How to Preserve Your Farm Fresh Eggs up to 18 months by Water Glassing

My biggest question before water glassing eggs for the first time was “will they taste good, though?” Then came “am I wasting these fresh eggs right now?” by preserving eggs for when my hens slow down laying eggs. You’ll never know if you don’t try. Read on to find out what I discovered and also how to preserve your own hen’s eggs this summer and fall by water glassing eggs.

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What’s water glassing?

Water glassing is a form of preserving fresh eggs with water and pickling lime that dates back to the 1800s. It’s a simple, affordable way to continue to have farm fresh eggs into the winter when your hens reduce or stop laying eggs for you daily.

Once upon a time, they used to use a concrete sealer to preserve eggs in. Today and for this post, we are using good ol’ (food grade) pickling lime. Yep, the same stuff used to make and pickle sweet… pickles!

What kinds of eggs can I water glass?

Any poultry egg will do but they must be farm fresh and NOT store bought no matter what kind of greenwashed labeling the carton has on it. Eggs needs to come from your hens or a trusted neighbor/friend’s girls.

The fresh eggs used to water glass for preservation MUST NOT BE WASHED! So if you are used to grabbing a dozen from a friend down the road who washes your eggs for you, request that he or she does not for the eggs you plan to water glass. You need the egg bloom intact.

Eggs are very porous and the bloom coating protects the egg from allowing air and bacteria inside. Once an egg has been rinsed or washed, that bloom coating is gone. The water and lime mixture used in water glassing keeps that bloom coating in place which is essential to the long term storage success of your eggs.

How should I clean eggs to be water glassed?

Again, no water washing! But you do want to get any poop and feathers off of the eggs by simply dry brushing. Use a soft brush or old tooth brush to lightly scrub off any poop.

If the poop has hardened on and is difficult to remove, consider not using that egg for water glassing.

Instead, I will use poopier than normal eggs for eating soon and not preserving since I will need to warm water wash the poop off that egg before cracking.

When looking to preserve by water glassing eggs, I keep an eye out for the super clean eggs when collecting in late spring through summer when my girls are laying copious amounts of eggs for our family. These will go into my water and pickling lime solution to be saved for later.

Is it safe to consume water glassed eggs?

Yes. When you need to use a preserved egg, you carefully remove it from the lime mixture and wash it thoroughly in warm water. Consuming pickling lime is not a good idea so wash the egg well before cracking.

Also, inspect each eggs as you are warm water washing it for any cracks. If you find even the smallest crack, discard the egg and check your jar! Keep reading for what to do next.

I use water glassed eggs as I would a fresh-from-the-coop egg after washing; however, I have never hard boiled a water glassed egg so I do not have any advice for you there. I have cooked water glassed eggs by scrambling, frying, and adding to baking recipes with no issues at all.

What if an egg in the jar has cracked?

If you find that an egg has cracked inside of the water and lime solution and has leaked into the solution, you will, unfortunately, need to discard the entire jar of eggs.

It is not worth the risk of consuming potentially contaminated eggs.

Update: after writing and publishing this blog after using water glassed eggs all week, I noticed one jar looked hazy. Upon further inspection, found an egg had cracked. I was upset to have to compost all those eggs, about 15 in total. Now we are down to about 10 water glassed eggs until the girls pick back up laying in the spring.

What size jar should I use when water glassing eggs?

I personally choose to use half gallon jars to preserve my eggs. This way if an egg does break and compromise my entire jar, I’ve lost maybe a dozen and a half eggs versus the amount of eggs a whole gallon jar can hold!

If you have enough wide mouth quart jars, they are also a fantastic sized jar to use. If anything should happen and you need to discard the whole jar of eggs, you won’t be losing very many in a quart jar.

Additionally and very important, the jar or container you use should be food-grade and air tight. You may use food-grade buckets with a gamma lid that screws on and off and is air tight.

How long can eggs stay water glassed?

Some say water glass preserved eggs can last up to 18 months. To be on the safe side, I personally choose to consume my preserved foods including water glassed eggs within a year.

Be sure to date your jars for when you water glassed them.

Do I need to preserve all the eggs on the same day?

No.

You can add your eggs to a water and lime mixture as often as you’d like. You do not need to mix solution and add all eggs to that one jar in the same day.

What kind of water is best for water glassing eggs?

Water that is free of chlorine and fluoride is best. If you are on well water, your water will be fine.

If you are on municipal water that is likely treated with one or both of these, you will need to boil your water and let it come to room temperature before using it.

Alternatively, you may use distilled or spring water from the store to water glass your eggs.

Water Glassing Eggs: the How-To

Materials Needed:

Glass jars (half gallon or quart)

Pickling lime (also called calcium hydroxide)

Water (chlorine and fluoride FREE)

Eggs (unwashed, brushed of dry debris, NOT store-bought)

Kitchen scale (for measuring pickling lime)

Whisk (for mixing the solution)

How to Water Glass Eggs:

First make sure all eggs are free of dry debris like poop, feathers, and wood shavings or dust but do NOT wash them!

Next, using a quart jar, fill it with water then add 1 ounce of pickling lime. Regardless of what size or how many jars you decide to use, the ratio will remain the same:

1 quart of water to 1 ounce of pickling lime

Use the kitchen scale to measure out 1 ounce of lime. Add the lime to the water in the quart jar and using the whisk, mix carefully but well.

Using another quart or half gallon jar, add about half the solution to the new jar.

Now slowly and carefully add in your eggs to the mixture. It helps to tilt your jar so the eggs don’t drop into the water solution so hard and fast which could cause an egg to break or crack. Add the eggs in by putting the pointed tip of the egg in first with the fat side of the egg up.

Secure a lid to your jar and write the date on it. Lastly, store the jar in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cabinet until your hens reduce or stop laying and you really want some farm fresh eggs!

Do water glassed eggs taste okay?

In my experience, I haven’t noticed a difference between a water glassed egg and a fresh-from-the-coop egg. They cook well and taste fine too. Check this video out.

SHOP FOR SUPPLIES

Half gallon jars

Pickling Lime

Kitchen scale (a must even for sourdough things! Get one for your kitchen.)

If you liked this, check these out:

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies or Simple Brownies – you can use your water glassed eggs in these recipes!

Sourdough French Toast

Raising Meat Birds on 1/2 an acre

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