Well, water glassing is a way to preserve and store your fresh eggs for a year or longer! Some people say that you can keep them up to 2 years under the correct conditions.
Fresh eggs
These eggs need to be fresh from the chicken within the day. You cannot preserve store bought eggs as the bloom (the membrane coating that protects the eggs) is rinsed off.
Just prior to laying an egg, a hen’s body will deposit a protein-like mucous coating on the outside of an egg. This protective coating is called the bloom or cuticle. This protective coating seals the pores of the eggshell, thereby prohibiting the transfer of bacteria from the exterior to the interior of the egg.
Why should I water glass?
Water glassing would be done if you desire to keep eggs fresh for as long as possible. Usually around 18 months.
It will keep them as if they were laid that same day.
The only reason for water glassing eggs is if you intend to sell them or keep them for a food storage or a root cellar.
Hens will lay eggs all year long if allowed to molt roughly every 2 weeks and fed properly. They are born with the capacity for thousands of eggs so they really only stop laying eggs from old age.
Ingredients used are quite simple
Water and two other types of material can be used to water glass eggs: sodium silicate or lime (calcium hydroxide). The type of lime to use is known as pickling lime, hydrated lime, and slaked lime.
Calcium hydroxide is a white chemical powder used in older pickling recipes to add a crispness to the finished product. It works by adding calcium into the pectin of the food that is to be pickled.
Lime is also harvested from limestone by a specific heating process shown here.
The glassing process
Use a container with a lid. If you don’t have a lid, use olive oil to coat the top of the exposed water in the container. Be sure and cover with a cloth to keep pests out and prevent evaporation.
You will need approximately 1oz hydrated lime per 1 quart of water. In a 5 gallon bucket you should only need 8 quarts of water as the eggs will take up most of the rest of the space you will be using. The size of your container will depend on the amount of eggs you want to preserve.
Mix the specified amounts of lime to water with a whisk or spoon. It should be almost a milky white. Now you can add your eggs.
When you add your eggs be sure that the point is down. The reason we point eggs down is that there’s an air pocket in each egg, so if you have it going toward the largest size, it’s not touching as much of the egg white and you’ll end up with a better quality egg.
Enjoying your eggs months later
Because you worked hard to preserve your eggs for the winter when hens begin to slow down their egg production, you will be able to enjoy fresh eggs as if you collected them that morning! Be sure to let your hens lay as they please and don’t force them in the winter months. It’s just how their biological clock works and you will get better quality eggs as a result.
I hope this article was helpful and informative.
If you have any questions, comments or input please feel free to do so in the box below.
Water is the most abundant resource on this planet but only a small percentage is actually drinkable. What’s more frustrating to most is that municipalities will charge you for this precious resource. What a lot of people don’t understand is what goes on behind the scenes: where that water comes from and what has to be done to it to make it usable or drinkable. It goes through chemical treatments and a couple different filtration processes and that’s what you’re really paying for. Not the water itself. Fortunately, there are a couple different ways to make yourself water independent and a big one is a technique called rainwater harvesting.
Here are some ideas to pull from to collect as much water as you can .
Roof runoff rainwater harvesting
rainwater collection from roof
Probably the best and most efficient way to collect rainwater is from the runoff from your roof. When it rains it will run off your roof into your rain gutters and down the spout. By directing your downspout to a barrel/barrels or even a tank that has a large enough opening, you could fill a 250 gallon tank or larger depending on location and climate.
It is efficient in the way it covers such a large area for rainfall and requires very little effort on your part besides redirecting your rain gutters and keeping algae or mosquitoes from growing. Piping the water system to your home or desired use is completely up to you just be sure of permitting and local laws concerning this subject.
rainwater harvesting with rain barrel funnels
The rain barrel funnel method, as I call it, is a technique that requires food grade barrels and a tarp or other high coverage, rain collecting surface. Using rope or string you can tie the corners of the tarp to a structure or build supports for your high coverage idea. Now you can funnel the water into the barrel using the tarp or other high coverage surface of your choice.
rain barrels
It’s a pretty simple concept but requires quite a bit of space and some ingenuity so try to be inventive.
