How long can eggs be kept?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I collect eggs twice a day and put them immediately in the refrigerator. How long can they safely be kept before being given away or eaten. I wouldn't want to make someone sick by giving them old eggs.

-- Sherry Cookson (oneofthem@one-eleven.net), March 13, 2000

Answers

The commercial egg industry keeps them for 6 weeks under refrigeration.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 13, 2000.

Sherry, I keep eggs at room temperature. I know that this will be controversial but I was taught this by a gal who has sold eggs for sometime, shes 80. If I get to many dozens ahead with no buyer in sight and we have enough in the fridge, I just break a dozen into a container, give them a good stir, just enough to break them up, do not whip in air. I then pour this into a ziplock baggie and freeze them flat. On weekends during the winter when there are alot less eggs around, I defrost them and use them in scrambled eggs, mixed with sausage and potatoes. Also 1/4th cup of this scrambled egg mixture equals 1 egg in any recipe. To keep an egg in the fridge for 6 weeks make sure that you have not washed them to much..Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 14, 2000.

When I was on the farm growing up, we always kept chickens to have some money from eggs. In reading some old diaries, I have found that at time we sold over 80 dozen per week. They were picked up once a week by a produce company. The eggs were never refrigerated summer or winter, but kept in a cool dark hallway in the house. Mother Earth News did an egg test some years back, and they determined that eggs could still be eaten after 6 months. Well, that is if you could stomach the look and texture of them. Seems that they change considerably over that long of a period. I personally keep store purchased eggs for weeks at a time and am still here to tell about it.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), March 14, 2000.

I've never timed it ,but I've had eggs in the fridge forever and never had a problem. If I know theve been there a while I will break them in a bowl first.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 14, 2000.

We always have dozens on hand at a time and I always try to use the oldest first. I have never found a bad egg not even ones weeks old. I boiled up a couple dozen of the floaters to give to the cats and dog and even they seemed fine. I know people that sell eggs and they claim even five months old is okay. BTW, I do always crack them separately before use, just in case.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), March 14, 2000.


This info came my way by some friends of mine that were missionaries in Africa. They said the Africans leave their eggs at room temp for up to 6 months and they are fine as long as they have not been washed. Apparently the anti-bacterial coating left on the egg that protects the chicks also protects the eggs from rotting. Cant say that I've tried it since I dont eat eggs anymore. Working on a laying hen farm in the Ozarks cured me of eating eggs and chicken!

-- Julie (juliecapasso@aol.com), March 14, 2000.

The answer is: Not for long if you are as clumsy as I am! I just was cleaning the henhouse, and broke an egg in my pocket (I think I can fit a couple of dozen in my jacket pockets simply because I am too lazy to go get a basket!)

We kept eggs in our garage (it was pretty cold but not freezing) for about a month in December and had no problems with them. I was a little curious about them to say the least, but at that time (Century end!) I was saving protein any way I could!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 14, 2000.


Sheepish, I can top that one! I was coming in the back door, husband saw me and of course didn't come to help me! I was carrying a 3 gallon stainless tote full of milk, and my 3 qt. milk bucket full, I also had an empty Lambar. I swung the door open, stepped back onto my husbands spool of telephone wire, (of course he hadn't put it away.) The 3 quarts of milk flew up in the air, hit me in the head and doused me with milk. I saved the 3 gallons. The rest of the story is not printable for a family discussion like this.. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 15, 2000.

I am so glad to hear other people have 2 left feet at times too!I'm always tripping on something .I think between the kids and I we probally break more eggs than not.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 15, 2000.

Thanks for all the helpful advice. Sounds like I can keep eggs even if my fridge is full.

-- Sherry Cookson (oneofthem@one-eleven.net), March 15, 2000.


Hah! This is timely! I gathered 45 eggs yesterday, and I already have egg salad, hard boiled and two dozen or more raw in the fridge! I whipped them well and poured it into ice cube trays. Then you pop them out and into a plastic bag for freezing. One cube = one egg for baking. I always give a dozen to a neighbor, also. Last week the kids mixed the hard boiled in with the raw as a joke, and my neighbor friend said she hit that egg three times on the counter before she figured out someone was playing a joke on her.

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), March 16, 2000.

That is a funny joke! LOL! Going to have to remember that one. The freezing in cubes and using one egg for baking is a great idea too. We eat a lot of omelets when we are running over with eggs. Usually the standard, onions, peppers, bacon or sausage, and cheese filling. Anyone have any good omelet filling ideas?

-- Sherry Cookson (oneofthem@one-eleven.net), March 16, 2000.

Feta cheese and fresh tomatoes, with a sprinkling of oregano is good in an omelet.

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), March 16, 2000.

Jean, Feta cheese, fresh tomatoes & oregano omlets sound yummy! I guess the Feta would eliminate the need for added salt. I like to top any kind of omelet with salsa, fresh or canned. Try it sometime!

