Keeping Eggs Fresh Through Winter with Water Glassing

This is one of those no-brainers every chicken keeper should know. I spent too many years having to buy grocery store eggs through winter, not even knowing how simple it was to save my own eggs.

Imagine it’s the early 19th century (I know you’re reading this on a computer, just pretend). You don’t have electricity, so there’s no refrigerator. Your chickens naturally stop laying eggs in the winter, and there’s no artificial lights to keep them going. There are also no grocery stores, and no giant trucks delivering eggs all over the country. Your choices are either to preserve your eggs or to have none through winter. Depending on where you live, eggs may be a staple of your household and without them, you may not have enough food. When living seasonally, what are your choices for protein in winter? Frozen meat didn’t exist since there were no freezers (this is how corned beef was invented). Fermentation of vegetables, cheese and yogurt was done not just because of some gut health trend, but because you had to preserve as much as possible while it was in season. Pickled eggs are possible, but not everyone’s cup of tea.

Queue the invention of water glassing, circa… somewhere in the early 1800s. No one really knows exactly when. Water glassing is a technique for preserving eggs long term without refrigeration. It keeps them fresh for up to a year in the proper conditions, while refrigerating generally keeps them fresh only up to 90 days.

The first known publication of this method of egg preservation was written in an 1889 cookbook, The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer. Yes, that is really her name. I am not sure if I love it or hate it. In any case, this book showed a technique on preserving eggs with a lime and water solution, otherwise known as water glassing. Shouldn’t it be called water liming? Ok, enough about the names of things and people in the late 1800s. Let’s get into the process.

The best part about water glassing is that it’s incredibly easy to do and only requires a few items. There’s no reason to let this tried and true method from the old ways be forgotten, since it saves money and combats waste. There are a few rules to follow. First, you can only use fresh, unwashed eggs in this process. Eggs have a natural wax-like coating when they’re laid, which keeps bacteria from entering the tiny pores of the egg shell. The bloom needs to be intact so that the water does not seep in through the pores of the shell. You can use eggs that have been collected in the last couple of days. Store bought eggs come washed so do not try this with store bought eggs.

What you need

1. Kitchen scale for measuring lime

2. Pickling lime. I use _____ (find it in my Amazon link, paid partnership)

3. 32 oz. or 64 oz. Mason jars

4. Well filtered or distilled water free of fluoride and chlorine

5. Fresh, unwashed eggs with bloom intact. This is very important. If the eggs do not have a bloom present (the natural coating that is on an unwashed egg), then the water and lime can seep through the pores.

6. A dark place that stays cool to store them

Steps

1. Weigh out 1 oz. of pickling lime for a 64 oz jar or ½ oz for a 32 oz. jar. The formula is one oz per quart of water, and you’ll be filling the jars halfway with water. You should be able to get a half dozen in a quart jar and full dozen in a 64 oz jar.

2. Pour the lime into the jar. Fill the jar halfway with water. Whisk until it’s mixed evenly.

3. Carefully place eggs one at a time into the jar.

4. Close the lid super tight and store in a dark, cool spot.

That’s really all there is to it! I will just drive home the fact that the eggs need to be FRESH and UNWASHED.

Waterglassing has another advantage over refrigeration. It actually helps keep the eggs much, much fresher and tastier. When done correctly, your eggs will taste and look just as fresh as the day they were collected when you crack them open to cook. It is as if they were frozen in time!