Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
The practice of storing eggs in lime water goes back centuries, and it’s still one of the best ways to preserve eggs without refrigeration.
Anyone who has kept chickens knows that egg production doesn’t always line up with demand.
In the spring months, you’ll be buried in fresh eggs, right when you’re excited to be outdoors planting the garden and couldn’t care less about baking. Production stays strong all summer when it’s too hot to run the oven, and you’re too worn out in the evenings to bother anyway.
Then in the fall, right as cozy weather starts, production starts to slip.
By winter, when the days are short, and you’re ready for some comfort food baking, they may have stopped laying altogether.
These days, industrial chicken operations turn on banks of lights to keep the ladies cranking out eggs year-round (and just replace the chickens at 2 years old as they wear out from laying nonstop). That’s a relatively new thing though, and the option of a steady year-round egg supply has only really existed for the past few decades.
Historically, how did people preserve eggs to ensure a steady winter supply?
The answer is, they had literally dozens of methods to preserve eggs.
They stored them in wood ash, wheat bran, and straw, or coated them with butter or lard, or kneaded them into homemade pasta that was hung to dry.
Most of the methods rely on a few simple principles:
- Start with clean, fresh eggs.
- Don’t wash the eggs at all. That removes their natural “bloom” that prevents bacteria from entering through pores in the shell. (Grocery store eggs are washed, and will not keep outside the refrigerator. Do not attempt this, or any other egg preservation technique with grocery store eggs.)
- Keep the eggs cool, but not too cold. An egg is a living thing, and it’ll stay fresh best unwashed and at around 50 degrees (root cellar cool).
- If possible, seal the pores off further to prevent contamination within the egg. Oil, ash, and lime are the most popular choices.
Simply storing fresh, unwashed eggs in a cool environment (around 50 degrees) will buy you a lot of time. We’ve taken our fresh eggs and stored them in the basement dependably for up to 4 months, and occasionally as long as 6 months, no treatment required (so long as they’re not washed).
If you’d like to dependably store eggs for longer than 4 months, like if you’re trying to store an overabundance of spring eggs for the next winter’s baking, you’ll need a bit of help to get them to keep that long.
While many different methods work, most have drawbacks.
Storing in ash, for example, makes the eggs taste a bit musty and smokey. Storing in salt draws water out of the egg, and makes them taste a bit salty.
Storing eggs in sodium silicate, known as “Waterglassing” was really popular for a time. Incredibly dependable, the eggs didn’t spoil for years…but they changed.
Sodium silicate is used for sealing tile these days, and it softened the shells and penetrated the eggs…changing their flavor, and even their structure. Waterglassed eggs whites won’t whip, and there’s never really been any testing on the impacts of eating a boatload of sodium silicate for breakfast.
So what does work? Storing eggs in a food-safe lime solution made with pickling lime (calcium hydroxide).
The calcium solution seals the eggshells and effectively preserves the eggs for a year or more.
Though it’s called “pickling lime” it doesn’t make pickled eggs. The process keeps the eggs in the same state, and once you pull them out of the solution, they can be used just like a fresh egg. They fry up beautifully, and the white still whip to stiff peaks.
It’s called “pickling lime” because it’s used to firm up veggies before pickling, namely dill pickles, and old-fashioned watermelon rind pickles. It works the same way to firm up the eggshells and seal them at the same time.
Don’t believe me? Here’s someone cooking with eggs after a full year in lime water:
How to Preserve Eggs in Lime Water
Preserving eggs in lime water starts with making a lime/water solution.
The ratio is one ounce of lime powder (by weight) to one quart of water.
(That’s about 28 grams per quart of water or about 2 heaping tablespoons.)
I’ll measure out the solution in a quart mason jar, and one quart of the solution is just about right for filling a half-gallon mason jar once the eggs have been added.
Give the jar a shake, and you’ll have a milky white liquid. Much of the lime will settle out to the bottom over time (that’s normal), but what you’re doing here is making a saturated lime solution.
Some sources say that as little as 1 part lime to 700 parts water creates a saturated solution, but other sources say that the lime may not be completely pure, and you need to use a bit more to be sure. Still, others recommend as much as 1 part lime to 2 parts water.
At a rate of one ounce to a quart, there’s a lot that settles out of the solution, and it’s a good middle ground that ensures that the solution is saturated (without wasting a boatload of lime in the process).
