How long will eggs keep on the trail?

[Turkey Sandwich]

Usually when I go camping in fall or winter I bring a Nalgene full of opened eggs to make omelets. As the temperatures are cold then, they've kept fine for a day or two. I also know that unwashed eggs will keep fine too, but I prefer to crack them and put them in the water bottle because it saves space. So the question is, if I'm going hiking in the height of summer, would these last more than a few hours before spoiling? Am I better off just bringing whole eggs?

Thanks!

[Pedaling Fool]

I don't know, but seems to me that eggs out of the shell would NOT keep long, despite being in a covered container. Probably would be a neat little experiment though

[Stir Fry]

Take them in the shell. There are ways that will avoid breaking them. When I was a kid my mom kept eggs on the counter. We would collect them wash them off and add to the basket. I bet some were there a week or two even in summer. No we did not have AC untill we moved away from the farm.

[4Bears]

I would take them in the shell in one of the paper/cardboard holders then I can easily burn it to start a camp/cook fire when empty. The fresher the egg the longer it will keep, try geting them from a smaller farm. If you are in doubt if an egg is fresh you can place it in a bowl of water and if it floats it is no longer good as a rule of thumb.

[WingedMonkey]

Take them in the shell. There are ways that will avoid breaking them. When I was a kid my mom kept eggs on the counter. We would collect them wash them off and add to the basket. I bet some were there a week or two even in summer. No we did not have AC untill we moved away from the farm.

Do not wash store bought eggs. When laid they have a natural "bloom" that seals the egg from bacteria. They are washed and coated with a micro layer of mineral oil to seal them at the egg factory, replacing the natural protection that is washed off.

[daddytwosticks]

If you switch to hard boiled, I know they will last for up to three days on the trail in the warmer months. :)

[skinewmexico]

I used to have a sailing cook book, and I think they were saying 2 weeks if you coated them with vaseline. So you might check the old sailing books, when you had to make a passage without refrigeration. Personally..........I don't think I've ever wanted an egg that bad to jump thru these hoops. Lots of companies making some pretty decent powdered eggs now.

[EJC]

I love this trick! I use it at home.

[EJC]

I love this trick! I use it at home. The placing the egg in a bowl of water trick, that is. Works every time. If the egg stands on end it needs to be used ASAP and will go bad in the very near future.

[chiefiepoo]

I love this trick! I use it at home. The placing the egg in a bowl of water trick, that is. Works every time. If the egg stands on end it needs to be used ASAP and will go bad in the very near future.

So how many here on WB went to the fridge and tried the floating egg test? +1

[WingedMonkey]

I love this trick! I use it at home. The placing the egg in a bowl of water trick, that is. Works every time. If the egg stands on end it needs to be used ASAP and will go bad in the very near future.


"The test of freshness that involves seeing if an egg floats in a glass of (salt)-water is not a reliable test. In fact, this test has no relationship to the freshness of shell eggs. While eggs do take in air as they age, the size of the air cell varies from egg to egg when they are laid. Therefore, a freshly laid egg and an older egg might react very similarly,"
Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD, Associate Director, Education Outreach, Nutrition and Food Safety, Egg Nutrition Center.

[Tuckahoe]

At work we use the floating test pretty regularly with the eggs that we use, laid by our chickens. While the test may not be "reliable" enough to meet standards of science, it is certainly reliable enough to keep from eating a rotten egg.

As far as eggs keeping, farm fresh eggs, unwashed will keep safely for a number of weeks. I would tendy to be more wary of the eggs bought from the cold box at the grocery store. I would also say its a whole lot easier to transport eggs in shells than try and carry cracked eggs in a bottle.

[I'm gimpy]

Store bought eggs can be as much a 3 or 4 weeks old when you get them. I have taken eggs (home grown) on the trail when it was semi warm in the shell. Keep them out of the sun, don't wash them off and I don't refridgerate them before I leave. I don't wait much more than 48 hours to use them.This works for me, but please do only what your comfortable with. Rule of thumb, when in doubt throw it out. p.s. if there's crap on them it's ok to brush that off.

