Pickled Eggs

While backyard eggs may last longer than their store bought equivalent, the do not keep forever.  Therefore, there is a need to preserve eggs for later.  This was common practice before modern transport and shipping provided fast refrigerated transport.  One of these methods was pickling eggs. 

A common item in old-time bars, pickled eggs involve the same process as creating pickles from cucumbers.  Boiled eggs, lots of vinegar, some pickling spice, and pickling jars and accessories.  Since pickled eggs are not a common food item anymore, we had no idea what one would taste like.  We were not sure if we would even like them.  So we created a test batch with Quail eggs from a relative's farm and a few of our backyard eggs. 

We also added some beet juice to some of the jars to create pink eggs. (The beets were also pickled in the spirit of "waste not want not".) 

We did not water bath the eggs to seal them for shelf stability so they must remain refrigerated until use.  And they must be used quickly.  They were not very pickle flavored the first few days.  After week though they are very pickle flavored.  They are not too bad tasting either.  I can see why this was a common method of preserving a good protein source in the past.