SC - SC Eggs Question

[Philip & Susan Troy]

snowfire at mail.snet.net wrote:
> 
> 
> ><< Question:  Where would I look for more information on methods of keeping
> > eggs before modern conveniences?  Can any of you shed more light on this
> > subject for me?
> 
> Here are two ways eggs were preserved in Britain.  My source is about the
> 1940s.  I don't know how old the methods are.
> 
> To store an egg reliably, it had to be newly laid or one day old at the most.
> Usually eggs were preserved in March, April and May.
> 
> The most popular method was to put the eggs into a bucket or earthenware
> container and cover them with waterglass (sodium silicate).  The alkali
> retarded the growth of micro-organisms and the silicate formed a protective
> coating on the shell.
> 
> There was also a solution called OTEG available to dip the eggs into.  The
> solution dried to form a coat of varnish on the shell, thus sealing it.

Dick's Practical Encyclopedia (yes, one of its dimensions is 10"), which
was re-issued in the 1960's subtitled "How They Did It in the 1870's",
mentions various coatings, ranging from olive oil, melted beeswax,
paraffine (by which I presume they mean what Americans call kerosene),
and varnishing compounds like collodion, in some cases supplemented
after coating by burying in sawdust, bran, or charcoal dust.

It's possible the sodium silicate method was unknown as of the date of
this publication, which, at the moment, I can only narrow down to the
1870's, definitely after 1863, based on one of its bibliographical sources.
 
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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