Storing rainwater in the ground
By understanding how rainwater acts and moves you will be able to redirect water for the convenient use of you and your family. Obviously water flows downhill because of gravity so building the appropriate channels, guides or gutters will accomplish this. A cistern is an underground water storage that can be made of concrete, metal or even plastic. But, again this is also subject to permitting and local laws.
Trees help keep water in the ground by the shade they provide and in their root systems. By the shade they provide it prevents the moisture from being evaporated in to the air. Gardening near trees will provide extra moisture for your garden and conserve your collected water usage.
Well water
groundwater well
In the old days a well would be dug by hand where groundwater would pool up in the bottom of the hole. Sometimes these holes would be dug to depths of twenty feet or more and a rope would be needed to pull the digger out. A pulley structure would be built over top of the hole to lower a bucket to collect water.
pump house
In present times a well is drilled by machinery to depths of around 100 or more feet to collect water from aquifers which are basically underground reserves of water and occasionally an underground river. Electric or motor driven pumps will pull the water up to surface level and store it in a tank for use.
Purifying for potable water
There are several ways to purify water and it is my belief that only two of them are really that efficient and cost effective. One way is to boil water and the other is through a gravity filtration device. There is also the potential to send your rainwater directly into filtration devices or even to direct greywater (water from sinks, showers and laundry) into garden systems to effectively deal with and distribute the water.
However you go about being water conscious and self-sufficient be sure to keep you and your family safe and healthy by reading into water purification and hazards. Collecting rainwater could save you quite a bit of money on municipal or even help you on your journey to becoming a great gardener. Whatever your path is, start collecting and good luck!
I hope this article was helpful and informative. If you have any questions comments or input please feel free to do it in the comments box below.
Maintaining a Functioning Food Storage can be time-consuming and require effort, does it not? All the rotating, packaging and mindfulness of the expiry dates? Also, trying to think of what’s important to have in there. For a food storage to be proper it has to be in use at the same time. It should include: dry foods, canned foods, foods that are packaged by you in some instances and even boxed foods. Some foods keep longer while some foods are going to be more beneficial to you and your family.
Cold Storage
Some families have an “Everyday use” pantry and a separate long term storage but here, I would like to suggest an easier style of food storage, discuss all these topics and give some suggestions of important items as well as the “why’s” and “how’s” to maintain your Food Storage safely and efficiently.
Food Storage ease of maintenance
Finding a system that works for you when it comes to maintaining your food storage is important. Cans are easy but tedious to rotate and watch expiry dates but, however have a long shelf life of almost 5 years. Knowing what to have and what conditions to store it in for maximum shelf life is pretty important. Items that don’t require frequent replacement is a good start. Even though you will be rotating and pulling from your food storage, I suggest items that will keep for long periods of time because of the “unknown” situations that may arise.
Having enough space is something to consider. You will need the space as you add items and come up with other ideas for that area. A cold storage or separate pantry room with shelving will probably serve best to observe and access your storage for rotation and replacement use.
Food Storage items that can last a long time
Having a moisture content of less than 10% and when properly stored in #10 cans, dry foods such as rice, beans, corn, potato flakes, most dehydrated fruits and even nuts will keep for around 30 years. I personally use a bucket system and a few bulk storage containers, that involves airtight lids and trash bag liners for storing and rotating my dry foods. They are labeled with the dates that I filled them, just to keep track.
Freeze dried or vacuum sealing is an amazing way to store foods! You can prepare your favorite meals and freeze dry them or in some cases vacuum seal them and they keep for around 15 or 20 years in a cool, dry and dark room. Personally I use …….. And it works great!
Pre canned foods are a good start as they are already canned and really convenient to just throw on the shelf and walk away for a while but you need to
Home canner
consider the expiry dates. They can last up to 5 years depending on storage conditions and as you buy more canned foods from the store you should put the new cans behind the old cans for ease of use. Self-canning and Jarring are fun ways to discover your power to be self-sufficient by storing your own food choices or even seal away the top picks of your garden treasures. There are several recipes for several different styles of jarring so research what you might like best and have fun!
