it is apparently safe and you can buy it from some chemists. At the musuem I work at (Kent Battle of Britain Museum which of for those who might not know is all 1940), I have done a Dig for Victory garden which includes chickens (of course!), we have an original lidded pot used for this purpose! "During the war..." eggs were preserved in several ways but I have also heard that eggs can be kept up to 9 months!! I personally haven't kept eggs for that long though!!
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Hi Chookster,
I'm interested to hear you work at the Battle of Britain Museum as I've done a little internet research on the role of chx in the war and particularly the dig for Victory campaign...
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Well it would be fab if you ever make it down to the museum - it's only open from Good Friday til end of sept / oct though so do check in advance before making a journey - it's also closed on a monday unless bank holiday.
Anyway... for those interested ( I will try not to bore others!)... waterglass is a strong solution of silicate and soda. You must dilute with water to the right ratio as well.
There are two ways of preserving eggs with waterglass...
the first is to dip the eggs in the solution and wipe dry - this will keep them for a few weeks. But far better use is to dilute as per instructions (I think it had to be first clean, boiling/boiled water) and use this solution in a special pail fitted with a wire basket. Sufficient solution must be used to cover the eggs. Eggs should be laid carefully in the basket in the pail and filled to a third with the waterglass solution. Lower the basket carefully and if necessary fill to cover the eggs. Of course any cracked eggs should be removed and used straight away.
If a basket wasn't available, use a pail - carefully put a layer of eggs in the bottom, cover, and continue until the pail is full.
Freshly laid eggs could be kept quite fresh for at least 6 months. Apparently even after 12 months they were eaten to no ill effects! So there you go! It's really about stopping anything going through the pores, eg air, bacteria etc.
So do you think quail eggs could be used at extended time scales like this? After all, this is part of the reason we're not allowed to personally sell eggs to restaurants and pubs etc... hmmmmm