Carefully select eggs that are super fresh and clean, without cracks or issues, pulled from clean nesting boxes that day.
Fill a clean jar with the eggs, and then pour the lime-water solution over the eggs. Be sure that the eggs are completely submerged, and then cap up the jar.
Cap up the jar, and store it in a cool place, like a basement, pantry, or cool closet on the north side of the house.
A half-gallon mason jar will hold roughly 14 to 18 eggs, depending on size. You can also use something like these one-gallon glass jars, which will hold about three dozen eggs.
Historically, they would have been stored in wooden barrels or ceramic crocks (like this one that I use to make sauerkraut a gallon at a time).
Alternatively, a food-safe plastic bucket will work if you want to store them in bulk.
We keep our jars of eggs in the basement, right next to my home-canned goods and root-cellared apples.
Once you’re ready to use the eggs, simply remove them from the solution and give them a rinse before cracking. Rinsing ensures that the lime solution doesn’t get into the egg as it’s cracked, which will impact the flavor.
Then, cook with the eggs as you otherwise would.
Other Lime-Based Egg Preservation Methods
I found a reference to preserving eggs in lime water in the book from the 1950s called “Stocking Up.” It contains all manner of historical food preservation information and has a whole chapter on eggs.
It notes that most people “found some way to clog up the pores of the eggshells so that moisture would not escape and air could not enter. Eggs were rubbed with grease, zinc, or boric ointment, or submerged in a solution of lime, salt, cream of tartar, and water.”
While stocking up does not give proportions, I found a reference on a historical food and cookery site that suggest this method:
“To one pint of slacked lime, add one pint of salt, two ounces of cream of tartar, and four gallons of water. Boil all together for ten minutes. Skim, and when cold, pour it over the eggs. Lay a light saucer upon the top to keep them underwater, and keep in a cool place. Renew the lime water every three weeks.”
The downside of this mixed solution is that the salt permeates the shells and will flavor the eggs, so I’d suggest going with a simple lime solution.
Fresh Eggs Only (Not Grocery Store Eggs)
Food Preservation Tutorials
Looking for more historical food preservation tutorials?
- Salt-Cured Duck Breast
- Preserving Cheese in Wood Ash
- Salt Cured Egg Yolks
- 18th Century Farmhouse Cheddar
- How to Preserve a Whole Pig Without Refrigeration
Can the lime solution be used several times with new batches of eggs? If so, how many times?
I personally would recommend using new lime solution each time just to be safe.
This was very interesting, I liked this story.
Thank you. We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Back in the day when |I farmed I froze the fresh eggs. Broke them into margarine tubs, marked 1, 2, or 3 depending on number of eggs in each one. They work fine for cooking and baking and I always had lots so could bake all year long.
Ashley, our ducks lay lovely eggs for us daily, but, they lay them in the creek….which is kind of like washing the eggs. So I’m assuming this lime process would not work in my case, correct? If not, are we still safe to eat and use the eggs if they are refrigerated once we harvest them out of the water (which is quite cool all the time in our neck of the woods here in the foothills of NC).
Yes, that would be the same as washing. They are definitely fine to eat once you harvest them out of the water but I would store them in the fridge since the bloom will have been washed off.
You can freeze them…I baked with duck eggs for years…makers the best cakes
I wonder where pickling lime can be purchased? I’m in Canada. I’ve never seen this in a grocery or hardware store, and on Amazon the bag pictured is $30!
It can also sometimes be called hydrated lime or slacked lime. It should be in the section with the other canning and preserving supplies.
Dear Laura in Ontario,
I found this place (link below) and emailed them March 31, 2022 asking when they will have pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) back in stock. They emailed me back April 1 and below is their reply along with the link to this product on their site. To date it’s not in stock but I recommend checking with them often to see when it will be back in stock. According to their message below, it shouldn’t be long. As to shipping cost and where they ship you would have to contact them. Hope this helps!
https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/search/pickling%20lime
Thank you for contacting Azure Standard. I have checked on the product information on the Cal Lime, Calcium Hydroxide, Food Grade and it appears that this is marked as a “short-term” outage. This typically means that we are actively working with our vendor to get this product back in stock.
Unfortunately, at this time we do not have an arrival date, but we will update our website as soon as that information becomes available.
