Preserving Eggs with Water Glass

[Andy Hamilton]

Found an article in a copy of grass roots (An australian self sufficiency magazine, Thanks Nev) for preverving eggs with water glass. Here is a break down of what it says....



First of all get some water glass which is the concentrated form of sodium silicate it might be available at a hardware store. (not sure Also get a 10 ltr bucket with a lid a home brew bucket should do the job. Use one part water glass to 9 parts water, this should be boiled and allowed to cool to keep in sterile. Half fill the container to allow room for the eggs. Put in the eggs if the eggs float then the water glass is too strong and you need to dilute it a bit. Stick a plate on top of the eggs to keep them under the water. You must remember to leave enough room to allow your fingers to reach under the plate. Put a lid on the bucket and this will stop evaporation. Keep them in a cool and dark place. They keep up to a year apparently.

If anyone knows of where to get water glass then please post a message.

[Wombat]

G'Day Mate,

I tried this years ago but left it too long before trying the eggs!

I would try the local chemist (which is where I got mine), if they don't have it they may be able to get it in for you. The other place to try is a laboratory supply house, they would definitely have it, look in the Yellow pages. Ask for industrial grade if they have it, laboratory grade or (heaven forbid) analytical grade would be too expensive.

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

cheers nev will look into it.

I brought this topic up elsewhere and it was pointed out that the eggs are usually used just for baking as just fried or boiled they are not that nice.

There is another way of preserving eggs that I have just thought of I think it is the Chinese who make thousand year old egg. Something to do with burying an egg in charcoal for 100 days or something. Can't really remember.

[Wombat]

Funnily enough I was looking at that process last night - when I get home I will look it up and post a summary.

The other thing to do is coat them in vaseline, but I haven't tried it.

[Wombat]

As previously mentioned - this is from "Home Preserving Made easy" - Vera Gewanter & dorothy Parker; Viking Press; 1975 -

"The ancient practice of coating eggs (in shells)with a thick paste made of equal parts of lime, salt and ashes hled together with a little water and drying and burying the eggs in a box in the ground for 100 days...."

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

I first saw mention of water glass in the John Seymour book. My husband and I both looked at each other and said "do what?", you know what I mean! At the time my parents in law were staying and that started them off .... water glass ...... preserving eggs ........ war time ....... dad used to keep chickens..... blah blah blah! My mum knew about it too!

However, we have freezers, and they didn't.

[Wombat]

True enough! but freezers run on electricity!

Nev

[Muddypause]

When I was about five or six, I 'grew' a crystal garden in water glass. ISTR it was quite a popular pastime for children before the invention of the Gameboy - kitchen chemistry. You made a solution of water glass and water, and then disolved into it various colourful mineral crystals, like copper sulphate and other stuff that I can't remember. Gradually, the crystals would reform into beautiful, wierd, underwater plant-like structures.

I'm pretty sure we got the water glass from a chemist who didn't look strangely at us, but in those days fridges were still relatively rare - we kept our milk in a bucket of water in the cellar.

[IrishAbroad]

I preserved a few dozen eggs last year for winter when my hens go on strike.

I tried sodium metasilicate (water glass) but the easiest (and best in my opinion) was simply rubbing the shells with Vaseline. This stops any nasties entering the porus egg shell - after 3 months I was still eating them.

[Millymollymandy]

Did you buy it in France and where from - the pharmacy? And what's it called in French? (I don't mean the vaseline! I mean the water glass)

[IrishAbroad]

Métasilicate de sodium. I bought it at the chemist. It's amazing what you can buy there, unlike in England.

My neighbour makes a lovely liquor as follow

500ml Alcohol 90% from "la pharmacie"
1 Lemon or Lime (I think lime works better)
1kg sugar

Put the alcohol in a sealed jar and suspend the lime ABOVE it (I used fishing line). Leave for 3 months. Squeeze the juice into the alcohol, att the sugar and 1 litre of cold water. Mix well and bottle.

Simple! Warning DON'T try this in England as the alcohol from the chemist is not pure and can be very harmful. Alcohol in France is pure and can be consumed!

[ina]

To all you living on the continent - I used to make cherry liqueur with "pure" alcohol, too. Much fruitier than made with brandy or other spirits, as you can use up to 70% or so fruit juice + sugar, and the alcohol content is still high enough to prevent it from going off. Meant to bring some back from Germany (alcohol, I mean...) last time I was there, but I forgot!

However, Lidl's actually sold 54% rum some time ago - it was a special action. unfortunately. I use it for making rumpot, soft fruit and sugar in rum. If you use the 40% rum that's usually available here, you need more sugar to make it keep well. (And you need to eat more if you want to get diddled... ) Lovely with ice cream!

Cheers

Ina