How to Preserve Fresh Eggs Long-Term With Lime Water
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Ahhh lime water preserving eggs…. also known as water glassing eggs. Just another thing to hack off the chemists and biologists of Reddit that claim everything, including breathing, causes botulism. Sigh. Let’s talk about it and I’ll show you how I store eggs on my homestead. In the spring and summer months when the weather warms up here in Ohio and the sun’s a shining, I begin to be buried in farm-fresh eggs and thinking about how to hang on to that goodness for their winter break. Yes, hens should have a winter break and shouldn’t be forced to lay year around with artificial light and yeah… you have to think ahead.
First, I must let you know that using pickling lime or calcium hydroxide to preserve eggs isn’t actually water glassing. I’m sure you knew that, but water glassing was done with sodium silicate back in the day. And now we’ve picked it back up with a different pore plugger and called it the same. For some reason it bothers me. I am insane and well aware of it. But for the sake of this blog post, I have to call it water glassing otherwise the SEO monsters will never find me.
Alas, water glassing it is. Even though my little lime water preserving heart hurts!
And the best way I have found for storing eggs is:
- Pickled
- Dehydrated
- Lime Water Preserved (Water Glassed)
- Freeze Dried (although I don’t own a freeze dryer, they are wonderful and I have used some gifted to me… maybe someday!)
I’m a “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” homesteader.
I didn’t say frozen, did I. Nope. Wanna know why? Because frozen renders a watery and weirdly textured egg that doesn’t make good mayonnaise. And they’re weird to bake with. You’ll find plenty of people that freeze them in single cubes or whatever with salt or sugar, and to that I say have at it, but it doesn’t work for me. They aren’t good and I also don’t have unlimited freezer space to dedicate to eggs nor the forethought to defrost the dang things. But I also want to take advantage of the pick up in egg production while they’re coming in hot.
If I’m not canning up pickled eggs, I will start working on jars of water-glassed eggs. While the traditional method used sodium silicate, modernly we’ve been using calcium hydroxide (also known as slaked lime or pickling lime) to slap our abundance of eggs into long-term storage on the shelf. Sodium silicate can be made simply with sodium hydroxide (lye), silicate gel, and water but many folks today don’t really care to mess with lye, so they don’t. It worked really dang well though as sodium silicate creates a cast around things when settled and it’s fascinating that they found out how this works before refrigeration was popular. This works by using FARM FRESH EGGS with the bloom intact that are clean… see also no poop spots or mud, that’s nasty… CLEAN, and lime water, a solution mixed up and poured over fresh eggs, covered and stored in a cool dark place. Eggs preserved this way will store for 12-18 months easily and get you through the low egg production time of year. Let’s dive into the common questions I get about water glassing eggs from new homesteaders to hopefully answer any questions and anticipate any fears or fear mongering you may come into contact with.
Can I Use Store Bought Eggs
No. I know some rebels will try, but I fully do not recommend using grocery store eggs and disagree with this practice. Why? Water glassing egg preservation method relies heavily on needing unwashed eggs with the protective bloom intact. The bloom, also known as the cuticle, is a naturally made (see also perfectly designed by God) waxy layer on eggs designed to prevent bacteria from getting inside and to prevent moisture loss while the chick forms inside if it is fertilized. This waxy layer seals the otherwise porous material of the egg shell to extend the shelf life and viability of the egg. When you take that away, you open the egg up to taking on bacteria, which is the opposite of what we want. Store bought eggs here in the USA are cleaned, bleached, radiated, and more to increase shelf life and “prevent” foodborne illness… which is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard because removing this protective layer opens it up to foodborne illness. Hey there salmonella!
Does Water Glassing Eggs Cause Botulism?
This is my most favorite baseless and stupid claim I’ve seen on Reddit and social media lately. The claim is the calcium hydroxide harbors botulism… which okay everything can, BUT the food is rinsed prior to consumption. This claim comes from folks soaking vegetables in pickling lime prior to canning pickles as it strengthens the cell walls of the vegetable to produce a crunchier product. IF you don’t rinse at all or don’t rinse thoroughly, being an alkaline substance, if the pickling lime is still present on your vegetables and you then pour over a pickling solution and process them and create said anaerobic environment, you’ve successfully reduced the acidity of your pickling solution which makes it more habitable to botulism spores “waking up” and happily producing the toxin. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WATER GLASSING EGGS. When storing your eggs, the bloom is intact keeping them non-porous and you RINSE THE EGGS prior to cracking them open and using them. There is no chance of the botulism toxin getting in your food. It’s not that serious. Plus, while the environment is low acid, you’re not really creating an anaerobic environment, so yeah, the botulism bacteria and even the spore may be present, but it’s not happy enough to kill you. But, as always, if this makes you uncomfortable, by all means please don’t do it, cause you’re not going to use them if you’re afraid of them.
