Food Storage Tips

With hopefully the garden being successful, I have started to look at what I will do with the produce that hopefully produce as well as other ways to build up our food storage. In this search I found a wonderful website: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html# They have all sorts of ideas regarding canning, freezing, drying, curing, etc. They even have a free online course you can take on home storage, which I am going to take.

Also in our Relief Society, they give out a bulletin every month with tips and suggestions on what to get. Included in this month's bulletin was a way to store fresh eggs for up to two years. Here's what it said:

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Contributed by LaDawn Lott

Until recent history, ships sailed the high seas for many months at a time without the advantages of electricity or refrigeration. Sailors learned how to preserve and carry on board a large variety of the
foodstuffs to sustain themselves on these long journeys. The easiest way to provide high-quality protein without bringing live animals on board was to store eggs. How did the sailors keep the eggs fresh for months on hot ships, you ask? An egg will stay fresh as long as air does not penetrate the somewhat porous shell. When an egg is laid, it has a coating on it that protects the contents from going bad, even in a hot nest, while being sat upon by a contented mother bird. When eggs are processed for commercial sale, they are cleaned, thereby removing some of the natural coating that was protecting the egg from spoilage. By purchasing fresh eggs and recreating the barrier between the outside air and the egg within the shell you can significantly increase the egg's shelf life, even when stored at room temperatures for great lengths of time.

HERE'S HOW: First, get a large container of Vaseline and a bunch of eggs,
preferably in Styrofoam containers. If you can only find eggs in cardboard containers, don't fret. Just use plastic wrap inside of them to protect the cardboard from the Vaseline.

NEXT: Get ready to get messy: Take eggs out of container, Get small amount of Vaseline on your hands. Pick up an egg and rub the Vaseline all over the egg until it is covered completely. The Vaseline doesn't have to be thick, just don't miss any spots. When it's covered, set it back into the egg carton, with the wide end of the egg at the top. (That's where the little air space is located inside the shell.) Get a little more Vaseline on your hands and do another egg. Repeat until all the eggs are covered. Close cartons, date, and put into your food storage room

TO USE AN EGG: Put a little dish soap on your hands and rub it all over the egg. Rinse with warm water while wiping the egg clean. Only wash as many eggs as you intend to use right away.

If you want to be sure that your egg is still fresh before eating it, simply drop it into a bowl
of water. If it sinks, it's fresh. If it floats, some air has gotten inside the shell and you should discard the egg.
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SO WHO IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO TRY THIS?