Farm fresh eggs & refridgeration ?s

[MyLittleWonders]

Last Sunday we bought some fresh eggs from the same place we usually get them at the Farmer's Market. This time, though, we didn't get home right away to refridgerate them. They sat in the car (albeit not a warm day but none the less) for an hour or two before they were put in the fridge. Fast forward to Wednesday night ... I cracked a couple to separate the yolks to make a custard base for ice cream and decided to whip the whites into merangue cookies for the boys and I. Well, I don't typically follow recipes and just sample to make sure things taste fine ... I took a small swipe of the beaten egg whites to make sure they were sweet enough and within a few hours starting cramping, and spent the next 36 hours with what felt like a continuous contraction. I am finally feeling better ... but my question is this: could the eggs have caused this because we didn't fridgerate them quickly enough? We use raw yolks in smoothie frequently and haven't had problems with these particular eggs in the past. But, the not-yet-baked merangues were the only thing I ate that the rest of the family didn't eat, so I'm thinking I caused my own food poisoning. Any ideas?

And for future reference, what is the time line for getting farm fresh eggs into the refridgerator to make sure this doesn't happen again?

[desertpenguin]

if they hadn't been refridgerated already they don't need to get in the fridge right away, i don't think. but it sounds like it could've been the eggs, i'm not sure. there was a thread a long time ago where everyone was discussing whether or not eggs need to be refridgerated....

[momto l&a]

an hour or two woudnt bother eggs.

I use to find a nest full of eggs, we used them no problems.

[MyLittleWonders]

Hmm ... very interesting. I feel better thinking it might not have been the eggs (though it would have been my fault and not the eggs/farmer's fault). But I can't think of anything else it could have been. Obviously I could have just picked up something somewhere, though I had been home for over a day with a fever and a breast infection, so I hadn't really been anywhere. Oh well ...

Does it make a difference if the eggs had been previously refridgerated, then left out, and then put back in once we got home? I don't think they refridgerate them to get them down to the market. And I don't want to ask them because I don't want anyone else around at the market to think their eggs made me sick (and I'm so glad it was mild and didn't require an IV for hydration ... I know the first thing doctors would have thought would be the raw milk ).

[freespirited]

I lived in Costa Rica for several years and we never refrigerated the eggs. Most people didn't. They were refrigerated at the store but once we brought them home we just kept them out on the counter for about a week. No one ever got sick.

[freespirited]

Are you sure it wasn't the raw milk? I got some cramping too after drinking raw milk recently but I was wondering if it had more to do with the re-colonizing of bacteria in my guts than any sorts of pathogens (the lady I bought it from gives it to her 6 very healthy kids). I understand you need to go slowly when starting out with raw milk. Just a thought.

[MyLittleWonders]

We've been drinking raw milk for 2 years now, so I know it wasn't that. Maybe I'll never know ... but let me say, I'm glad my 36 hour long contraction is over (though I'm still cramping off and on). I have never felt anything like that before.

Some people will get cramping/diarrhea when first adding a lot of probiotics to their system as the overgrowth of yeast dies-off. So, chances are that is what you were experiencing.

[JElaineB]

How long eggs can sit out really depends on if they were washed or not. You should find that out. If they are not washed then they can sit out at room temp for days or longer before going bad. If they are washed then they should be refridgerated. But I don't think them sitting out an hour or two would cause the problem. However if they were contaminated with salmonella or something it may have nothing to do with how long you left them out.

[cristeen]

The USDA/FDA didn't start requiring eggs to be refrigerated in stores until the early 1980s. Prior to that eggs were not refrigerated at all. We never refrigerated our eggs as a child, and we still don't now. It squigged DH out until I made him talk to my dad who was the "egg man" (think milkman with eggs) when I was a kid.

With any egg, regardless of whether it's been refrigerated or not it's a good idea to smell it before using it. I usually smell the inside of the shell after it's cracked. If you can't smell anything or just a very mild scent (depending on how good your nose is), that's a good sign. If it smells strongly at all then don't use the egg.

It is far more likely that there was something on the outside of the egg that your hands were contaminated with when you licked your finger than that the eggs themselves were bad. That is actually how most egg-borne illnesses are spread (from the shell).

