Eggs

[spelt with a t]

I love eggs. It would be hard to overstate how much I love eggs. Especially straight up fried or boiled. Are there shelf stable eggs that don't come in powder form, or am I stuck with ommelettes? Ommelettes are good, but they just aren't the same.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

All powdered…..but if you are willing to haul the weight you can of course carry fresh eggs quite well.

[spelt with a t]

I've done that over a weekend but never on longer trips. What's the best way to keep them and the maximum number of days I could expect? I'm looking at days in the 60s to low 70s and nights in the 40s to low 30s. I know it's possible to not refrigerate eggs at home, but I've never done it so I don't know how much it actually shortens the shelf life.

[Ben C]

I think they will last a couple of weeks. You'll know when they're bad.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Your best bet is to buy fresh eggs and even better….farm grown eggs! Those temps are fine to carry them.

[spelt with a t]

That's perfect then, since I already get exclusively farm eggs through my CSA. :)

[Bob Gross]

In the winter in snow country, we take a dozen fresh eggs to the trailhead, then crack them into a Nalgene water bottle. They carry easily that way, and they don't seem to spoil in cool air temperatures.

In the summer, that would get tricky. You never know when you will get a hot day that could cause all sorts of things to grow. As a result, powdered eggs are much safer. Now, if you are not used to powdered eggs, you may not like the texture. However, I spent one entire winter in the military eating powdered eggs, so I got used to them. Here is the trick. You have to add some oil into the mix, not just water alone. You can use olive oil, vegetable oil, meat grease, butter, margarine, or just about anything, and it doesn't have to be much. Try the equivalent of a quarter of a teaspoon of any oil to each powdered egg equivalent. Then fry it as you would a normal fresh egg. The Army cooks used to whip the egg mixture before frying or cooking, and that worked best.

–B.G.–

[Ellen J]

I have egg-laying chickens and sell my eggs. Eggs at room temperature for a day is equivalent to one week in the fridge. Consider that when you take fresh eggs along. I have taken eggs on camping and kayaking trips, and while I prefer to keep them on ice, I would feel comfortable going two days in temps not above 70. If I were to take them backpacking, I would wrap them inside clothing or sleeping bag and use them the morning after the first or second night.

[Laurie Ann March]

we used to take farm fresh (never refrigerated) eggs before and use them for up to a week or so. Keep in mind that the temps were between 70 and 75 F and that I coated the shells with oil and paper toweling to help keep them fresh.

Oh and don't ask me to tell you how long the eggs you buy in a grocery store have been out of the hen… you might gag.

[Rodney OndaRock]

In Europe, Australia, (even Mexico and Africa)
raw eggs are sold on the shelf without refrigeration.

http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=108;t=000770;p=0

Me, on the paranoid side, in the US, I still put them in the fridge, less things to worry about.

[Brian UL]

Coating eggs in Vaseline or wax is an old trick. I heard that if you can buy from a local farmer you can ask for eggs that still have the natural protective coating that is washed off in commercial operations.
Eggs don't need refrigeration neither does pasteurized milk (until its opened) its all a marketing gimmick to suggest that these products are "fresh".

[Author]

Posts