It the previous post, we tested some eggs that had been in Lime-Water storage for 6 months. With the great results from that, we decided to scale things up from the small test batch in a jar. This new batch would be for actual food storage, so the quantity needed to be considerably larger.
For the 3 gallon stoneware crock, we mixed 3 gallons of Lime-water. With the eggs, only about half that amount was actually used; however, it is best to mix more than you need so the excess Lime that settles to the bottom of the bucket isn’t dumped in with the eggs. Rather than pouring it, use a smaller container to carefully scoop out the clear liquid off the top, leaving the settled lime on the bottom undisturbed. It shouldn’t hurt, but it just makes things messier.
Another option – rather than the stoneware crock – would be to use the same half gallon glass jars that we used for the test sample. The advantage there is lower cost, and the ability to store them on a shelf rather than taking up floor space. If we had it to do over again, we would use the wide mouth half-gallon jars instead of the stoneware crock. Another advantage of using several jars rather than one crock, is that it is easier to rotate the stored eggs. Make sure you label the containers with the date.
3 Gallon Stoneware crock with lid.
Mixing the Lime and water in a ratio of 1 cup of Lime to 1 gallon of water. After the mixture settles, the milky appearance changes to clear.
Eggs were very carefully added, one at a time. The 3 gallon crock held 90 eggs, but there was still room for a few more.
With the eggs added, the stoneware lid was set in place (note that it is NOT a tight seal), followed by the bucket lid.
Thank you for taking the time to publish this. We had tried the messy method of coating unwashed eggs with Crisco or lard, and then dry-storing them for 6 months, individually wrapped in paper. It didn’t work well at all – probably 70% of the eggs were spoiled. We had pretty much given up on storing eggs unrefrigerated.
I’m anxious to see the results of our one year test, which will be coming up in a couple of weeks. I’ve been quite impressed with this method.