Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-10-04
Farm and Home.
How to Preserve Eggs.

There j. Slight difference between pre-
serving" eggs and keeping them for an in
definite period as fresh as If newly land.
This is Just what is overlooked by many
poultry keepers. who are anxious 70 have
US give them some receipt OF ''secret
process" which will enable them 10 store all
their eggs when plenty, and sell Them when
scarce-truly a most desirable thing to DO,
and easy Of accomplishment; if II Is not eX-
pected that the preserved eggs Will be quite
as fresh as if warm from the hen-it is well
to regard with suspicion all 'processes" for
keeping eggs fresh the wear round, the re-
ceipt for which i given away Or sold for
twenty cents. more or less. Usually
the most wonderful thing about these
secrets Is the announcement that such
valuable discovery should be sold so cheap.
and ii j. only when possessed Of the secret
that We realize that We have been sold at
the same price.
Usually il does mot pay 10 attempt TO
preserve eggs but there are cases. when escs
are extremely cheap in summer. when they
can be kept till winter at a handsome profit.
The best way 20 do it depend. often upon
the facilities one possesses for applying the
different methods Chemistry shows as that
fair sized hen, egg weighs about 900
grains COO grains constitute the white.
300 the yolk and loo the she'll The white.
divided INFO 100 parts, is eighty parts water.
contains 81 81 parts water, l. IL albumen.
and p 81 oil. with a small proportion Of
salts. The shell is simply the skin Of the
egg. and ike all skins il j. porous, The
egg. itself. as We see by the above analysis.
i largely composed of water. and II Is the
los Of this water by evaporation through
the pores OF the skin that causes decay.
Impure air. bearing the seeds of decay en-
tiers a. the water passes out. and TIE moist
ure still! left in the egg only assists the
process Of putrefacton. Ii j, curious fact
that You can keep up ali the water CON
fined in the egg il will not rot and if YOU
can. on the other hand, drive il all out the
substance Of the egg left will keep FOR wears
exposed to the air The latter. then in
dictates the way Of preserving eggs-drying
them-the moisture is all expelled by heat.
the yolk and white crystallized and converted
into a substance resembling coarse corn
meal Ii is then sold as desiccated egg.
This method is not practicable TO the average
poultry keeper, however, special ma
chlnery j. required. and after the eggs are
thus preserved they are not the same fresh
eggs BY any means although answering
every purpose Of egg in culinary use. such
As making pies. cakes, etc. Probably the
mos, successful method vet adopted Of
preserving eggs. j. the well known cold
storage system. by which not only the egg.
but the hen tina, lays ii, may be preserved
for indefinite length Of time. Fresh eggs
kept constantly in refrigerator the tenn
perature of which is held at point just
above freezing. will remain fresh for a
long period, as there is little Or no ev-
aporation, the cause Of decay. III such an
atmosphere.
Many the methods Of preventing this
evaporation by stopping up the pores of
the egg shell an egg Theoretically sealed
will keep fresh-of this there is no doubt
and it naturally follows that the nearer we
car come 10 making the shell air-tieht the
longer its contents WILL remain unspoied.
Here. then, is the field fer experiment
Vanishing the she'll will answer. but a
vanished egg shell is sticky when boiled ;
for many uses. though, the varnish on the
shell is not at all dsagreeable and il com
pletelv excludes the air If wei! applied.
The egg will keep for some time. too. If
dipped in the beaten white which serves as
natural varnIsh coating. Fat or oil an
~~er the same purpo>e. Picked or lined
eggs will also keep for months. 70 pre-
serve them ia thi, common manner slack
quart Of lime in three or four gallons of
water, add pint Of salt and pack the eggs
carefully in the solution, which should
cover them three inches or 50 deep from the
top Of The jar. Eggs will keep three
months. well packed and covered with fine
salt-pack them large end down, and always
keep them IN the coolest place practicable,
no matter what method you adopt Of pre-
serving them. Poultry Bulletin.