Preserving Eggs With The Water Glass Method
Did you know that there are a few different old-time ways to preserve fresh eggs for many months without electricity?
It’s true.
Freshly laid eggs have been successfully preserved by being kept in a “water glass” solution, in a lime water solution, by being coated with lard, Vaseline or paraffin wax, and by being buried in sawdust, sand, oats and in salt.
Of all the old-time methods used to preserve fresh eggs the “water glass” method gives the best and most dependable result.
Fresh, unwashed eggs kept in a solution of water glass will remain good and usable for 6 to 9 months when properly collected and stored in a cool location.
“Water Glass” or “liquid glass” is sodium silicate and is the generic name for sodium metasilicate – Na2SiO3.
Nowadays water glass has become very hard to find.
At one time it was readily available in drug stores, hardware stores and building supply warehouses.
Water glass is alkaline in nature and has the taste of washing soda. It is used for general cleaning purposes, to seal unfinished cement floors and as an adhesive.
Water glass is a clear, slightly syrupy liquid that comes already dissolved in a gallon buckets, quarts or in pints.
One quart of water glass will preserve about 16 dozen eggs.
It has been within my lifetime that the “water glassing” of eggs has fallen out of favor due to the availability of refrigeration in most American households; and because of cheap eggs due to factory farmed hens kept confined in battery cages and under constant electric lights.
If you don’t know already, hens will naturally cease egg production once daylight hours are decreased during the winter months.
Many people who have electricity will put a light in the hen house during the winter to force hens to lay.
Lighted hen houses and long-term cold storage are the reasons that there are eggs in the grocery store during the winter months. Without electric lights most hens will lay hit or miss during the winter.
Before refrigeration became commonly available keeping fresh eggs in a crock of water glass was the preferred method of egg preservation.
And for many rural American families, before the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, water-glassing eggs was the only way that they could manage to have eggs during the winter months when hens are discouraged from laying due to the cold and dark days. By saving surplus eggs during the spring and summer when eggs are plentiful, farm families were guaranteed a steady supply of eggs through the winter months.
Sadly, within the course of 2 generations what was at one time everyday household information has been lost and forgotten. Water glassing has gone the way of pants and curtain stretchers and wire bail canning jars.
In fact here in western Pennsylvania among many of the local Amish under the age of 35 years old, the water glass method of egg preservation is unknown to them. The older Amish people– my age and older – know what water glassing is.
To preserve eggs in a solution of water glass you must first obtain the water glass, which for me was easier said than done.
I thought for certain that since I live in a heavily populated Old Order Amish area that water glass would be readily available in the local hardware stores.
I was wrong.
I had to do a lot of asking and calling around and that’s how I found out about the younger Amish not knowing about water glass.
I finally had to order water glass from Lehman’s because no building supply or hardware store in my area had ever heard of it before, except for the hardware store in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, whose clientele are Amish.
Don the owner of that store, told me he doesn’t carry water glass anymore because there is not a demand for it.
In this post I wanted to show you how to preserve eggs in water glass and I wanted you to have this information in time for the spring – but there’s a caveat –
DO NOT USE WASHED STORE BOUGHT EGGS FOR WATER GLASS PRESERVING – they absolutely will not keep.
In the photos above and below I’m using store bought white eggs and not freshly laid eggs from my hens.
The reason is two fold; firstly I’m experimenting with exactly what happens when using a washed store bought egg and secondly I needed eggs to illustrate this post.
When my own hens start to lay again regularly I will be collecting and storing eggs in a crock of water glass in earnest for the coming winter of 2011 –2012.
The white eggs in the photos are going to be tested throughout the coming summer. I don’t expect them to keep much past August.
How Water Glass Works
Eggshells are porous – that’s why an incubating chick embryo can breathe.
Eggs will spoil and lose freshness due to bacteria passing through the shell and by moisture evaporation. The way that water glass preservation works is simple and straightforward. The water glass blocks and fills the pores of the eggshell thereby preventing bacteria from entering inside the egg and moisture from leaving the egg.
Eggs For Water Glass Preservation
Eggs that are to be used for water glassing must be completely fresh and clean – they must not ever be washed. By washing a fresh laid egg you will remove the protective coating. It is permissible to lightly wipe an egg with a dry cloth if it is a little soiled.
The best eggs are collected from fresh clean nest boxes and will have no cracks or imperfections. One cracked egg will spoil the entire crock of eggs.
