# Hard boiled eggs, storage?



## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I am not sure were to out this but it is about preserving. 

I have more eggs than I will ever use, 21 dozen! I didnt want to waste them so I hard boiled them. Now I dont know how to keep them long term.
Yeah, didnt think past boiling them. :teehee:

I have enough fresh eggs daily for people so all these extras I figured I will give to the animals, dogs, chickens, cats, our pet rats, and any other critters that want eggs occasionally.
The only thing I can think of is freezing them since I have plenty of room in both my deep freezers.

Since they are for the animals and most eat some to all of the shell, can I freeze them in the shells? That would save me a lot of time. 
Will they keep for a long time in the chest freezer?

I hate wasting but I dont want the critters to eat 21 dozen of hard boiled eggs in one weeks time. I dont want to over dose them on eggs. :yuck:

JFI, I dont sell eggs. For one I dont live up by the road. I am landlocked
(shared driveway) and cant even put a sign by the road, not my property. Plus every one around here that does live along the road has eggs for sale. Oh and my eggs are from Bantams. :bowtie: So selling isnt practical for me.
My girls just need to stop laying a dozen of eggs a day! LOL


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

I'm not sure how long the eggs will last frozen, but I can tell you that a hard boiled egg turns a bit rubbery when frozen. If frozen in the shell, the shell tends to crack. And then upon thawing, a lot of water leaches out. I do know that the hard oiled eggs will last a couple weeks in the fridge. And I've heard that fresh eggs will last for months on end.

I doubt your animals would mind the frozen eggs.


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## bajiay (Apr 8, 2008)

Could always make your family pickled eggs...


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I tried pickling them in vinegar and it works. I do not even have to refrigerate them. I have a jar sitting around for about a year and they can still be eaten....the trouble is, they taste really sour.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I pickled eggs in Bread and Butter brine and they were great. I also did a beet juice pickle that was good . Neither were sour and they lasted along time


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

vickie, did you have to water bath the eggs? The recipe I found was for just striaght vinegar and spices, with no water added tot he vinegar, and the eggs were not processed in a water bath, just put in vinegar and sealed. I open the container whenever I want one and they do not spoil.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

No water bath , just keep in fridge. Recipe says lasts 6+ weeks but never around that long !


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Can they be processed in a water bath or steam canner, and become shelf stable?


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

http://kuntzfamily.com/recipes/pickled_eggs.shtml

There is a little something I found on canning eggs. I am not sure if I like that recipe though because it calls for all vinegar in the brine. I will look for more.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Would have to check http://nchfp.uga.edu/. I wouldnt pressure can. To me pickling is a preservation technique that is independent of water bathing. That may be old fashioned or even unsafe so check the site~ Vickie


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I agree. people use to pickle and store pickles without waterbathing or refridgeration.

That site you gave me does not recomend storing pickled eggs at room tempiture, but I have been storing pickled eggs in an all vinegar brine at room tempiture for years and I am still here to tell the tale.

The thing for me is that I can not bare too much of the all vinegar brine, it burns my mouth and gives me heart burn, so I was wondering if I could can some pickled eggs that have a water/vinegar brine so I can actually eat more pickled eggs and enjoy them with out heart burn....but, I do not have space to waste in the fridge, and I am not happy that they only last for a month in the fridge, so, i am looking for another road to take.


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Storeys Basic Country skills has numerous egg storage methods listed. I have not tried any but I found them interesting.I have the book at home


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

Are you invited to any New Year's parties? I say bring massive trays of deviled eggs!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Thanks everyone for the info. 
Thanks PixieLou for the info on leaking water. I'll thaw them in the sink.  Glad to have that info. I could of ended up with egg water mess on my counter tops. 

As for all the suggestions for preserving for people, I'll pass. Thanks anyhow. Neet ideas here.  
We are not big egg eaters. Scrambled or in cake is about all we ever use them for. Not worth the work to preserve extras for people since no one here would eat them. 
But the critters love eggs for treats.  Sounds like freezing in the shell will work for the critters. 

I did dispatch a bunch of chickens today since we do get way to many eggs so some slow roasted chicken will be on the menu.


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## MD Steader (Mar 11, 2010)

RiverPines said:


> Thanks everyone for the info.
> Thanks PixieLou for the info on leaking water. I'll thaw them in the sink.  Glad to have that info. I could of ended up with egg water mess on my counter tops.
> 
> I did dispatch a bunch of chickens today since we do get way to many eggs so some slow roasted chicken will be on the menu.



FWIW We sell eggs to friends at work an knitting. We dont sell a lot but it helps pay for feed. Whenever we have too many or missed getting them to the friends, boil them up in a pot, mash with a tater masher and feed them right back to the birds.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Just so you know, fresh eggs will last in the fridge for months. You don't have to boil them to keep them for several weeks. You can also freeze fresh eggs, just whisk them first and put into freezer bags. Then use in baking or as scrambled eggs.
I personally would pickle the boiled eggs. And next time, I wouldn't boil them. I would either store them in cartons in the fridge or freeze them.


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## tallpines (Apr 9, 2003)

What is the absolute MAX for storing pickled eggs 
(in the refridgerator)?

I have some that have been there more than a year.
Do you think they are still safe to eat?


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

City Bound said:


> vickie, did you have to water bath the eggs? The recipe I found was for just striaght vinegar and spices, with no water added tot he vinegar, and the eggs were not processed in a water bath, just put in vinegar and sealed. I open the container whenever I want one and they do not spoil.


The only documented case of illness from pickled eggs is from a fella who did just what you describe. It's best to refrigerate your pickled eggs.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Why do anything with them?? If you don't wash them (do even wipe them off!!) they will last a few months sitting on your counter. Wash them when you use them.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

JFI, I really dont need 21 plus dozen eggs piled on my counter, which they were as I dont wash them & no room in the fridge, especially when I am getting 9 or more eggs per day.
My DH's work is in ag and so his co-workers are also farmers. They have their own eggs.

But all our problems are solved now that I took our chickens down to just 8 bantams, which we always have 50% of them broody at any given time, thus not laying. 
They're Cochin and Silkies. 
So all works out since we need 3 banty eggs to make a large. 

We just had more chickens than we needed. And now I have a freezer full of eggs. Critter treats for months to come. The dogs have a ball with frozen hard boiled eggs too. LOL Its funny to watch them play with them and then eat them after they start to thaw some and they can break them apart. They are large dogs so this is fun time for them. I am glad I froze them.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

When we end up with more eggs than we can keep up with I do like mekasmom & whisk some up, freeze in ice cube trays then take out & store in freezer bags. They work great for baking or making scrambled eggs.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

olivehill said:


> The only documented case of illness from pickled eggs is from a fella who did just what you describe. It's best to refrigerate your pickled eggs.


then why I am I still here? 

I want to be safe, but I wonder if we are too safe these days. 

What did people do in the past?

I ate a pickled hard boiled egg in full vinegar tonight and now I am getting scared I might get sick. I never got scared before, but no I am having doubts. I made the eggs in late august and had them sitting around out of the fridge, I ate one in the begining of december and they were fine. I think i am just paranoid.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Just crack the eggs open, place them in ice trays, puncture the yellow well and free. After frozen, take out and place as many as you can in ziplock freezer bags. (They are great for use in baking as well as make good omelets and scrambled eggs.)


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