Q and A on Life Without Refrigeration

May 2, 2010 | Posted by Mark Z

A reader on my blog recently asked the following about our old fashioned “cool box,” a vented cabinet on the shady side of the cabin:

What do you do in the summer?: While this previous post discusses hot weather techniques we’ve employed, the cool box is usually adequate. If not, we have two root cellars that maintain near- refrigerator temperatures. They’re less convenient, but at least food stays fresh longer. We rarely need to cool the cool box, nor have we routed our water supply through it to provide a cooling coil.

Do you cook more than you eat at one meal?: Almost always. Luckily, we enjoy the same meal days in a row, so we commonly eat a dish over consecutive days until it’s gone. Michelle often changes the dish with spices and presentation. A meal might be served in several distinct ways before it’s gone.

Leftovers last longer when we use fresh raw materials. Ingredients already have a relatively long shelf life, or we wouldn’t bring them home. Exceptions are obtained for, and  used immediately to a specific purpose.

Eating foods in season helps. An apple bought in autumn won’t be warehoused over winter, as one purchased in spring will. The closer to picking it’s purchased, the longer it’ll last.

A hierarchy of use extends food’s usefulness. Celery that’s no longer crisp enough goes well in soup. An apple past freshness tastes fine baked. How a food is used often depends on what stage it reaches. Occasionally, we lose something, but it can still be composted.

For safety, we cool leftovers as quickly as possible by placing outside on a rock for awhile before  storing. The rock steals heat very quickly. Everything is thoroughly reheated before re-serving.

We watch for signs of spoilage: mold, critter contamination, and fermentation. We discard home canned jars with bulged or unsealed lids. Food poisoning out here can’t be treated promptly.

Milk is our biggest concern, as we balance availability against use before it spoils. Now that Michelle makes yogurt, if we don’t use a gallon before it starts to turn, we don’t lose it. She even makes soft cheese if it’s gone further. Still, we often purchase milk on sale because it’s close to pull date, and use it up normally before it begins to go bad.

Do you keep condiments: It sometimes seems as if that’s all we keep. Often our cool box holds nothing but condiments. Very few condiments actually need refrigeration, so it’s kind of a waste. Old habits die hard.

A longer, slightly different version of this post appeared previously on the Zeiger Family Homestead Blog.

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Mark Zeiger is a regular contributor to The Self Reliance Exchange. He and his family homestead off the grid in Southeast Alaska. Learn more about their life through their photos and blog at www.akzeigers.com.

Categories: cooking and recipes | Tags: food storage, healthy eating, self reliance | No Comments »