10/15/2020
I would like to try this. Problem is our eggs are rarely clean enough right from the yard. LOL. We always wash them before Market of course. Has anyone done this? No, These are not pickled eggs. These are homegrown, unwashed eggs stored in lime water. The lime water fills in all the pores of the egg and encases them in a shell of "glass". Water glassed eggs can last stored at room temperature like this for up to 2 years. This method of preserving raw eggs has been used since the 1800s and was common even into the 1940s and 50s. When refrigerators became a standard kitchen appliance, water glassing almost became a lost art.
You cannot use commercial eggs for this because they have all had the protective coating (bloom) washed off the shell and will quickly go bad. I recently scrambled up 18 eggs that had been stored in lime water for 7 months on an unrefrigerated cupboard shelf. They tasted perfectly fresh (although the yoke seemed a bit thinner than fresh eggs).
Anyhow, if you have an abundance of fresh, unwashed eggs, you might want to try putting some away for later. The ratio is one ounce (by weight) of lime (calcium hydroxide) to one quart of water. Calcium hydroxide is a completely natural, organic ingredient, although the powder is very fine and may irritate your lungs if you breathe it in. You can find pickling lime wherever canning supplies are sold. The jars do not need to be sealed in any way, other than to keep the water clean. If you can't drink your culinary tap water, use filtered water. When you do use the eggs, be sure to rinse them thoroughly before you crack them or they will taste like lime.
FYI: a gallon size container will store about 40 eggs. It can be plastic or glass and should be covered with some sort of lid to keep out dust and bugs. Lime is also known as calcium hydroxide or hydrated lime. You can buy it in 50 pound bags in the masonry section of the hardware store, or in 1 pound bags in the canning section of the grocery store....often labeled as "pickling lime". Original post by Holly Jessop
