We have a few questions recently from people concerned about eggs being outside of coolers. We believe that our eggs being kept at room temperature on drop day is safe.
Why? Because our eggs are unwashed.
Our eggs are individually wiped clean (if necessary), and eggs which are already clean are not wiped. The eggs’ “bloom” (their natural protective layer) is intact.
We have been encouraging this practice in our egg producers for over a year.
The eggs used to be put in a bucket filled with water, and then washed together. The issue with this is that any residue on any of the eggs would get into the water and permeate through the shells into all the eggs, making for eggs which did not last very long (or would taste odd). So we discontinued this practice in our egg producing.
Washed eggs do not have the shelf life that wiped eggs do. If washed eggs are refrigerated, they will last some time, but unwashed eggs always last longer than washed eggs, so our current practice is much preferred.
Because the eggs are now wiped rather than immersed and washed, they are stable outside of the fridge on drop day, when they arrive to the drops in a simple cardboard box.
We keep our eggs outside of the fridge for up to two weeks, or inside the fridge for up to three months.
You may wash your eggs right before use!
Our Members Responded
A few of our members sent me notes in response to this email.
Here are a few:
... In Greece we never refrigerated eggs from my grandma's chickens, even in very hot weather of her island. It was always understood that unwashed eggs don't need refrigeration.
I was in Greece earlier this month to visit my father, and even now, when I went into the small grocery story to purchase eggs, the eggs are NOT in the fridge. There's a big stack of them near the register. They never keep eggs in fridges in the villages, not even in grocery stores. But they never soak the eggs either.
My sister in law is a chiropractor / health practitioner in Annapolis, Maryland… and I remember asking her why Greek eggs do not require refrigeration and American eggs do... She told me that there is a natural, anti-bacterial coat on hatched eggs that gets scrubbed off in America, making the eggs generally less safe.
After I saw this note, I was looking for my favorite Instagram video about eggs' bloom. The video that I found about a half year ago was an eye opener for me and it was when I first learned about eggs' bloom. The video is informative as well as inspirational about a natural living.
It would be great if you could share this with the members. Here it is!
Our chiropractor schooled us on the proper storage (his opinion).
Leave them out for 2 weeks
Only buy what you will eat in 2 the weeks
Refrigerate if you have them after 2 weeks
Only wash them just before using them if you desire to wash them
I had no idea of all of God's protections which are built into eggs.
Written by Rocky Ridge’s Coordinator / Admin