the end of the experiment, we opened the bucket and were greeted with floating eggs.  That's a sure sign the eggs are rotten!  It didn't work.  We are thinking it was an issue with the lime.  But the old saying goes, "If at once you don't succeed, try, try again."  We decided to do just that.

In the winter time when the length of daylight hours is short and the nutrients out on the pasture is low, so the quantity of eggs from our flock of hens plummets.  In this time, we stop selling eggs and stop giving them away.  We were thinking that if we were able to preserve some eggs, it could get us through the low production months.  (It also helps to have some squirreled away due to supply chain issues.)

So back in August 2021 we put the project back into gear.  We purchased some new lime.  We blogged about the process.  You can read about it by clicking this hyperlink: Trying it Again!  This morning we opened up the bucket.  What would we find?

We put these eggs in back in August - a dozen eggs on 8/15 and a dozen eggs on 8/16.  We are five months out.  Would they be rotten like last time?

Well, all of the eggs are resting on the bottom of the bucket.  None are floating.  You can see some of the lime on the surface of the water.  Looks good!  But we're gonna test...

We pulled out two of them and washed the lime off of them.

We wanted to compare with a fresh egg, just laid.  So, in the photo below, the fresh egg just laid is the one on the left, and the waterglass egg is the one on the right.  A few things:  First, no bad smell upon cracking the waterglass egg.  Second, you can see that the "just laid egg" is a little different.  The "muscle tone" of the yolk is better.  It is standing up taller than the waterglass egg.  Finally, the egg white of the "just laid egg" is firmer, holding together more than the waterglass egg.  Its white kind of ran.

The egg is still good!  Notice that both of the eggs were dark yellow, rich and healthy.  Only one other test to do...

We ate them and they were delicious.  There was no difference in taste.  Now we know that we can preserve eggs safely and effectively.  For now, the hens are starting to lay more, but we know now that we can successfully preserve them.  Experiment worked!

Preserving Eggs - Part Deux

Back on April 20, 2020 we discussed an experiment we did called Waterglassing or Brining Eggs.  We used an old 'tried and true' method of preserving eggs.  You can click on the hyperlink above to read about how we did it.  I have to be truthful and tell you that this experiment was a massive, colossal, utter, total failure.  Eight or nine months following the experiment, Tricia opened the bucket and found...  eggs floating.  They were rotten!  Nasty.  Foul.  In Cajun French, the word is "pourri."  Tricia threw them back in the woods.  100 eggs.  Can you imagine?  

Well, we don't give up easy.  "If at first you don't succeed...." Tricia seems to think that maybe her hydrated lime had gone bad, so she bought new lime and we're going to give it another try.  It is summertime and our egg production has dropped to only about a dozen a day.  

They are nice, clean eggs.  You don't want to wash them.  The 'bloom' on the eggs keeps the eggs safe from bacteria.

You add 1 ounce pickling (hydrated) lime per quart of water into a bucket with a lid.  We stirred up the solution with a fork to agitate it.  The water becomes white and cloudy.  Then we added eggs - 2 dozen.  The eggs made the solution rise to the top of the bucket.

We put the lid on the bucket and we'll put it in a cool, dark place - the pantry.

We will once again check them in 6 months, maybe, to see if they are preserved.  If they are not, we'll shelve this experiment and eat eggs when they are fresh.  If our hens don't lay enough in the short days of winter, we'll just tough it out 'til the spring.  We'll keep you posted on our egg preserving experiment (Part Deux)  Maybe we should subtitle this post, "Don't try this at home!"