[MyLittleWonders]

Thank you for the really cool information ... I'm definitely feeling better about our eggs. And I had no idea that eggs didn't need refridgeration or that they weren't routinely refridgerated prior to the '80's. Any one know why the sudden change in policy?

[spartz]

Just wanted to say that my Gran never refrigerates eggs either. She's on a dairy farm and gathers her own eggs every day. She writes the date on the shell and pops them into the pantry. When she uses them, she always cracks the egg into a seperate bowl and smells first before using.

Also, here in Germany, the eggs are not refrigerated either. I buy organic eggs from the local supermarket and they are kept on a plain ordinary shelf. So, yes, it is curious why the USA has decided that eggs should be refrigerated.

And completely by coincidence, I've had stomach cramping all day today too! Very unusual and I can't for the life of me think what I've eaten - but it hasn't been any form of eggs. Might have have been something I had last night at a friend's place, but no one else seems to be affected.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by MyLittleWonders

Thank you for the really cool information ... I'm definitely feeling better about our eggs. And I had no idea that eggs didn't need refridgeration or that they weren't routinely refridgerated prior to the '80's. Any one know why the sudden change in policy?

I believe it happened around the same time as salmonella started being linked with eggs and I think there was an outbreak. They blamed it on the eggs not being refrigerated. And they passed a law about it (38 states is what I'm reading), the same as they did about raw milk. I've tried googling it but all I'm finding is more of the party line, nothing about why/when it was passed.

The US is (I believe) the only country in the world where eggs are typically refrigerated at the retail level.

The "risk" of salmonella is why the FDA is now trying to pass "rules" requiring irradiation of eggs and pasteurization of the shells. So in other words they're trying to do to eggs what they've already done to milk.

[Rachel J.]

Since most contamination comes from the outside of the shell, is it a good idea to wash your eggs before using? I've been getting eggs from a friend and started washing them with just a dab of soap before cracking, just to get off any visible or invisible dirt. I can't see how the soap would affect the egg if it's all washed off and the egg is used right away, but just wondering. I really like using my raw eggs in smoothies and ice cream.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Rachel J.

Since most contamination comes from the outside of the shell, is it a good idea to wash your eggs before using? I've been getting eggs from a friend and started washing them with just a dab of soap before cracking, just to get off any visible or invisible dirt. I can't see how the soap would affect the egg if it's all washed off and the egg is used right away, but just wondering. I really like using my raw eggs in smoothies and ice cream.

If you're eating pastured eggs, it's not a bad idea to rinse them in lukewarm water when you bring them home, just to remove anything big. I wouldn't use soap though. So long as you don't stick your finger into the egg or let the egg touch the outer shell when you crack it, you should be fine. This is one of the reasons why it is recommended to not use the shell when you're separating eggs. :

[MyLittleWonders]

Oh ... had no idea about not using the shell to separate egg white/yolk. : I kind of do that all the time, and take a little pride in the ability to do so. I think we'll begin rinsing our eggs when we get home ...

[Peri Patetic]

I used to live in France and eggs are not refrigerated there.

The farmer we get eggs from said they don't need to be refrigerated if they never have been, but once they have been they should continue to be in the fridge. He does refrigerate, so we do too.

[fek&fuzz]

I bought eggs at the organic farm 2 weeks ago. I left them on the kitchen counter, and ate them for breakfast yesterday. I washed the shells first, and smelled them, they didn't really smell like anything and they tasted delicious.

[RAF]

We raise ducks for eggs. We have started refrigerating them this year, but in the past have not and didn't have any problems. We have so many extra eggs that we need to keep them in the fridge to last longer. Also, isn't it possible that your symptoms were a result of your infection/fever?? I know for me that when I get a fever or infection that many times it is accompanied by gastro symptoms like that or sometimes not until the end of the fever/infection.

[kbchavez]

would you like to sell you extra duck eggs and ship them me?: I order pastured duck eggs through Local Harvest, but sometimes they're not available. It's probably too much of a pain for you to do it small scale, but I thought I'd let you know, there are customers out there!

[RAF]

Hmmm, I never thought of shipping eggs. Where are you located? It really is a shame there aren't more folks around here who understand the value of good quality eggs. Most people around here just hear the word 'duck' in front of eggs and seem weirded out. I have had some people say, "I didn't know you could eat duck eggs!"