Have you ever thought about how you would survive if you didn’t have a refrigerator or refrigeration? How did people survive for so long without it until only recently?
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Living in a major city, I stopped using a refrigerator 10 years ago. I was decluttering, and with my decluttering eyes, realised my fridge was too big, not only that, most of what was in the fridge did not need to be refrigerated, so I sold my fridge. The emotional adjustment from letting go of that machine that represented security in our society was huge! It didn’t help that friends were freaking out about my decision. I already had a balcony garden, but shopped for what I couldn’t grow. In the end, I did not go shopping more often, nor did I use a cooler (wasted personal energy to try and keep that cool, and it was just replicating the refrigerator).I learnt about food preservation (fermenting, drying/dehydrating, water and pressure canning). For the fruit and vegetables I bought at the market, I learnt about the cycles of foods, i.e. which foods go bad first, how fast each one took to begin to wilt or mould – berries and broccoli were eaten first. Bought washed eggs were fine for three weeks (water test near the end, just in case). I had a cool closet that had a hole and was 10˚C cooler than anywhere else. With this, I made cheese and kept the beef I ate over a few days. Chickens, I roasted two, had a meal and canned the rest of the meat and the broth made from bones. Yogurt, kefir, and cheeses were fine for the time it took me to eat it. What I found is I ate healthier, had almost no food waste, and not only did my energy bill go down, but so did the noise pollution. My life became more simple and more peaceful…, all because I sold my fridge.
People who wont eat left overs have never been hungry. l lived over 30 years without refrigeration cause didn’t need it. Now we have freezer n frige that our solar just cruises powering. Adjusting your life to your environment and getbyour expections down to realistic. American women creat biology studies in the frige. And think abfrige or freezer will store indefinately.and dont vacu seal before puting in freezer. Denied oxygen oxygem will extremely extend thr freezer life. Rotting is Oxidation. Requires oxygen.
I recently learned that parsley can keep bacteria from forming in food. So you could put parsley in food and leftovers could be saved for the next day at least with no refrigeration.
When I was young we had the old Coca Cola coolers. The Coke bottles were kept cold by sitting in cold water in the big Coca Cola coolers up to their caps. I remember them very well. Memories from days past!
I don’t think I could survive without refrigeration to be honest I think if I prepared for it yes but at this point in time I’m not prepared for no refrigeration I’m barely prepared for no AC I am prepared if the heat didn’t work but that’s a whole other story. Love your channel brother I must tell you definitely inspired my brother-in-law to live off the grid couple years ago he bought 94.4 acres worth the land and he’s living the dream. So thank you for the amazing work and amazing knowledge you give
I saw a vid where a guy took a cheaper large Coleman cooler that he lined with 1 inch closed cell insulation. Instead of packaged ice, he used frozen water bottles so no water spilled into cooler. It was very effective.
That’s hat made me learn to can. I moved to a north east Calif area and it was winter snow on the ground and power went out for three days. I did have a wood stove electric stove in the kitchen and a full freezer. I packed freezer food in snow filled totes, ice chest and outside in the snow. Made blue berry jam on the wood stove with the frozen berries and water bathed it with a few jars I had. After power returned I vowed to learn to can and kept very little in freezer from that time forward.
My dreams been to go off grid my whole life. Made other poor choices and never followed that dream, I never left the grid other than camping excursions and power outtages. I live in a semi rural area but now have a baby. My struggle to leave this and go off grid right now, not the money any more like it was before, it is the health insurance now that I have a family. I’m not worried about the refrigeration or amenities like heat and food, it’s the health coverage for my family. Personally I haven’t been to the doctors in at least 5 years other than my appendix bursting.
Living in a major city, I stopped using a refrigerator 10 years ago. I was decluttering, and with my decluttering eyes, realised my fridge was too big, not only that, most of what was in the fridge did not need to be refrigerated, so I sold my fridge. The emotional adjustment from letting go of that machine that represented security in our society was huge! It didn’t help that friends were freaking out about my decision. I already had a balcony garden, but shopped for what I couldn’t grow. In the end, I did not go shopping more often, nor did I use a cooler (wasted personal energy to try and keep that cool, and it was just replicating the refrigerator).I learnt about food preservation (fermenting, drying/dehydrating, water and pressure canning). For the fruit and vegetables I bought at the market, I learnt about the cycles of foods, i.e. which foods go bad first, how fast each one took to begin to wilt or mould – berries and broccoli were eaten first. Bought washed eggs were fine for three weeks (water test near the end, just in case). I had a cool closet that had a hole and was 10˚C cooler than anywhere else. With this, I made cheese and kept the beef I ate over a few days. Chickens, I roasted two, had a meal and canned the rest of the meat and the broth made from bones. Yogurt, kefir, and cheeses were fine for the time it took me to eat it. What I found is I ate healthier, had almost no food waste, and not only did my energy bill go down, but so did the noise pollution. My life became more simple and more peaceful…, all because I sold my fridge.
People who wont eat left overs have never been hungry. l lived over 30 years without refrigeration cause didn’t need it. Now we have freezer n frige that our solar just cruises powering. Adjusting your life to your environment and getbyour expections down to realistic. American women creat biology studies in the frige. And think abfrige or freezer will store indefinately.and dont vacu seal before puting in freezer. Denied oxygen oxygem will extremely extend thr freezer life. Rotting is Oxidation. Requires oxygen.
All good stuff. Im. 80 yrs old and lived all these proceedures. From the deep bush of Alaska. Dandahermit
That background looks like the Ozarks
I recently learned that parsley can keep bacteria from forming in food. So you could put parsley in food and leftovers could be saved for the next day at least with no refrigeration.
When I was young we had the old Coca Cola coolers. The Coke bottles were kept cold by sitting in cold water in the big Coca Cola coolers up to their caps. I remember them very well. Memories from days past!
Definition of the homestead movement=city folks playing little house on the prairie.
I don’t think I could survive without refrigeration to be honest I think if I prepared for it yes but at this point in time I’m not prepared for no refrigeration I’m barely prepared for no AC I am prepared if the heat didn’t work but that’s a whole other story. Love your channel brother I must tell you definitely inspired my brother-in-law to live off the grid couple years ago he bought 94.4 acres worth the land and he’s living the dream. So thank you for the amazing work and amazing knowledge you give
how do you store milk without a refrigerator?
Did not know the use of a solar powered freezer did not require a lot of power. Thanks!
I saw a vid where a guy took a cheaper large Coleman cooler that he lined with 1 inch closed cell insulation. Instead of packaged ice, he used frozen water bottles so no water spilled into cooler. It was very effective.
In the middle east they had some way of either making ice or storing ice ,large building
Eggs will spoil if it gets in the triple digits daily. Butter will totally melt. This happened to me this summer.
I agree I stop eating melons in October because to me it’s out of season.
That’s hat made me learn to can. I moved to a north east Calif area and it was winter snow on the ground and power went out for three days. I did have a wood stove electric stove in the kitchen and a full freezer. I packed freezer food in snow filled totes, ice chest and outside in the snow. Made blue berry jam on the wood stove with the frozen berries and water bathed it with a few jars I had. After power returned I vowed to learn to can and kept very little in freezer from that time forward.
My dreams been to go off grid my whole life. Made other poor choices and never followed that dream, I never left the grid other than camping excursions and power outtages. I live in a semi rural area but now have a baby. My struggle to leave this and go off grid right now, not the money any more like it was before, it is the health insurance now that I have a family. I’m not worried about the refrigeration or amenities like heat and food, it’s the health coverage for my family. Personally I haven’t been to the doctors in at least 5 years other than my appendix bursting.