My sister-in-law has chickens and gives me eggs but they’ve always been refrigerated before giving to me. She forgets to not refrigerate them. Anyway., WHY can’t one bring refrigerated fresh eggs to room temp, then preserve them? What is the deal with them being refrigerated?
Thank you
Carrie
Refrigeration has the potential to kill the embryo inside and start deterioration before they’re put into the lime water. That’s theoretical, and honestly, they do tend to get cold outside in the coop in the early spring anyway.
The main thing is they absolutely must be unwashed and very fresh. I think it’s possible it might work if they’re refrigerated for a day or two, but if they’ve been in here fridge all week or longer then no. (I don’t know, I’ve never tried it, so that’s just my best guess…at your own risk and all). Either way, just be 100% sure she’s not wetting them or washing them.
Sorry that I can’t be more helpful here, but I’ve never worked with refrigerated eggs here and every guide I’ve found says not to do it. Why? I can’t say for sure.
I think when the eggs are refrigerated it can cause condensation which can remove the bloom.
Thank you for your article. I will be staying a bucket this week.
Up to how many days old can an un-refrigerated unwashed egg be to still preserve it in lime water? I’m hoping I can get some from my sister-in-law but she does not live in the same town as me so the eggs could be 2-3 days old before I get them, that’s why I ask. Thank you again.
It is recommended to only use eggs that have been collected that day.
Makes sense! Thank you.
Hi Ashley,
I used the lime preservation method last year, from April through September 2021 whenever I had extra eggs. I started to use them in February 2022. I have found they taste good and are fine for scrambled eggs or baking. But they are not good for frying, which is fine. The Yolks are often broken and sticking to the shell when I cracked into the bowl and the whites are very runny. I wonder if you have experienced this? I wonder if this is normal or if something has gone slightly wrong.
Also, my half gallon glass jar has a ring of lime crust around the rim where the water level was. I can’t seem to soak it off or scrape it off. Any solutions to this problem?
Thanks for all your guidance in so many fields. Jen
I have not heard of this issue with the yolks sticking to the shell. I do think it’s pretty common for the yolks to break more easily though. Have you tried vinegar for the crust around the rim?
There has been a few comments on here about how long the eggs keep under different conditions and under different levels of soiling. I have only started my first batch of eggs using this method today, but I have been keeping chooks for 20 something years and I have some useful observations. I often keep eggs for hatching and sometimes a carton gets misplaced . I might not find this carton for 2 – 3 years. These eggs seldom go bad because I’m conscious to save only clean eggs for setting. They do however completely dehydrate so that there is only a yellow amber like hard substance occupying about 5 – 10% of the shell. I think the lesson here is that the bloom will protect the egg from bacteria and going fowl, but it does not protect it from dehydration. Submersing an egg in water will protect from dehydration, but it needs additional protection from bacteria. The lime produces a very alkaline environment which cannot support bacterial growth, so as long as there are no bacteria inside the shell, in theory the eggs shouldn’t go bad, but the structure of the egg white and yolk will slowly deteriorate over time, and it is this factor which determines how degraded are you willing to eat an egg, even if it’s safe from bacteria…
I saw this site a bit late and just learned I’m supposed to use clean eggs gathered that day. I did a batch in mid November that had sat out for up to a week or so.
I’ve been eating them but the yolk is really runny. My wife said they smell like fish or seaweed but I didn’t notice anything. Am I to assume the runny yolk is because they weren’t put in solution right away? These are also Amish eggs so I don’t know how old they are.
If you are storing eggs in limewater you do not want to wash them before putting them in the solution. You need to be sure that they are very clean though and that they are put in the solution the same day that they are collected. I personally would not put eggs in limewater that I hadn’t collected myself to ensure that they were handled properly. If the yolks are runny and there is an off smell, I would say that they are probably bad.
I did this all summer long and finally used an egg today! However… the egg was terribly foul smelling. What did I do wrong?? I haven’t cracked another yet.
Did you use fresh, clean, unwashed eggs?
Yes, straight from the coop and unwashed 🙁
I would go ahead and crack some others and just check them. It could have been that one egg.
can you use the pickled lime on chicken eggs already refrigerated a couple days?
It is recommended that you only use eggs that have been gathered the same day. If they are several days old, I would not suggest it even if they have been in the refrigerator.