Are You Eating Hydrated Lime On Water Glassed Eggs
The short? NO. My gosh, if I see another person claim folks that water glass their eggs and consume them are causing full body inflammation and destroying their gut lining I might croak. Again, the cuticle is INTACT and keeps the egg nonporous. The egg is then overloaded with hydrated lime (pickling lime and water) which covers the egg and the outside tiny air holes for the chick to breathe with lime. This almost, ALMOST completely stops any air exchange, thus increasingly the shelf life since oxygen spoils food. When you’re ready to use an egg, simply remove them carefully from the container and rinse them under running water well before cracking. Voila! If you choose not to rinse, you do run the chance of having some build-up of calcium hydroxide in your body that can lead to stomach cramping and even kidney stones or kidney issues, but that’s like the most severe case ever and I do believe you’d have to be trying to do that to yourself. Much like getting cyanide poisoning from apple seeds.
How Do I Know an Egg Has Gone Bad
Trust me, you’ll know. This is why I preach to water glass your eggs in small batches, not 5 gallon food grade buckets. I strictly do quarts of water glassed eggs, about 9 eggs or so, and will sometimes dabble in the half-gallon jar but no more than that. Because once you do an enormous batch of eggs and miss a tiny microcrack and have one go rotten, you have to throw out the entire bucket. THE SMELL and the heartbreak of that… just, no. A rotten egg is a bad smell. There should be no bad smells when you open your glass jar. When filling jars, choose only the cleanest eggs, as dirty eggs create a dangerous environment… because poop? Would you want to eat food out of poop water? I think not. Make sure you’re using the freshest eggs too and collect daily as older eggs do begin to dehydrate and the air cell grows bigger giving them a larger chance of floating and going bad. Inspect every single egg thoroughly for any cracks. Tiny cracks are easy to miss, so look at them good. These tiny cracks are compromised bloom and shell, which means those eggs WILL ROT at room temperature, even in an alkaline solution. When an egg begins to rot in the hydrated lime solution, the water will turn cloudy pale white to even yellow and the festered rotten egg will take on a swollen look near the crack(s) and a bluish tinge. You can’t miss it. And if this happens, you need to throw the whole batch out. It’s not worth the risk. NOW. If I were starving and needed them, I’d rinse them real good, toss the rotten one, and cook the devil right out of them. But if I’m not starving, I’d just toss them honestly.
What About Salmonella?
There’s been studies done that Salmonella enteritidis can contaminate eggs as they are formed inside your hen and there’s no possible way for us to know if it’s there or not. Pennsylvania State University also did a study in I believe 2016 showing that our small flocks at home have a higher incidence of Salmonella than the large commercial operations…… that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms. So, this InViSiBlE contamination they talk about, let’s dive in. A hen HAS TO BE infected with Salmonella to be shedding it into her eggs. Or the egg touches poop from an infected individual. Apparently commercial operations regularly test their hens for ovarian Salmonella. Then we have to jump to the asymptomatic carriers… blah blah blah. Do you know how many Salmonella recalls have happened with commercial eggs?! And they continue to claim backyard chicken eggs are the MOST dangerous. Wild work guys. Salmonella infection, known as Salmonellosis, in poultry normally comes with symptoms, including lethargy, poor appetite, watery foul smelling green droppings, and cease in egg production. You know they’re going to say they’re asymptomatic carriers cause that’s how we make everyone fall in line, but 99.9999% of the time, your hen or animal is going to have symptoms and if you look at them even just once a day, you will notice when someone isn’t feeling good. Don’t eat eggs from sick hens. Don’t drink milk from sick cows. And so on, and so on, and so on. DON’T BE STUPID.
Here’s a fun fact about Salmonella. The time and temperature curve for the thermal death of Salmonella ranges from about 15 seconds at 161.6 degrees F to several minutes at 140 degrees F. That’s not very hot and not even boiling temperatures. So, if you’re concerned about salmonella… cook your food a little. It’s not that big of a deal. But also, Salmonella is just a stomach ache… it’ll cause you to maybe poop a little but is not normally fatal and you don’t need antibiotics to treat it. I’m not saying carelessly get Salmonella, but I’m also saying you probably got it from Taco Bell a time or two and didn’t even think twice about that before hitting the drive-thru for another crunchwrap and a baja blast. Just me?
Where Do I Find Calcium Hydroxide?
You can find it at any hardware store pretty easily, the bad part is they come in pretty big sacks, we’re talking 20+ pounds. I don’t want that much so I prefer to buy the Mrs. Wages brand of pickling lime as they run sales online pretty often and I can stock up and have multiple years worth of lime on hand. Get whatever works for you, obviously the large bags are more economical but storage of it needs to be considered, so do what works best for you. Do be sure it is food grade and the type of lime does matter so don’t just buy a sack because it says lime.
Now to the good part. Let’s talk about the preservation process!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Wide mouth quart jar(s)
- Tight fitting lids (used canning lids work great)
- Scale
Ingredients:
- farm fresh, unwashed, clean eggs
- distilled water or tap water
- pickling lime or slaked lime
Step 1: Inspect Eggs
Gather eggs daily and store pointy end down. Use the freshest eggs possible. I like to water glass batches at minimum once per week, but obviously, you can do it daily if you want. When you’re ready to water glass, be sure eggs are completely clean and free of any cracks. Any eggs with poop on them or dirt should not be used.