If has often been said that the best eggs for water glassing are collected during the spring months of March, April and May. I think the reason for this it that the weather has not turn too hot and the cooler weather keeps an uncollected egg fresher in the nest box. That said I will be collecting eggs this year during May, June, July and August for winter storage.
Old timers would not permit the rooster to run with the hens for up to a month before eggs are collected for water glassing in fear of a fertile egg beginning to develop. I don’t think this is a real concern as long as the eggs are collected daily and stored properly. But no matter what I think, the practice of early 20th century housewives was to always crack eggs that had been stored by any method into a separate bowl for examination before cooking with them. After all who am I to argue with experience?
Water Glassing Eggs
Water glass needs to be diluted. I use the 11 to 1 ratio recipe – or 11 parts water to 1 part water glass (sodium silicate) or 11 quarts of water to 1-quart water glass or 11 pints of water to 1 pint of water glass – you get the idea. It works out to 1 quart of water to 1/3 cup of water glass
And just so you know some recipes will give a 9 to 1 or 10 – 1 ratio. I have no experience with them.
The water should be measured out,
boiled and then allowed to cool completely.
Many older recipes recommend rain water.
Sterilize a clean ceramic crock, plastic bucket, wooden keg or other container with boiling water.
You want to destroy any possible yeast, enzymes or bacteria. Almost any container will work but metal should be avoided (I’m not sure why).
Pour the cooled water into the crock and then add the water glass
and stir well.
It is important that the water be completely cool. You don’t water to cook the egg. I like to set up the water glass solution the night before so the water is very cool when I start adding eggs.
Place the fresh eggs pointed side down into the crock.
You can fit many eggs into a crock and eggs can be stacked on top of one another until the crock is filled. Make sure that at least 2″ to 3″ of liquid covers the eggs at all times and the crock also should be covered.
The best success is obtained when the crock is stored in a cool dry location.
A fresh, clean root cellar, spring house or cold basement storage area is ideal.
Clean fresh eggs can be added daily as the season progresses. If water should ever need to be added to the crock to keep the eggs covered, make sure that the water has been boiled first and allowed to cool completely.
When the eggs are needed for cooking remove them from the crock and wash them and then break them into a separate bowl to check the quality by smell and visual examination.
Eggs will store very well for 6 months without too much loss of quality. The viscosity of the egg white will have changed but the flavor is still good and acceptable for general cooking purposes. Sometimes the yolk will take on a very dark orange red color but it is harmless.
When boiling eggs that have been water glassed you will need to prick the eggshell with a pin. Because the eggshell is no longer porous the steam will build up inside the egg while it is boiling and explode.
For those of your who farm or labor by moon signs, it’s best to begin to lay up eggs during the last quarter or in the dark of the moon.
Old Fashioned ways to preserve food
by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
Wash your hands thoroughly before handling any type of food.
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Rinse the raw food thoroughly before processing and storing it.
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Use clean food processing equipment.
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Always wash the utensils before using them on a different food item to prevent a problem of cross-contamination.
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Use clean storage containers.
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Examine the food carefully and discard any food that has mold or bruises or slime or insects or other problems.
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The shelf life of the food will not be extended forever, but it can be increased by a few weeks to a few months (or longer depending on the food item and the preservation method).
There are three simple ways to preserve food using traditional old fashioned procedures that do not require any special chemicals, or salt, or equipment:
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In the ground.
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In a root cellar.
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Drying.
Let's examine each of the above three methods one at a time.
(Appropriate for Carrots and Radishes in the Fall) Leave the vegetables in the original ground where they grew during the summer.
This technique works well with carrots and radishes.
Mulch the ground above the vegetables with a thick layer of straw.
However, if the weather has not yet turned cold and you leave radishes in the ground then they will go to seed.
(Appropriate for Some Vegetables and Some Fruits)
A root cellar is a cool dry dark place underground where the temperature remains between 40°F to 60°F (or 4°C to 15°C).
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The depth of the root cellar below ground will vary between 1 to 3 feet depending on the frost line in the area where you live. The frost line is how deep the ground freezes in winter.
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Humidity must be controlled.
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Insects and rodents must be kept out.
