I know we have covered this in posts before. But I need a kind of definitive answer. We will be going to bwca/quetico at the end of Aug. for a week. If i leave the eggs in their shells, how many days into the trip will they be good for? I would like to have eggs on my 3rd morning. Do you all think this is possible? If so then what about the bacon =)


Thanks again

Third morning might be OK if you work to keep them cool and safe. I usually try to keep them only until the first or second morning in the summer. Cooler months like May or September the third morning would be no problem.

Try precooked bacon. Its available in many supermarkets and it needs no refrigeration.

The pre-cooked bacon works well as the paddler above stated--You can also precook bacon yourself so it almost done then finish cooking in camp--I would freeze the partially cooked bacon.The store bought cooked bacon does not need to be frozen IMHO. Bacon can last up to a week easily in cool weather. Warmer weather may be up to 4-5 days--depends---unless your putting it in direct sunlight.

Eggs---try to get farm fresh and keep cool---I have gotten up to 4 days and felt comfortable eating them. Another option you may want to consider is pasteurized eggs? Have never tried them myself, but in theory they should last longer.

Now if it is 90 degrees everyday and your food pack is out in the sun all day--then ya might be in trouble.

Tim

Here is some information I got from the Egg Council of Iowa. It describes some good tips on freezing eggs. I have see people freeze the yolks and whites in an ice cube tray for easy dispensing.

FREEZING EGGS
If you receive a windfall of eggs far beyond your capacity to use within a few weeks, they can be frozennot in the shell, of course. Freeze only clean, fresh eggs.

Whites Break and separate the eggs, one at a time, making sure that no yolk gets in the whites. Pour them into freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze. For faster thawing and easier measuring, first freeze each white in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a freezer container.

Yolks Egg yolks require special treatment. The gelation property of yolk causes it to thicken or gel when frozen. If frozen as is, egg yolk will eventually become so gelatinous it will be almost impossible to use in a recipe. To help retard this gelation, beat in either 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1½ teaspoons sugar or corn syrup per ¼ cup egg yolks (4 yolks). Label the container with the number or yolks, the date, and whether you've added salt (for main dishes) or sweetener (for baking or desserts).

Whole eggs Beat just until blended, pour into freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze.

Hard-cooked Hard-cooked yolks can be frozen to use later for toppings or garnishes. Carefully place the yolks in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1 inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and package for freezing.
Hard-cooked whole eggs and whites become tough and watery when frozen, so don't freeze them.

To use frozen eggs Thaw frozen eggs overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're thawed. Once thawed, whites will beat to better volume if allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Substitute 2 tablespoons thawed egg white for 1 Large fresh white.
Substitute 1 tablespoon thawed egg yolk for 1 Large fresh egg yolk.
Substitute 3 tablespoons thawed whole egg for 1 Large fresh egg.
Use thawed frozen eggs only in dishes that are thoroughly cooked.
©2002 - Iowa Egg Council - All rights reserved

Went up this past June (Father's Day weekend).

Bought them farm fresh the day before we left. Kept them in a soft-sided cooler with a wet towel over the cooker at all times.

We cooked the eggs with bacon (a 3# slab, frozen before placed in the cooler) on Wednesday. Eggs were fine, bacon was cool, not frozen solid. We ate like kings!

WindLaker

Has anybody used "Eggbeaters?" If so, how long do they last?

I'm probably crazy. I took a dozen eggs from the supermaket dated to expire three weeks later. When seperating and ziplocking all the meals I had a bunch or carbord I used to wrap around the container the eggs were in. Next duct taped the thing a couple wraps and left one end open, so I could slide the egg container out when I wanted some. Didn't break a single egg and they kept in the july heat for six days. I kept them out of the sun and they were fine. None of us even felt remotely sick, even after we enjoyed them in breakfast burritos on the morning on the sixth day. Again I'm probably crazy. You should consider I'm the guy that finds the old potato chip on the ground after XC practice and determines that it is still edible. This works for me without ill effect. Also: Cheese is totally okay too. Meat is the only thing I would worry about. To solve the meat issue either bring frozen mean for the first night, or bring mean in a pouch. Some precooked options work well: Bacon, Jecky, summersausage.

I've used the patuerized eggs, and they're indistinguishable from regular eggs.

I am new here and should probably properly introduce myself in the gen. forum, but I have never frozen eggs for a trip. I get them right from the farmer before there are ever refrigerated. We actually cleaned them when they came out of the birds this past year. I cover the with vasaline and put them in a hard container. The vasaline prevents O2 from getting through the shell and therfore thee egg will not spoil. I have had eggs for 5 days this way. I do not know how long they will last as I like to eat them way too much for them to be there at the end of the trip.

Give it a test run and leave some eggs out in similar conditions at home before you go.

Last time I went we decided to take some eggs so I got a hard plastic egg carrier but forgot them in a cooler in the van all week. When we got back to van they didn't stink, but my girlfriend is from Russia and wanted to keep them... Naw, they ended up in Earl's garbage can before we left. Sorry Earl.

I went to Belize In Jan. and all the eggs sold their are not pasteurized and are left out at room temp. 80 degrees and up. I think when a egg is pasteurized and refrigerated it should probably stay cool until it is used. Frogwoods test at home is probably the safe bet.