Do Farm Fresh Eggs Need to be Refrigerated?

Do Eggs Need to be Refrigerated?

The short answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. And I’ll explain why you do and don’t need to refrigerate your eggs.

Do Eggs Need to be Refrigerated?

This seems to be a common question that I’m asked. Especially on social media.

We raise chickens, ducks, and guineas which provide us with plenty of farm fresh eggs. You know what I do with them after we collect them?

I look them over and if they don’t have a bunch of poo on them or anything wrong with them, I stick them on this egg skelter and then stick them right on my kitchen counter.

I don’t even wash them until right before I am ready to use them.

Plus, it helps me keep track of how old each egg is.

Here’s why you wouldn’t need to refrigerate your eggs.

Fresh laid eggs have a protective layer called a bloom which coats the surface of the egg. This bloom seals the egg and helps to prevent bacteria from entering the very porous shell.

Washing eggs would remove the bloom and thus allow for bacteria to enter.

I don’t fear or worry about my eggs being stored on the counter since that protective bloom is keeping the bacteria away.

And I totally dig the look of those farm fresh eggs being stored on my counter in our little farmhouse.

Here’s why you would need to refrigerate your eggs.

Once eggs have been washed and the bloom has been removed, they need to be refrigerated. All commercial eggs need to be washed before being sold.

And if an egg has previously been refrigerated, it needs to remain refrigerated. When you buy eggs at the grocery store, they come washed and refrigerated.

Did you know that in Europe they don’t wash their eggs before they sell them?

And this article on Dr. Mercola explains more.

“The US is one of the only countries where chicken eggs are kept refrigerated. In much of Europe, for instance, eggs are often stored right on the counter, at room temperature.

But then, US eggs would be illegal in Europe due to an egg-washing process that may actually make them more susceptible to contamination with bacteria like Salmonella.”

My toddlers and I use this nifty little basket to collect eggs. And then it’s stored on our egg skelter right on our counter top.

Around here, we eat a lot of eggs. But if for some reason, we couldn’t get through them fast enough, we would move them to a refrigerator for longer storage.

Say, if it was longer than a week. And according to this, they technically have about 3 weeks for safe keeping.

But that is just my personal preference.

Temperature also plays a little role in all of this.

More egg posts you may like:

What to do with Extra Eggs

Easy Egg Drop Soup

Eggs in Cream Sauce

So, do eggs need to be refrigerated? There’s my not so short answer on if you need to refrigerate your eggs.

How do you store your farm fresh eggs?

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Creating a More Sustainable Home Life

Why We Chose to Downsize Home

Self Sufficiency on the Homestead

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Raising a Pygmy Goat as a Pet