Have an abundance of eggs? Can’t keep up with the influx and don’t want them to go to waste? Have you ever tried waster glassing eggs?!
Water glassing is one of many traditional food preservation methods, dating back to at least the early 1800’s. It is a simple technique, utilizing a lime water solution to preserve ‘fresh’ eggs for 12 to 18 months when stored properly, without using any refrigeration.
Water glassing simply means to submerge clean, unwashed eggs in pickling lime, or Calcium hydroxide. The eggs must be clean so they must be rid of mud, muck, and poo, and they must be unwashed as to not lose their bloom which protects the shell in a coating and doesn’t allow permeability. The pickling lime acts as a barrier that inhibits bacteria growth which leads to spoilage.
The pickling solution is easy to make. Simply use 1 ounce of pickling lime to every 1 quart of water. Pickling lime is inexpensive and available anywhere canning supplies are sold. I like to add my eggs to a large, one gallon glass jar and make sure to completely submerge the eggs in the solution – You don’t want any of the eggs exposed to air.
It truly only takes minutes to preserve your eggs for over a year!
Store the jar in a cool, dark place where the eggs wont be exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations or direct sunlight. The solution will settle and the water will clear with the lime sitting at the bottom, this is normal. You can grab your eggs out of the jar whenever you need fresh eggs to use.They are safe to eat. Enjoy!
