Preserving Eggs
BUTTER EGGS:
Another unique Irish culinary invention , that I mentioned in an earlier post ,is buttered eggs, a unique and tasty way to preserve eggs.
Invented in time immemorial (distant past, very long ago) , probably due to the proliferation of butter on the island, the Irish developed this way to preserve eggs. It became so popular that exportation of buttered eggs to England numbered in the tens of thousands of dozens every year during the English colonial times .
Rubbed over freshly laid eggs the butter will melt forming a thin protective layering
Because the shell is porous, it absorbs the butter to form a more protective seal. Curious, I took one home. Soft-boiled, it tasted fresh from the hen, the yolk the color of sunshine, the white carrying with it a whiff of cream. Today buttered eggs are a delicacy, largely vanished from Irish farmyards and pantries. You can't butter eggs by machine, as it’s an intimate practice involving the hand . Every one needs to be done by hand. Farmers' wives used to say it was a task most difficult to execute in winter, when the butter was harder and their hands were colder. So perhaps in addition to the egg and the butter, what I taste is the memory of an Irish woman whose palm coaxed butter lovingly all the way around a fragile shell, hoping to preserve it for as long as she could.
That might seem counterintuitive. Why waste butter on the outside of an egg? But clever Irish farmers had hit on buttering eggs as a way to preserve them during winters, when hens produce less. Taking freshly-laid, still-warm eggs, farm families rolled them in their buttery palms. The butter helped solidify the hot, brittle shells, sealing off the yolky contents from the outside air.
Buttered eggs take on a shiny gleam. And, as an added bonus, the taste of butter permeates the egg, making it even richer when cracked opened and cooked. Eggs preserved this way keep for up to six months in a cool place and I have had them last even longer .
If you keep chickens or know someone local who does , then you can too !
PRESERVING EGGS WITH PICKLING LYME
Recipe: 1 Qt of water (Distilled, Spring Water, Purified) and 1 ounce (1/8 C) of Pickling Lyme.
Gently place FRESH, clean, brushed eggs into a one Qt glass or plastic mayonnaise type jar. DO NOT WASH! Choose the cleanest eggs. Mix the water and Pickling Lyme in a pitcher. Mix it well. Pour over the eggs. Make sure they are completely covered. Wipe off the rims. Use a plastic lid. Store in a cool, dark place. Can be shelf stable for up to 2 years.
Use: Gently remove an egg. Place in a bowl or glass with water. If it sinks - you’re good. If it floats - let it go! Don’t crack a bad egg or the smell will be awful!
