Egg safety?

[WhenInRhome]

Ok so I feel really stupid asking this but what do I need to know about collecting eggs, cleaning them, refrigerating, and storing them?

We found our first tonight and it hit me that I did not know what to do with it, besides eating it. Should I wash it carefully before putting it in the fridge? How long do they stay fresh? I am assuming that they do not go bad quickly. I found it at about 8pm but I remember reading they laid eggs in the morning. It is still good right?

 

[Folly's place]

I collect eggs daily, and wash them, and refrigerate. I always break the eggs in a dish, so any blood spots are taken care of, because I don't candle every egg. Some people don't wash the eggs, or refrigerate them, "just like in the good old days" but I'm a fan of modern food safety procedures. Mary

 

[Cacique500]

If you wash the eggs after you collect them you're removing the natural bloom that protects the egg from air getting inside, which shortens its shelf life. We just put all of our eggs in an empty carton and put them in the refrigerator until we need them. If we get a "poopy egg" we wipe as much off as we can with a dry paper towel and then put it in the carton. When we use the eggs, they they are washed in the sink, and like "Folly's place" said, it's better to break them individually in a small dish before adding to the bowl/pan just in case you get something undesireable.

As far as freshness you'll get a wide range of answers, but we usually go through ours in a couple months max (refrigerated) so we don't even think about it. Remember you can also do the egg float test...put the egg (obviously still in the shell!) in a bowl of water and if it sinks it's good...if it floats, it's not.

 

[AthenaT]

my nest boxes are kept clean so no dirty eggs (if it has been raining hard sometimes a muddy footprint) I just wipe them off with a dry cloth and sit on the counter...they never last more than a few weeks and are always GREAT. I am going to try coating them with a bit of butter or lard (unwashed) as the "oldtimers" say they will last 6 months or more unrefrigerated that way if I ever get enough ahead...I also crack them into a little dish before adding them to whatever I am making "just in case" no roosters so I never candle

 

[WhenInRhome]

Thank you both! I will probably wait to wash them and definitely crack them in a bowl first. I did not even think of that!

 

[JaceAgain]

I just bring them in and they sit on the counter. Once it gets longer than a few weeks if they haven't been eaten I check them with the float test and hardboil them I don't wash them unless they are poopy. And sometimes they are poopy if one of my birds decides they want to sleep in the nest box.

 

[RonP]

my nest boxes are kept clean so no dirty eggs (if it has been raining hard sometimes a muddy footprint) I just wipe them off with a dry cloth and sit on the counter...they never last more than a few weeks and are always GREAT. I am going to try coating them with a bit of butter or lard (unwashed) as the "oldtimers" say they will last 6 months or more unrefrigerated that way if I ever get enough ahead...I also crack them into a little dish before adding them to whatever I am making "just in case" no roosters so I never candle

Mineral oil...

Butter or lard will go bad, attract bacteria, and worse...

 

[AthenaT]

Mineral oil...

Butter or lard will go bad, attract bacteria, and worse...

98 year old local has been using butter or lard all her life...and Mother Earth New did tests some years back...I dont keep mineral oil in the house but I always have butter or lard

 

[RonP]

98 year old local has been using butter or lard all her life...and Mother Earth New did tests some years back...I dont keep mineral oil in the house but I always have butter or lard

My grandfather smoked cigars till he was 101, then quit...kinda sad, he died soon after

Is your 98 year old local claiming her longevity is due to using butter or lard, otherwise I don't see a correlation.

Mother Earth News reports not washing, using nothing but refrigeration is best,
Click Here for the full report you mention.

They did not test Mineral oil...to bad.

Below are a few sources and interesting reads just to start.
You of course must decide what method works best for you.
Hope this helps:

http://www.preparednesspro.com/safely-preserving-eggs
http://prepared-housewives.com/preserving-eggs-experiment-1-year-later/
http://www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/preserving-eggs-for-the-long-term/
http://lifehacker.com/5923565/coat-eggs-in-mineral-oil-to-keep-them-fresh-longer
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/long-eggs-last-covered-mineral-oil-42798.html

 

[Torch404]

They go in carton on the counter. I wash them before I use them and they will easily be out 2-3 weeks sometimes.