Important: Safety Warning
This page describes home-canning methods from before the causes of botulism were understood. Canning low-acid foods without a pressure canner, as described here, can allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum, whose toxin is among the deadliest known. Follow current USDA home-canning guidelines instead.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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Preservation of Eggs
When newly laid, eggs are almost perfectly full, but the shell is porous, and the watery portion of its contents begins to evaporate through its pores the moment it is exposed to the air, so that the eggs become lighter every day.
To preserve the interior of the egg in its natural state, it is necessary to seal up the pores of the shell air-tight. This may be done by dipping them in melted suet, olive oil, milk of lime, solution of gum-arabic, or covering them with any air-proof varnish.
They are then packed in bran, oats, meal, salt, ashes, or charcoal powder. holes with solder before removing the cans from the water. The cans should then be taken out; wiped dry, and allowed to cool; when cold, if the cans have been closed perfectly air-tight, the vacuum inside will cause the top and bottom of the cans to become concave or hollowed inwards. (See No. 1611.) Tomatoes are also kept fresh in this manner. 1635. To Insure Success in Canning Fruit. Select fresh fruit that is perfectly ripe; but, at the same time, perfectly sound.
One unsound berry may injure all in contact with it.
The boiling water poured into the boiler will be considerably cooled by contact with the cans; care must be taken not to let the