Aunt Sarah for many years preserved eggs in water glass, or soluble glass, also known as “Sodium Silicate,” a thick liquid about the consistency of molasses.  It is not expensive and may easily be procured at any drug store.  She used the water glass in the proportion of 10 quarts of water to one pint of the water glass.  The water glass, although in liquid form, is usually sold by the pound, and 1-1/2 pounds equals one pint.  The water should always he boiled and allowed to cool before combining with the water glass.

She was particular to use none but perfectly clean, fresh eggs.  She placed the eggs, narrow end down, in an earthenware crock which had been well scalded and cooled.  When the water glass had been thoroughly mixed through the water she poured the mixture over the eggs in the crock.

A stronger solution might be used to preserve the eggs, but Aunt Sarah declared she used eggs for baking cake which were good at the expiration of a year, which had been preserved in a mixture of 10 quarts of water to a pint of water glass, and she considered this proportion perfectly reliable.  So I do not see the need of using a large quantity of the water glass, although many recipes call for a mixture of one pint of water glass to only 8 quarts of water.

Fresh eggs may be added daily until the crock is filled, having the mixture at least one inch above the last layer of eggs.  It is best not to wash the eggs before packing, as this removes the natural mucilaginous coating on the outside of the shell.  Place clean, fresh eggs carefully into the crock containing the water glass and water, with a long-handled spoon to avoid cracking the shell.  Stand the crock containing eggs in a cool place, cover with a cloth tied over top of crock, avoiding frequent change of temperature; they should keep one year.  The water glass solution may become cloudy, and resemble a soft-soap mixture, but this is a natural condition and does not affect the eggs.

April is considered the best month for packing eggs.  Infertile eggs are to be preferred to others.  Carefully remove the eggs from the water glass mixture with a long-handled spoon when wanted to use, as the shells are sometimes not quite as hard as when placed in the crock.  The eggs may be used for cooking, baking, in fact, for any purpose except soft-boiled but should you wish to boil them, a tiny puncture should be made in the shell of these eggs before boiling.

Ten quarts of water to one pint of water glass will cover about 12 or 13 dozen eggs.

TO TEST FRESH EGGS.

Place an egg in a tumbler, fill tumbler with cold water.  If eggs are fresh they will remain in the bottom of tumbler.  If not strictly fresh the egg will float on the top, or near the top of tumbler of water.

SALADS—­AUNT SARAH’S SALAD DRESSING