A simple root cellar can be made from a clean empty food grade 55 gallon drum. Plant the drum sideways below ground under at least 12 inches of dirt. Put the food in the drum and then attach the drum lid. Shovel some dirt against the lid to keep it cool inside the drum. The drum will stay cool and it will keep out the air and insects and rodents. Do not place the fruit or vegetables directly against the sides of the drum. Instead store the fruit or vegetables inside wood boxes inside the drum.
Apples, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes release ethylene gas while in storage and this gas will cause other foods to ripen and spoil more rapidly. Therefore they should be stored by themselves and not with other foods.
Apples: Store apples in crates no more than three apples high per crate. The crates should be stored on a high shelf in the root cellar.
Cabbage: Remove the roots and the exterior leaves. Store upside down one layer high loosely packed in crates. Cover the crate with a tarp or sheet of plastic.
Carrots: Cut off the crown. Rinse thoroughly. Stack upright in a plastic or wood box and cover with newspaper.
Corn, Stowell’s Heirloom Evergreen White Corn: Before the corn is fully ripe pull up the stalks with the roots still attached and store them upside down inside your root cellar. The corn will continue to ripen over several months. Therefore, you will be able to eat fresh corn-on-the-cob for between three to five more months. That is the reason it is called "evergreen corn." (Note: After the corn has fully ripened, if you will peel back the husks on one ear of corn on three or four different stalks and then allow the corn to dry on the cob you will have "corn seed" to plant in the spring. Twist the corn kernels off the cobs using your hands and discard the small kernels near the end of the ear. Save the bigger corn kernels and plant them to produce another fresh crop of corn.)
Onions: Allow them to dry thoroughly. Then tie them together in small bunches and hang them upside down from a string or a wire. White and yellow onions store well but red onions do not store well.
Pears: Pears are not ripe enough to eat until after they have been stored for at least a few weeks.
Potatoes: You may dig up the potatoes when the green vine above your potatoes dies, or you can leave the potatoes in the ground for a few more weeks. After digging your potatoes allow them to age in a shaded well-ventilated area for about two more weeks. Do not put them in the sun because the sun will turn them green and the green toxin that is created is harmful to pregnant women and nursing women and to babies. Remove any loose dirt clinging to the potatoes but do notwash the potatoes. A very thin layer of dirt will help to greatly extend the shelf life of the potatoes. After two weeks in the shade transfer the potatoes into the root cellar. Store them in a wood crate but not a plastic crate. Cover them with straw. They will stay fresh for up to six months.
Tomatoes: Pick while they are still green and before they are ripe. Wrap each tomato in a piece of paper. They will keep for approximately three months. Before using a tomato, remove it and expose it to some warm air and some light and it will finish ripening.
(Appropriate for Meats, Fruits, and a few Vegetables)
Introduction to Drying:
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The food is placed on a tray or a screen and then dried using a good source of heat, such as the heat of the sun, or an oven at very low temperature, or near a wood-burning fireplace. The drying location must be well ventilated and it shouldnot be in direct sunlight. The drying time will vary considerably depending on the outdoor temperature and the humidity in the air at the time of drying. The guidelines below are rough averages and you will need to check your food everyday to determine if it is dry enough.
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Most vegetables cannot be dried because they lose too many nutrients and too much flavor.
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Dry fruit will feel leathery and it will not contain any moisture pockets. It should feel tough but it should not snap when bent.
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You must store dried foods in a moisture free and air-tight container such as glass jars, plastic freezer bags, or plastic food saver containers.
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Store the dried food in a cool dry dark place out of the light between 40ºF to 60ºF (or 4°C to 15°C).
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Dried fruit may be eaten as a snack, or it may be used in a granola recipe, or it may be rehydrated by covering it with warm water for one-hour.
Sun Drying: Dry your food on a hot dry day when the humidity is relatively low. Sun drying requires several consecutive days of 100ºF (38ºC) dry weather. Dry the food in a shaded area and do not place the food in direct sunlight.
Oven Drying: Start at 175ºF (80ºC) for the first 30 minutes to kill any parasites or pathogens in the fruit. Then reduce the oven drying temperature to between 120ºF to 140ºF (50ºC to 60ºC) for fruits. You must frequently turn and rotate the food while it is drying.
How to Dry Meat:
Trim all the fat off the meat. Then cut the lean meat into strips one-inch wide and 1/4-inch thick. Meat should be dried between 165ºF to 185ºF (74ºC to 85ºC) to kill all the potentially harmful microorganisms that might be in the meat. But the temperature should not be so hot that it cooks the meat. The objective is to dry the meat at a safe temperature and not cook it. When the meat snaps or cracks when it is bent then it is dry enough. (Note: Do not discard the fat if the fat is fresh. Instead you should render the fat and then use it strategically in your diet.)