[Rain Man]

A couple of weeks, just like in the good old days, before refrigeration. But it is true that that are laid with a natural coating that fills microscopic cracks or holes in the shells. One way to protect store-bought eggs for hikes (if coating with Vaseline isn't appealing) is to dip each in boiling water for 3 to 5 seconds. That "cooks" a thin lining of the white inside the shell, protecting it from the inside.

I love taking fresh eggs on hikes and agree about using a "cardboard" case, which you can burn.

Rain:sunMan

.

[TNjed]

I'm a chef. you can piut eggs o the shelf and they good for a couple of days, but only those gotten from a chicken, not from a store, those will spoil for sure man, you'll be ****ting like a goose

[TNjed]

i meant put eggs on the shelf

[bobqzzi]

I'm a chef. you can piut eggs o the shelf and they good for a couple of days, but only those gotten from a chicken, not from a store, those will spoil for sure man, you'll be ****ting like a goose

I think chefs are required to adhere to much, much higher standards than someone cooking for themselves. Eggs certainly keep for more than a few days.

I'm wondering about bacon now. Most sources I've seen say a dew hours unrefrigerated, yet I've read many accounts of pioneers and mountain men using bacon a s staple on long trips. I suppose it was prepared differently?

[Elder]

For the bacon, when horse packing in the 1960's we carried several salt cured slabs of bacon. Sometimes carve a little mold off the outside, but it kept fine in 70o weather for a couple weeks. Not sliced.
You can absolutely tell if its spoiling..when you cook it! Whew!

[gunner76]

For making omlets on the trail, why not just take powdered eggs ?

[Rasty]

Eggs fresh from the farm will last a few weeks. Eggs from the grocery store are probably three to four weeks old already. The danger comes from refrigerating then allowing to become warm. A few days and they will be fine for scrambled, not safe for over east. Not all Bacon is equal. Cheap commercial Bacon is liquid smoked and cured. The room temperature shelf life is short. Really good Bacon is really smoked which dries the meat which increases the shelf life.

[Rasty]

Sorry over easy, not over east.

[EJC]

Marcia Greenblum, MS, RD, Associate Director, Education Outreach, Nutrition and Food Safety, Egg Nutrition Center.

Per the FDA's website:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/focus_on_shell_eggs/#32

Floating egg= old egg. They say it's not necessarily "bad" and to break it open and smell it. But I'd rather not smell rotten eggs. Good enough for me!

[weary]

Both store eggs and farm eggs, I've found, keep quite well without refrigeration for at least a week. Regardless, eggs in their shells will last far longer than eggs carried in a container. My rule is to test whole eggs carried in a backpack, before cooking them. Put the egg in a pot of water, if it remains attached at least partially to the bottom, I've found the egg can be cooked and eaten. If it floats to the top of the pot, I discard it. Always cook eggs well on the trail. It doesn't improve the flavor of a spoiled egg, but it certainly kills any dangerous bugs that may be present.

[TNjed]

once you break the yolk its over man, its terrible, and not even good and terrible

[fiddlehead]

Here in Thailand, no Thai people keep their eggs in a refrigerator (same with leftover rice).
Even the stores where you buy eggs almost never have them refrigerated.
Maybe Asian chickens are different than American ones.

I remember reading about a man who sailed around the world without stopping.
Seems to me, his eggs were still good 4 months after he left.

But strictly for weight purposes, I would take powdered eggs.
Unless I was truck camping or only out for a day or two.

[DrRichardCranium]

Bring the whole chicken.

[Brewerbob]

Bring the whole chicken.Chicken on a leash? Foxes and/or bears are going to like you.

[Turkey Sandwich]

Thanks for all the tips, folks! I'm going to start putting aside some fresh unwashed eggs for my next trip.

[Feral Nature]

I have my own chickens and fresh eggs last a lot longer than you would think. Also, you can tell if an egg is bad when you break it open. Just don't break the eggs into other eggs, you want to visualize each egg before adding it to the others (if scrambling for instance).