Smoked meats can also last a while if stored properly in the freezer. Some sources say 3 months but I believe 6 months might be possible with proper wrapping and sealing procedures. Cured meats are close to the same but extended by about half again the time frame. For instance, if stored properly in the freezer it could last up to 18 months. Use a proper curing salt like Prague #2 or another salt that has needed levels of Sodium Nitrate as it will create inhospitable conditions for unwanted bacteria to grow.
Keep in mind calorie intake and nutrition! While some sources report differing totals, to be considered healthy an adult male will need around 2500 calories while an adult female will need 2000. Children will do good to get around 1500 making it a healthy total for proper growth. A 1-cup serving of cooked, long-grain brown rice contains 5 grams of protein, 45 carbohydrate grams, 2 grams of fat and 216 calories. The same serving size of cooked black beans without salt has approximately 15 grams of protein, which is 30 percent of the daily value set by the FDA based on a 2,000 calories per day diet, 41 grams of carbohydrate, less than 1 gram of fat and 227 calories.
Jarred and home made foods
The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints has counciled it’s members on food storages and principles of provident living and charity. Many of the members enjoy aspects of these principles and lifestyle. The Church is a great resource to receive and learn from.
Jarred Foods
There are a lot of ideas for jarred foods that can be stored for long periods of time. Almost anything you can think of to seal in a jar, can be sealed in a jar. Some foods will naturally keep longer just because of the nature of the item or product. Vegetables grown in a garden and fruits from trees in your yard can be jarred and also jellied to sustain and provide for during the winter months and even save money throughout the year. Provident Living is a lifestyle more and more people are trying to acquaint themselves with as life and finances get tighter and tougher.
There are a lot of recipes for items that can keep for long periods of time after prepared such as Pemmican and some styles of breads. Shortbread cookies keep for a decent amount of time, between 4 to 8 weeks if kept in an airtight container and kept cool. Learning how to make bullion and bone broth cubes could also be beneficial as they will last indefinitely if made and stored properly.
Pemmican
Jarring fresh fruits and vegetables will provide for concentrated nutritional needs especially vitamin C, which an essential vitamin.
Miscellaneous items
Many people don’t think of water when they are considering items for their Food Storage. It’s actually quite important. Clean water sources may be abundant now but what if hard times come around like a drought? Believe it or not even a flood can wipe out clean water sources.
A non-food item that I believe is essential to any storage is toilet paper and feminine higene items. In and extended emergency situation they will not only provide an ample amount of comfort but also prove to be important to sanitary conditions and personal health.
Multi-vitamins provide a small portion of essential vitamins and minerals and although synthetic, they are beneficial in the sense that they can keep you from being nutrient deficient and they will keep for years unopened in a food storage setting.
Iodized salt is extremely important and I believe most people do not realize just how important it is. Food grade Iodine or rather potassium iodide, is an essential mineral that most vitamins do not offer unfortunately. It is also very scarce in the food we eat because it is mostly removed during processing. Iodine is used by the thyroid gland to produce hormones essential for the body and brain to function properly, including hormones related to growth and development.
Baking Items & Iodized Salt
Baking soda and cooking oils like vegetable oil and coconut oil are items I also highly recommended. Baking soda not only goes into baking goods like breads, cookies and pie but also removes odors by absorbing them without effect on itself. Vegetable oils and Coconut oil are a necessity for baking. A bonus is that coconut oil is very tasty when used as a substitute for vegetable oil and Coconut oil is also very healthy!
Tailoring your own food storage to your families needs
While not everyone has the same diet or digestive needs, most items in your storage room can be made into quite creative inventions. A food storage plan built around you and your family’s diet is definitely something to closely consider. If you are going to be using an active rotating food storage (this is just what I am calling it) then you will obviously not have too much of a problem keeping items common to you and your families dietary usuals. A drastic change in food items or in the nutrients that your family takes in wouldn’t be a matter of life or death but might cause some complaining and resistance.
Family Pantry
While using an active rotating food storage is a good way to keep up on expiry dates and such things, if an emergency does arise you will have plenty of food, water and other essentials to keep you for a good while.
I hope this article was informative and helpful. If you have any questions, comments or other input you can do so in the comments below as it will help me to bring increasingly better information to you!
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