Waterglassing Eggs: How to Preserve Your Home Raised Eggs

Are your chickens or ducks laying more consistently now that the days are longer and the weather is warming up? If you’re wondering how to make the most of this abundance and preserve eggs for next winter when laying slows down, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are a few methods to preserve eggs:

• Waterglassing

• Freezing

• Dehydrating

• Freeze Drying

So far, we’ve been waterglassing our eggs because it allows us to continue using them as fresh eggs. As our egg supply grows, we plan to experiment with the other methods to see what works best for us.

Waterglassing Eggs

Waterglassing eggs is for me is the easiest way to preserve eggs while keeping them fresh. The most important part is to use clean eggs—a challenge with duck eggs. I find that providing nesting boxes makes it easier. Ducks tend to lay everywhere, but if they’re in the coop at night, they usually pick a corner to make a nest, and most of those eggs are clean.

Here’s how I waterglass our eggs:

• Fill a clean jar with your unwashed, clean eggs.

• Mix 1 oz of pickling lime (food grade) with 1 quart of water. Pour the mixture over the eggs.

• Store the jars in a cool, climate-controlled place—like a cellar.

Waterglassed eggs can last 1–2 years, though we typically use ours by the following winter. They can be used just like fresh eggs—for scrambled eggs, baking, or any recipe that calls for eggs.

TIP: Learned the hard way—bigger isn’t always better! The first year I used gallon jars, thinking fewer jars would be easier. Big mistake—the eggs on the bottom got crushed under the weight of the ones on top, and a few jars ended up spoiled. Now I stick with ½-gallon mason jars. They hold 12 duck eggs perfectly, and no more cracked eggs!

Freezing Eggs

Freezing eggs is super easy, though my duck eggs are too big for regular ice cube trays. My solution? I just crack 2–6 eggs into a freezer bag, give them a little mix, and pop them in the freezer. Perfect for scrambled eggs or baking whenever I need them!

To freeze eggs:

• Crack the eggs into an ice cube tray.

• Freeze, then transfer to an airtight container for long-term storage.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Freezing can affect the taste and texture, making frozen eggs best suited for baking rather than breakfast eggs.

• Freezer space can be limiting, especially if you prefer to use it for meat.

TIP: I’ve discovered that frozen eggs work perfectly in casseroles or breakfast burritos—my kids never even notice a difference in texture!

Dehydrating Eggs

Dehydrating eggs allows for long-term storage, and it’s surprisingly simple. You can either cook them first or dehydrate them raw.

• Dehydrate for 10 hours at 165°F (higher than some sources recommend to ensure Salmonella prevention).

• Once dried, grind them into a powder.

• To use, mix 1 tablespoon of egg powder with 2 tablespoons of water to replace one egg.

Pros: Shelf-stable for 5–10 years, perfect for baking.
Cons: Texture can be grainy, making them less ideal for breakfast eggs. And, if not heated to the proper temperature, there’s a risk of Salmonella.

We don’t do this often, but we plan to dehydrate some eggs for long-term emergency storage in the future. Worst case, they’ll still be perfect for baking!

Freeze Drying

Freeze drying is becoming more popular, but I haven’t tried it myself. If you have a freeze dryer, check the manufacturer’s guidelines or manual for recommended procedures.

Other Ideas

If you have extra eggs you don’t want to preserve, consider selling them locally. This is something we do as our egg stash allows.

We hope these tips help you make the most of your homestead eggs! If you found this useful, be sure to pin it and share it with friends and family.

‘Til next time, keep living that farm-fresh life!
— Lee and Megan Taylor

To read about how we started our homestead from where we were, with what we had, read our story here.