[Bronk]

I don't refrigerate eggs whether they are storebougth or off the farm...I leave them right on the counter...sometimes for as long as 6 weeks. They don't go bad.

[atraildreamer]

I have taken eggs (home grown) on the trail when it was semi warm in the shell.

I tried home growing eggs, but it didn't work out. :( Turns out I was burying the chickens too deep! :eek::banana

[greenmtnboy]

I have seen hard boiled eggs offered even in health food stores. I tried them once, the off flavor was noticeable. Considering that free range or "organically-raised" eggs are not that expensive, I will usually look for those if I want the quality protein that eggs offer. They are cheap enough that their is no excuse for consuming those that are not fresh. I suppose I might consider packing raw eggs if I am back-packing, but only if I consumed them in the first or second meal on the trail. The spoilage risk applies even with mayo or any other product containing egg. Samonella is nothing to take a chance with and applies to any residue on a plate, utensil, etc., that could harbor the health-risk.

[Feral Nature]

I had Samonella last January and nearly died. It's no joke. I ate cold boiled shrimp ar an AYCE Chineses restaurant and am sure that was it. So be careful on the trail as well.

[asb2164]

I have been all over Mexico traveling and none of the grocery stores including Wal-Mart refrigerate eggs, They just stack them in the isle.

[Feral Nature]

I've had hens hatch out 22 babies. That means that the first egg laid was there for 3 weeks before the hen seriously took to the nest and began to incubate/brood them. So a fresh egg can sit out without refridgeration and still be viable, hatchable and edible for weeks if it starts out fresh. If the egg is in 100 degree-ish heat consistently, it will begin to incubate, whether under a hen, in an incubator or in your backback. Eggs that have began incubating are fine to eat, if you can ignore the red egg spot and eat them anyway when the chick is still microscopic. Factory eggs are not fertile because there is no rooster. Farm eggs are fertile if the rooster and hens live together. I tend to get wordy sometimes :)

[weary]

Eggs in the shells will last a week or 10 days, probably more, if you keep them in as cool a place as possible in your pack. That's plenty long enough since most people resupply at least once a week anyway.

[max patch]

I'd be more worried about them breaking than going bad before eating them (resupply every 4-5 days).

[4eyedbuzzard]

I'd be more worried about them breaking than going bad before eating them (resupply every 4-5 days).
+1 The plastic packaging found mostly on the organics and free range eggs is much better (tougher) than the foam or paper cartons.

[russb]

+1 The plastic packaging found mostly on the organics and free range eggs is much better (tougher) than the foam or paper cartons.

And the free-range eggs TASTE way better due to the diet of the chicken. Prolly more nutritious too.

[WingedMonkey]

I've had hens hatch out 22 babies. That means that the first egg laid was there for 3 weeks before the hen seriously took to the nest and began to incubate/brood them. So a fresh egg can sit out without refridgeration and still be viable, hatchable and edible for weeks if it starts out fresh. If the egg is in 100 degree-ish heat consistently, it will begin to incubate, whether under a hen, in an incubator or in your backback. Eggs that have began incubating are fine to eat, if you can ignore the red egg spot and eat them anyway when the chick is still microscopic. Factory eggs are not fertile because there is no rooster. Farm eggs are fertile if the rooster and hens live together. I tend to get wordy sometimes :)

Very well put TEX. Same opinion here, little different than someone that dresses up like a farmer from 9-5 at a tourist attraction.

:p

[flemdawg1]

Or just get the pickled ones. :eek:

[Feral Nature]

Very well put TEX. Same opinion here, little different than someone that dresses up like a farmer from 9-5 at a tourist attraction.

:p

Thanks. I may know little else, but I know farm stuff. :cool:

[bobqzzi]

And the free-range eggs TASTE way better due to the diet of the chicken. Prolly more nutritious too.