Step 2: Fill Jars
Layer eggs gently, keeping pointy end down as much as possible, into your storage vessel of choice. I recommend quart jars, as I have an abundance of them and prefer not to put “all my eggs in one basket” just in case I’d miss a micro-crack and lose the batch to a rotten cracked egg, it would be a small quart and not big food-grade buckets. But, as always, if you’re confident in your eyeballs and crack finding, you store them how they work best for you!
When layering leave about 2″ of headspace from the top of the jar because you want the eggs covered with plenty of water.
Into a measuring cup, mix 1 quart of water (by volume) and 1 ounce (by weight) of food grade pickling lime. Stir well and pour the lime and water solution over top of the eggs, filling jars almost to the top to completely cover the eggs.
Add a lid and secure so water cannot evaporate as the eggs sit in storage.
Step 3: Storage
This is massively important, especially to get the best shelf life out of your eggs.
Water glassed eggs should be store out of direct sunlight and in a cool place. I prefer 55-70 degrees F, but the cooler the better as long as they don’t freeze. I am very thankful I have an old sandstone scary basement that stays cool but above freezing as it’s phenomenal for storing food. You can store them anywhere, but be prepared to use them quicker if you’re conditions are warmer than that.
Label the jars with the date and be sure to use them in order from the oldest eggs to the newest.
Any jars with bad eggs will have a foul smell and/or the liquid will appear cloudy on the shelf with a yellow or whitish hue.
After settling, the lime will all go to the bottom of the jar and the water will appear clear, this is normal and expected and you should not agitate the jar or the eggs in an attempt to stir up the lime again. There may also be a small crusty layer at the top of the water which is also normal.
Step 4: To Use
Use eggs as you would fresh eggs. If you’re worried about salmonella, do not consume the eggs raw. After time, the eggs will begin to appear more watery when you crack them and the yolk will no longer hold its shape, that is normal and expected as this storage method doesn’t pause the degradation process, but rather just slows it down.
Aim to use the eggs within 12 months. I prefer to waterglass late Spring eggs for winter and have them all used up by the time fresh egg production ramps up the following spring, meaning my water glassed egg really are only hanging around for maybe 9 months. Once egg production kicks up again, any remaining water glassed eggs I have get made into homemade pasta and dried before the garden work starts getting crazy!
Equipment
- Wide mouth quart jars
- Tight fitting lids (used canning lids work great)
Ingredients
- farm fresh unwashed, clean eggs
- distilled water or tap water
- pickling lime or slaked lime
Instructions
- Gather eggs daily and store pointy end down. Use the freshest eggs possible. I like to water glass batches at minimum once per week, but obviously, you can do it daily if you want. When you're ready to water glass, be sure eggs are completely clean and free of any cracks. Any eggs with poop on them or dirt should not be used.
- Layer eggs gently, keeping pointy end down as much as possible, into your storage vessel of choice. I recommend quart jars, as I have an abundance of them and prefer not to put "all my eggs in one basket" just in case I'd miss a micro-crack and lose the batch to a rotten cracked egg, it would be a small quart and not big food-grade buckets. But, as always, if you're confident in your eyeballs and crack finding, you store them how they work best for you!
- When layering leave about 2" of headspace from the top of the jar because you want the eggs covered with plenty of water.
- Into a measuring cup, mix 1 quart of water (by volume) and 1 ounce (by weight) of food grade pickling lime. Stir well and pour the lime and water solution over top of the eggs, filling jars almost to the top to completely cover the eggs.
- Add a lid and secure so water cannot evaporate as the eggs sit in storage.
- This is massively important, especially to get the best shelf life out of your eggs.
- Water glassed eggs should be store out of direct sunlight and in a cool place. I prefer 55-70 degrees F, but the cooler the better as long as they don't freeze. I am very thankful I have an old sandstone scary basement that stays cool but above freezing as it's phenomenal for storing food. You can store them anywhere, but be prepared to use them quicker if you're conditions are warmer than that.
- Label the jars with the date and be sure to use them in order from the oldest eggs to the newest.
- Any jars with bad eggs will have a foul smell and/or the liquid will appear cloudy on the shelf with a yellow or whitish hue.
- After settling, the lime will all go to the bottom of the jar and the water will appear clear, this is normal and expected and you should not agitate the jar or the eggs in an attempt to stir up the lime again. There may also be a small crusty layer at the top of the water which is also normal.
- Use eggs as you would fresh eggs. If you're worried about salmonella, do not consume the eggs raw. After time, the eggs will begin to appear more watery when you crack them and the yolk will no longer hold its shape, that is normal and expected as this storage method doesn't pause the degradation process, but rather just slows it down.
- Aim to use the eggs within 12 months. I prefer to waterglass late Spring eggs for winter and have them all used up by the time fresh egg production ramps up the following spring, meaning my water glassed egg really are only hanging around for maybe 9 months. Once egg production kicks up again, any remaining water glassed eggs I have get made into homemade pasta and dried before the garden work starts getting crazy!