How to Dry Vegetables and Fruit:
Vegetables and fruits that are to be used in a recipe can be processed following the instructions below. To eat the dried fruit, put the dried fruit in some boiling water for 1/2 hour or in some warm water for 1 hour.
Apples: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into thin pieces about 1/4-inch thick. Remove the core and the seeds but do not remove the outside peel. Soak the apples in a solution of water and lemon juice before drying. The drying time for thinly sliced apples is about 3 hours. For apples that have been quartered it takes about 2 or 3 days. The apple is dry when it does not feel moist or sticky.
Beans: Most beans, such as kidney beans and pinto beans, do not require any special effort to dry them for future consumption. Pick the bean pod when the beans are fully mature. Leave the beans inside the pods for about two weeks at normal room temperatures to give the beans a chance to harden and to protect them from a multitude of insects. Then remove the beans and discard the pods. The beans will continue to dry at normal room temperatures. (Note: The dried beans may be planted as seed in the spring to produce a fresh crop of beans.) If you would like some ideas on how to cook dried beans then please examine the bean recipes on my web site. Dried beans will remain fresh and easy to cook for at least two years. If you still have some dried beans left over after three years then they will probably require a really long soaking in a water bath and processing inside a pressure cooker to make them soft enough to eat. After four or five years you will probably discover that the dried beans have become too hard to eat and their only use will be add them to your compost pile to produce your own garden fertilizer.
Beets: Rinse thoroughly. Peel the beet and then slice into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Cook the beet pieces. Then drain the beet pieces and dry until they feel leathery.
Blueberries: Sort out any defective blueberries and any twigs or stems. Thoroughly rinse the good blueberries. Place in a single layer on a screen or tray. They will dry in about 5 or 6 days in a warm location or about 4 hours inside an oven at very low temperature (120°F to 140°F or 50ºC to 60ºC).
Cherries: Rinse thoroughly and then remove the pit. Place on a drying tray in a single layer where the cherries do not touch each other. They will dry in about 4 days outdoors. Or dry in an oven at 140°F (60ºC) for about 6 hours. They should feel leathery and slightly sticky. Do not over-dry the cherries. However, it is better to have them a little too dry than not dry enough because if they aren't dry then mold will develop on the cherries. Store the dried cherries in an airtight container.
Corn, Reid's Heirloom Yellow Dent Corn: After this heirloom yellow corn has fully ripened you have two options:
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You can eat some of the corn fresh, and
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You can pull up some of the stalks with the corn still attached. Peel back the husks. Hang the corn on their stalks upside down in a well-ventilated area for four more weeks. Wait until the kernels are hard and dry. Twist off the full kernels of corn using your hands. Discard the small kernels near the end of the cob. As you need it, you may grind the dried corn into corn meal and use it in a corn meal recipe to make corn bread, hush puppies, nacho chips, taco shells, or corn batter for corn dogs (you can substitute canned Vienna sausages for the hot dogs). (Note: The dried corn kernels are also "corn seed" and you may plant them in the spring to produce another fresh crop of corn.)
Figs: Wash the figs. Boil some water and add two fig leaves. Then quickly dip each fig in the boiling water for three seconds and then immediately remove it. Cut the fig in half. Place them skin side down on a drying tray. Keep the figs separated and dry outdoors. Or dry in a 130ºF (54ºC) oven for about 5 hours.
Grapes: After the dew has dried off them but before midday you should harvest the grapes with about 3 inches of stem attached. The stem enhances the flavor during the drying process. Rinse thoroughly. Dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to crack the skins. Hang the grapes up by their stems and let them dry naturally in a warm room with no extra heat. They will turn into raisins. They are dry when the center of the raison contains no moisture. Seedless grapes are best for making raisins.
Onions: Harvest the onions immediately after the tops die and fall over. Rinse thoroughly and then slice into round slices such as for a hamburger, or dice into small cubes. Place on a tray and dry using the heat of the sun. Or dry at 120ºF (50ºC) for about 24 hours, stirring the onions every 8 hours.
Peaches: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into quarter sections and remove the stone. Place on a drying tray. Turn the peach quarters over every four hours.