-- Jane (Sewbears4u@aol.com), March 16, 2000.

Salmon, cream cheese and pesto! Yummy!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 16, 2000.


Crab meat (imitation is good too) with cream cheese & chives!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), March 16, 2000.

Yumm. Maybe we won't have leftovers tonight after all.

-- Sherry Cookson (oneofthem@one-eleven.net), March 16, 2000.

ham, asparagus and cheese

spinach, bacon, cheese

roasted peppers, walnuts, creamcheese.......

Sue

-- Sue Landress (Sulandherb@aol.com), March 16, 2000.


The favorite omlettes around here are "Taco Omlettes" We use the left over taco meat from the weeks tacos, add taco cheese and cook. Top with salsa and lettuce. Wonderful!

-- Beth (jnk@nothnbut.net), March 16, 2000.

Has any one used KePeg or like item to preserve eggs for later use? What is in KePeg that seals the pores? Can we go to a pharmacy and buy it or is the only place through mail order? Thanks, Kathy G.

-- Kathy Giddings (ckgidd@netins.net), March 16, 2000.

Mushrooms, green beans, onions and chopped ham, bacon or sausage topped with salsa.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), March 16, 2000.

Ke-Peg is a product that as far as I know, is just waterglass, which is available at your pharmacy. (I think it's a liquid form of water and silica, which is the mineral of which glass is made...stop me if you've heard this one before.) Anyway, you can supposedly also rub KY Jelly on the eggs to preserve them, as I have heard that it is the same stuff just different form. You can also use petroleum jelly (vaseline). I think this is to preserve the eggs in case of maximum storage requirements: i.e. hiding out in fallout shelters for a long time, etc.

You can also dehydrate eggs, freeze eggs, and pickle them if you are interested in storing them without the shell. I prefer to store mine in my chickens, and harvest them daily. The extras that I don't keep for a few weeks, or know I won't be keeping, I sell to some local folk, or give away to friends.

At any rate, I have seen advertising for KePeg (keep egg, get it?) and while I support alternative companies that are just trying to make an honest buck, I think there's also a generic version available. Just my $.02 FWIW.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 16, 2000.


You can keep eggs by dipping them in melted lard then packing them in salt. They will keep a year or longer. See Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 17, 2000.

Hey I just got a nice email letting me know that I don't know much about KePeg. It isn't the same as waterglass...it's a product that you smear on the eggs to preserve them. It's sold at the Happy Hovel, which I *do* happen to know is in my state! They have a website, so if you wander over there, I bet there's more information. Thanks, S!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 17, 2000.

To tell a fresh egg from a hard cooked one, set it on a flat surface and try to spin it. Because the contents are liquid in the fresh egg, it won't spin but the solid cooked egg will.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), March 17, 2000.

I used to store eggs in salt, in the cellar for at least a year at a time. Like this: Take a clean 5 gallon bucket, with a lid, and buy some "feed grade salt" at the grain elevator. When you collect fresh eggs, take the clean ones (do not wash) and dip each one in melted lard, and immediately place on a layer of salt in the bucket. Do not let them touch. Cover the layer of eggs with more salt and continue, as time goes on until your bucket is full. Put them in the cellar or a cool place. I doubt these would rot any time soon. I have kept them for a year. I would always store some this way for the winter when the hens were not laying. I only used them for baking. They do not maintain a fresh "quality" but a quite safe.

-- Yolanda Breidenbaugh (ybereiden@peoplepc.com), March 20, 2000.

If you throw some dry yellow onionskins in your boiling water when you cook your eggs, it will dye the shells and let you tell them from the fresh ones. It works with brown eggs, too, but you need to add more onionskin, to make the dye darker.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), March 20, 2000.

My Dad says that during WW2 they found a rather ritzy country home which had been deserted. In the root cellar were, among other things, several barrels of sawdust. Buried all in this were dozens and dozens of eggs. They cooked them up till they were sick of eating them as all they had for many months were powdered. No one got sick and he says it was pretty clear the place had been empty for maybe a year. They also had smoked meats, root vegetables which were also in sawdust. He says the eggs felt a little waxy and he thought they may have been dipped in paraffin. Has anyone heard of doing this?

-- Susie*Ks (goodartfarm@msn.com), April 29, 2000.

re-omelet filling.....left-over chili and spaghetti sauce are favorites here. We use crayons to color boiled eggs. When boiling eggs...older ones are much easier to peel than fresh ones.

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), May 03, 2000.

Storing eggs-in "the good old days" eggs were kept in the coolest location that could be found during the summer. The trick was to keep the humidity up. One common way of doing that was to make a small storage room in the basement that could be closed off. Sand was sprinkled on the floor and watered as needed to keep the humidity level fairly high. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), May 03, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