Really ? I've never noticed a difference other that my local farms eggs are larger

[russb]

Really ? I've never noticed a difference other that my local farms eggs are larger

Depends on the diet of the chickens. Even "organic" or "local" farms may feed the chickens mostly with grain. But chickens love to eat bugs and grass, the more bugs in their diet, the higher the protein content in the eggs yolks. They can be almost orange with a high insect diet. These free-range chickens which forage their own food lay the eggs that taste better.

[Wise Old Owl]

Chicken on a leash? Foxes and/or bears are going to like you.

in Mexico on a long hike the Indians bring two or three chickens live with the feet tied and hung upside down from the pack.

[Panzer1]

on the trail, you will eat your eggs before they go bad.

Panzer

[SickFish]

how long would pickled eggs last if put in zip lock bag???

[Tipi Walter]

Usually when I go camping in fall or winter I bring a Nalgene full of opened eggs to make omelets. As the temperatures are cold then, they've kept fine for a day or two. I also know that unwashed eggs will keep fine too, but I prefer to crack them and put them in the water bottle because it saves space. So the question is, if I'm going hiking in the height of summer, would these last more than a few hours before spoiling? Am I better off just bringing whole eggs?

Thanks!

I've carried fresh eggs many times on backpacking trips and here are some thoughts:

** I use the little yellow or green plastic egg "suitcases", sometimes the six count, sometimes the dozen count, and have found over a two week plus trip that the eggs get jostled around enough to cause little hairline cracks which sometimes causes spoilage. This is not good.

** In the dead of winter you can scramble up a dozen or more eggs at home, let them cool and then ziploc them (Hefty is better) and put them in the freezer. On trip day stash them in your food bag and hit the trail. If the weather stays cold these eggs will last a long time, and can be re-fried on the trail.

** Several companies make very good whole dried eggs, like Frontier Herbs of Backcountry Pantry:

http://www.frontiercoop.com/picts/thumb/bulkbagORG.jpg

Here is the website:
http://www.frontiercoop.com/products.php?ct=dfmbc&cn=Egg+Powder

And then there is this:

http://i628.photobucket.com/albums/uu3/backpackerspantry/2001_19_r.jpg

Here is the website:
http://www.backpackerspantry.com/InventoryD.asp?loc=100&item_no=101064&category=&subcategory=

[Don Newcomb]

I once took a cooking class in which the instructor told us that if eggs have lots of little dapples they are not quite fresh. We should look for eggs that have a very uniform white appearance. She demonstrated this by picking one egg that had spots and one without spots and cracking each into a plate. The clear egg had a very cohesive white. You could put your finger in the white and drag the yoke and white around the plate. The mottled egg had a runny white that you could not pull around. This was important for making anything that used whipped egg whites.

The store-bought eggs today come from chickens that are bred and fed to produce egg, not shell. This is why the eggs you get in the store are very brittle and break very easily. Farm eggs come from old-fashioned chickens that eat a variety of stuff and produce hard shelled eggs.

I understand that in the "Old Days" ® they used to coat fresh eggs with paraffin to preserve them without refrigeration. In cool weather, eggs preserved this way were supposed to last up to a month, or longer.

I guess I would get the freshest farm eggs I could find and dip them in paraffin; then pack them very well.

[Spokes]

According to the American Egg Board:

"Continually keep raw shell eggs, broken-out eggs, egg mixtures, prepared egg dishes and other perishable foods refrigerated at 40° F or below when you’re not cooking or eating them. These foods should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, including the time you use to prepare and serve them. Allow no more than 30 minutes to 1 hour when it’s 85° F or hotter".

And the USDA says:

Why should eggs be refrigerated?
Temperature fluctuation is critical to safety. With the concern about Salmonella, eggs gathered from laying hens should be refrigerated as soon as possible. After eggs are refrigerated, they need to stay that way. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the movement of bacteria into the egg and increasing the growth of bacteria. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than 2 hours.

[flemdawg1]

how long would pickled eggs last if put in zip lock bag???

They should last indefinately.