Pears: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into halves. Place on a drying tray and cover with a cloth. Dry using the heat of the sun for about six days. Or cut the fresh pears into quarters and they will dry in about three days. Or dry near a wood stove for about two days.
Peppers (Sweet): Rinse thoroughly and then slice into pieces no more than one-inch wide. Remove the seeds. Allow them to dry slowly on a drying tray.
Potatoes: Rinse thoroughly. The skin may be left on or peeled off. Cut into 1/8-inch thick round slices. Put the sliced potatoes in boiling water for 8 minutes. Then transfer the potatoes to cool water or ice water for 15 minutes. Dry the potatoes with a paper towel or a clean cloth towel. Dry the potatoes using the heat of the sun, or an oven, or a wood-burning fireplace until the potato slices are dry and crisp.
Plums: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into halves and remove the pit. Place on a drying tray and cover with a cloth. Dry using the heat of the sun for about four days.
Spinach: Select clean fresh leaves and do not rinse them. Place them individually on a drying tray in a warm location. The leaf is dry enough when the leaf breaks easily when you bend it. To prepare for eating boil the dried leaves in water.
Strawberries: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into halves. Place the cut side up on a tray and dry using the heat of the sun.
Tomatoes: Plum tomatoes, such as the Roma tomato, dry well. The Beefsteak tomato also dries well. Rinse thoroughly. Dip briefly in boiling water to loosen the skins. Remove the skins. Slice the tomato in half or quarters and remove all the seeds. (Note: Save the seeds and dry them on a piece of paper and then plant the dried seeds the following spring to produce a fresh crop of tomatoes.) Sprinkle some salt on a drying tray and place the tomato halves on the salted tray. Cover and dry in the sun. Turn the tomatoes over every four hours during the day. Bring the tomatoes indoors at night. Store in glass jars when dry. If you wish you may cover the tomatoes in oil inside the jar.
Turnips: Rinse thoroughly and then slice into 1/8-inch thick pieces. Push a thin wire or a string (attached to a needle) through each slice and then hang the slices so the slices cannot touch and dry in a warm area for 10 to 14 days. Then place the turnips on a cookie sheet and heat in a 160ºF (71ºC) oven for five minutes. Allow to cool and then store. This method will preserve the turnips for up to five years.
Many dry foods, such as sugar, salt, peppercorns, corn starch, baking soda, white rice, oatmeal, grits, instant milk, instant potatoes, and pasta can be protected from insects, oxygen, and humidity by sealing them inside vacuum seal bags.
Vacuum sealing will also significantly extend the shelf life of many foods because you eliminate the oxygen and the humidity that can gradually destroy the food.
If you use vacuum sealed storage bags you will not need to purchase any of the "oxygen absorber packets" because the vacuum sealing process will remove all the oxygen from inside the specially designed bags.
Vacuum sealing is also highly, highly recommended for the long-term preservation of individually wrapped hard candies, such as miniature Tootsie Rolls, Caramels, Peppermints, Spearmints, etc. Vacuum sealing hard candies will significantly extend their shelf lives and preserve their original natural smell and their original flavor.
A cheap good quality food vacuum sealer will cost about $40 and a two-roll box of vacuum seal bags will cost about $22.
If you buy the 11-inch wide rolls that are 16-feet long then you can cut individuals bags from the roll to the exact length you need.
Therefore there will be very little waste because:
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You won't need to seal a small item inside a large bag, and
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You can seal the foods in the quantities you think you will need so you can open one bag at a time and the rest of your food will remain fresh inside its own vacuum sealed bag.
Immediately after you vacuum seal an item inside a vacuum storage bag use a medium tip permanent black magic marker to write a brief description of the contents on the top of the bag and the date you sealed the bag, such as:
16 ounces Pure Salt, Sealed May 2010.
Special Footnote about Food Vacuum Sealers
Drying
In a Root Cellar
In the Ground
The Three Traditional Food Preservation Methods
Basic Food Safety Precautions
ORIGINAL SOURCE UNKNOWN
2 lbs. brown sugar
6 lbs. salt
1oz. salt petre
...4 gal. water
2oz. pepper
Directions
Bring to boil, then cool. Pack meat in tub or crock as close as possible. Put weight on top to keep meat in brime. Ham for 4 weeks. Bacon 6 days. Thin smoke and wrap in paper or cloth.
