To ascertain the freshness of an egg without breaking it, hold your
hand around the egg toward a bright light or the sun and look through
it. If the yolk appears quite round and the white clear, it is fresh.
Or, if you put it in a bucket of water and it falls on its side, it is
fresh. If it sort of topples in the water, standing on its end, it is
fairly fresh, but, if it floats, beware of it. The shell of a fresh
egg looks dull and porous. As it begins to age, the shell takes on a
shiny appearance. If an egg is kept any length of time, a portion of
its water evaporates, which leaves a space in the shell, and the egg
will "rattle." An egg that rattles may be perfectly good, and still
not absolutely fresh.


TO PRESERVE EGGS

To preserve eggs it is only necessary to close the pores of the
shells. This may be done by dipping them in melted paraffine, or
packing them in salt, small ends down; or pack them in a keg and cover
them with brine; or pack them in a keg, small ends down and cover them
with lime water; this not only protects them from the air, but acts as
a germicide.

Eggs should not be packed for winter use later than the middle of May
or earlier than the first of April. Where large quantities of the
yolks are used, the whites may be evaporated and kept in glass bottles
or jars. Spread them out on a stoneware or granite plate and allow
them to evaporate at the mouth of a cool oven. When the mixture is
perfectly dry, put it away. This powder is capable of taking up the
same amount of water that has been evaporated from it, and may then be
used the same as fresh whites.