Added bonus: After consuming, the noxious farts will guarantee you get the shleter all to yourself!

[Spokes]

how long would pickled eggs last if put in zip lock bag???

Again from the American Egg Board:

Do pickled eggs keep a long time?
Pickled eggs are hard-cooked eggs marinated in vinegar and pickling spices, spicy cider, or juice from pickles or pickled beets. Studies done at the American Egg Board substantiate that unopened containers of commercially pickled eggs keep for several months on the shelf. After opening, keep refrigerated and use within 7 days. Home-prepared pickled eggs must be kept refrigerated and used within 7 days. Home canning of pickled eggs is not recommended.

[winnowedsoul]

the egg floats or bobs only tells the age/size of the air sac inside...if it floats they will also peel the easiest if boiled...the benefit of older eggs **warning**eating older eggs can and will make you gassy, not sick but you might have fewer friends

[Don Newcomb]

**warning**eating older eggs can and will make you gassy, not sick but you might have fewer friends Like who isn't gassy eating trail food? I personally leave a blue cloud on the trail behind me and hope no one who follows behind me is smoking.

[veteran]

The best way to store eggs without refrigeration is to coat the eggs with a non-toxic substance, sealing the pores in the shell and thereby sealing out oxygen and moisture. When oxygen is present, many bacteria can grow, thus spoiled eggs. To use lard or shortening to coat the eggs, first melt the grease and cool it till it begins to solidify again. Dip each egg in the melted grease individually and set them on a paper towel to dry. When the shortening or lard is dry on the eggs, rub the eggs with a clean towel, removing excess solid grease. Rub gently and buff each egg. Now repeat the process, before the shortening solidifies. Work fast, allowing the shortening to get almost solid before re-heating it.

[Spokes]

The best way to store eggs without refrigeration is to coat the eggs with a non-toxic substance, sealing the pores in the shell and thereby sealing out oxygen........

Hmmmmm, why not dip 'em in chocolate?

[tridavis]

I would take country ham instead of Bacon. It can last for weeks as it is already cured and just needs to be warmed up or not. Your choice, just make sure it is cured when you buy it and you are good to go.

[Odd Man Out]

I would take country ham instead of Bacon. It can last for weeks as it is already cured and just needs to be warmed up or not. Your choice, just make sure it is cured when you buy it and you are good to go.

mmmmm I grew up in MD, but now am in MI. Boy do I miss good ham.

[lemon b]

Depends if U run into a skunk or me first.

[MuddyWaters]

Well if you got your eggs in europe, they would last a long time. Milk too. Over there they irradiate to kill all bacteria, and milk and eggs are just sold on the shelf in stores, not even refrigerated.

[Don Newcomb]

Well if you got your eggs in europe, they would last a long time. Milk too. Over there they irradiate to kill all bacteria, and milk and eggs are just sold on the shelf in stores, not even refrigerated. I regularly keep the long-storage milk on the shelf in case we run out of fresh. Again, eggs don't really need to be refrigerated if they are reasonably fresh. The chickens don't lay them in a refrigerator.

[Daydream Believer]

On a side note...how long will hard boiled eggs keep in cooler/Fall weather? Anyone know?

[WPSKIER]

When I was a kid on our farm in Maine we used to use this process to keep eggs for 7 to 9 months un-refrigerated.....

http://www.storeitfoods.com/page/waterglass
(http://www.storeitfoods.com/page/waterglass)
We had a big 5 gallon earthenware crock that the eggs were stacked in and then the mixed solution was put over the eggs to fill the crock. I remember reaching into the slick solution to pull eggs out for my mom when she needed them to cook.

[T.S.Kobzol]

I carry 4-5 eggs with me in my cooking pot. Get old newspaper and wrap each egg in 1 page of the newspaper.The crumbped newspaper is automatically shock reducing. Your eggs will not break.
Thanks for all the tips, folks! I'm going to start putting aside some fresh unwashed eggs for my next trip.

