You CAN Carry Pretzels

[kansas_volunteer]

Lye is sodium hydroxide, drain cleaner. A can of Red Devil could last a pretzel maker quite a while.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Lye is sodium hydroxide, drain cleaner. A can of Red Devil could last a pretzel maker quite a while.

Yes modern lye is sodium hydroxide, but 18th and early 19th century "lye" was made from wood ash and it was and still is potassium hydroxide. It will not harden soap as will sodium hydroxide, and thus makes "soft soap".

Ash from a salt-mash plant found in Spain, apparently when burned produced small amounts of sodium carbonate. This ash mixed with hardwood ashes, then produced lye with enough sodium in it to harden the soap, and was the secret to Castile soap (hard soap) made with olive oil and not animal fat.

LD

 

[tenngun]

I'm going with they were trying to find an early mold inhibitor, and food ingredient laws being what they were (or not being present at all) they tried the lye bath, and it worked.

Might have been after observing lye used in Hominy production....

LD

I have read modern historical commentators say raw eggs were placed in lye sand mixes to keep eggs out of season. I have not researched this my self but, I wonder if such a thing used historically it would carry over to try in other foods.
it was used in fish so it would seem a reasonable take over.
I don’t care for pretzels my self, but easier to eat then hard tack and more tasty.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Eggs slaked lime water...,


LD

 

[appalichian hunter]

Eggs can be kept un-refrigerated quite a while. My grandmother never put eggs in the ice box they were kept in a basket with some straw in the cellar steps. I also wonder if you dipped them in paraffin wax if that would help to preserve them.

 

[Carbon 6]

I also wonder if you dipped them in paraffin wax if that would help to preserve them.

I think the heat from the wax would begin to cook the egg next to the shell. Paraffin melts around 154 degrees, that's the same temperature that the whites begin to coagulate.
Traditionally, waterglass was used.

A chicken will give you an egg a day, when it stops lying you have chicken dinner.

 

[Nyckname]

Eggs can be kept un-refrigerated quite a while.

Only if the protective coating isn't washed off.

Wonder what'd happen if it were cleaned off'f fertilized eggs, then you tried to incubate them.

Paraffin melts around

Paraffin is a byproduct of petroleum distillation.

But you'd have the same problem with tallow or beeswax.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Only if the protective coating isn't washed off.

Which is the problem with American commercial eggs..., they wash off the outer layer due to bacteria concerns. Townsend I think may have used commercial eggs with his slaked lime experiment, or maybe he had a chicken or two. I wonder if it makes a difference with the slaked lime?

LD

 

[appalichian hunter]

We always had chickens around when growing up, mostly banty chickens they laid smaller eggs these are great for pickling with red beats, I would not mind having a few around the homestead but the other half says no. When I was still at home everyone had chickens and raised hogs, I along with these raised tame rabbits new Zealand whites, Pure white with pink eyes. the little ones would sell very well this time of year right before Easter, the rest of the year sold the dressed rabbits and hides. Not to change the topic but who remembers the colored chic's you could buy at Easter time. Bet there are not many yuppies that experienced that.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Appalichian, we occasionally got the dye chicks at Easter. They were raise and went with the rest of the flock or were butchered for Sunday dinner when grown. Not many long term pets on the farm except the dog and cats.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Jake, yes nothing went to waste, even the dog and barn cats had a job.

 

[tenngun]

Kept chickens and ducks,and raised rabbits over the years. Treated pretty well, even got to know some in a pet like fashion. I could hand feed them, and some of the chickens would set near me when I was working out side. I often gave my animals treats. Butchered them all the same. Fair warning if we have a zombie apocalypse
( I’ve read about the Donor Party, wreck of the Essex, Crow Killer, Ol’Bill Williams)

 

[appalichian hunter]

The apocalypse is here now with the information on the corona virus, every one is in a panic especially in the big cities, folks have lost the ability to use common sense and self reliability especially the younger generations, they had it to easy. The other day I was at the local super market to pick up a few things and breezed by the meat counters looked like a third world country, there was a fellow there made a statement about what folks are going to do for meat. I just told him to take the rifle for a walk he looked at me with those deer in the head lights look. And very rapidly walked away. Now back to eggs.

 

[Carbon 6]

Which is the problem with American commercial eggs..., they wash off the outer layer due to bacteria concerns.

The "bloom" also known as the cuticle, is the natural coating or covering on the eggshell that seals the eggshell pores. The bloom helps to prevent bacteria from getting inside the shell and reduces moisture loss from the egg. In America eggs are washed because a dirty looking egg is unpleasing to the consumer. They are then refrigerated to prevent bacterial growth inside the egg.
In Europe eggs are not washed or refrigerated. It's a hard thing for most American consumers to wrap their heads around. The rates of salmonella infection are about the same for both methods.

 

[Kansas Jake]

My daughter raises a few chickens for eggs. I think unwashed keep for a month or longer if just kept on the counter without refrigeration. Wash and in the refrigerator they will also keep a long time.

 

[tenngun]

Eggs never last long enough in my house to worry.
Eggs pizza and dark beer the perfect food triangle