[daddytwosticks]

Pick the pages of the newspaper w/crossword puzzles on them. Tripple use as firestarter and entertainment! :)

[Don Newcomb]

Pick the pages of the newspaper w/crossword puzzles on them. Tripple use as firestarter and entertainment! :) Quadruple if you run out of TP. :D

[bronconite]

I've known for a few years now that eggs don't need refridgeration. After reading this thread after it was first started, I decided to do a countertop egg experiment. I bought a dozen Sunnyside Farms Jumbo eggs at Wal-Mart on 8/15/11. The expiration date on them was 9/13/11. I used 2 of them on 8/21 because I ran out of non-experimental eggs. The next 2 on 9/17 which were fine. On 10/2 I checked to see if the next 2 would float, which they did, but they were fine. Tried 2 more on 10/9 which were just fine. On 10/28 I made 1 which was fine. I started to notice that the yolks would spread out more when broken into a bowel, like whatever holds the yolk together was getting weaker. Had another on 10/28 which was fine. The next 1 was on 11/12 and with this one the yolk was kind of pasty, but there was no oder so I ate it anyway and it was fine. Just ate the last one today, 12/26/11 and it was fine.

In the beginning my apartment was probably low to mid 70s. Once it was time to turn the heat on in late October It would have been between 60 and 64 degrees.

The only real change I found was that as the eggs aged, the consistancy of the cooked egg seemed less airy, more meaty, if that makes sense. All but the last one were scrambled, the last one was fried.

This summer I'm going to try it again with eggs left outside in the heat and see what happens.

[HT1]

The US Navy uses eggs coated with wax on submarines, it gives them an unrefrigerated shelf life in excess of 6 months, figure a way to do that, or get them and you are good to go

[Wise Old Owl]

Do not wash store bought eggs. When laid they have a natural "bloom" that seals the egg from bacteria. They are washed and coated with a micro layer of mineral oil to seal them at the egg factory, replacing the natural protection that is washed off.
Yea watching too much fear factor....WM THEY ARE ALREADY WASHED - they are covered in SHIITE when they are booorne... Yes don't argue - I raised Chicks.


A couple of weeks, just like in the good old days, before refrigeration. But it is true that that are laid with a natural coating that fills microscopic cracks or holes in the shells. One way to protect store-bought eggs for hikes (if coating with Vaseline isn't appealing) is to dip each in boiling water for 3 to 5 seconds. That "cooks" a thin lining of the white inside the shell, protecting it from the inside.

I love taking fresh eggs on hikes and agree about using a "cardboard" case, which you can burn.

Rain:sunMan (very cool)

.


i meant put eggs on the shelf


For the bacon, when horse packing in the 1960's we carried several salt cured slabs of bacon. Sometimes carve a little mold off the outside, but it kept fine in 70o weather for a couple weeks. Not sliced.
You can absolutely tell if its spoiling..when you cook it! Whew!


For making omlets on the trail, why not just take powdered eggs ? Uh COMPLETELY unnecessary.


Eggs fresh from the farm will last a few weeks. Eggs from the grocery store are probably three to four weeks old already. The danger comes from refrigerating then allowing to become warm. A few days and they will be fine for scrambled, not safe for over east. Not all Bacon is equal. Cheap commercial Bacon is liquid smoked and cured. The room temperature shelf life is short. Really good Bacon is really smoked which dries the meat which increases the shelf life. TOTAL miss-information. Last sentence is correct



once you break the yolk its over man, its terrible, and not even good and terrible


I have my own chickens and fresh eggs last a lot longer than you would think. Also, you can tell if an egg is bad when you break it open. Just don't break the eggs into other eggs, you want to visualize each egg before adding it to the others (if scrambling for instance).

[Wise Old Owl]

uggg posting is work -- I have to go back and fix this - Give me ten

[Doctari]

My "egg bottle" holds 6 large eggs, I break them into it & they keep, unbroken for at least 2 days. The eggs have never lasted more than that cause I eat them by the second morning. :) & on a long trip, after resupply, those 6 eggs are gone by the end of breakfast first morning.