How to live without a refrigerator in the summer

The refrigerator has become so firmly established in everyday life that it is impossible to imagine life without it. Many people are used to buying food with a supply that takes up the entire refrigerator and freezer. But the refrigerator tends to break down, and in some people’s dachas they don’t have one at all. In winter, food can be placed on the balcony, but in summer you will have to tinker with the safety of dairy and meat reserves.

Storing food without refrigeration

Being left without a refrigerator in a private home or country house is less problematic. If the house was built a long time ago, it probably has a large cellar. Here, even in summer, the temperature remains low, which will protect food from overheating.

Well

If there is a well on the site, it is worth using it. The products are placed in a bucket, covered with a lid, and the bucket is immersed in water up to the middle. No further immersion is required, otherwise the water will wet the food. This way you can keep food fresh or drinks cold. But there is a limitation: it is problematic to lower more than one bucket into most wells, so only a small amount of food can be cooled.

Mini cellar

If you don’t have a cellar, you can make a mini version of it in a few hours. In the middle zone, the earth does not warm up so quickly and remains cool at depth even in June.

A mini-cellar is a hole into which a barrel is inserted and covered with a lid.The cellar area should be in the shade all day, away from the shed, toilet and compost storage area.

It is advisable to use a plastic barrel, it will better let in the coolness of the earth. Under the cellar, dig a hole 40-50 cm larger in diameter and 2 cm deeper than the height of the barrel. A sand cushion is poured onto the bottom. Then the barrel is lowered and the gaps on the sides are filled with sand.

It is convenient to store food in such a cellar in separate bags tied with ropes to the top. To immediately know which bag to take out, you can attach labels to the top.

The only disadvantage of such a device: the likelihood that rodents will find the supplies. Therefore, the barrel is covered with a thick and heavy lid, constantly checking it for holes and gaps. Additionally, the lid can be insulated with sawdust in a plastic bag.

Atmospheric refrigerator

A simple device that can be done in 15 minutes. Water is poured into a basin and a bucket of food is placed. The bucket is covered with an airtight lid. A fabric made of natural materials is placed on top of it, which absorbs water well. Kitchen towels will do. The ends of the fabric should be in water.

Water will be absorbed into the towel and evaporate. This way it will take heat from the air and from the bucket. Due to this, the water temperature will not rise above its evaporation temperature (which is called the dew point). Typically the difference between the dew point and the outside temperature is 10 degrees.

Cooler bag

A universal option for a summer house, home or picnics and trips to nature. Stores sell cooler bags and thermal bags. The second option does not provide for cooling the products, it just maintains their temperature. For extra cooling, you can throw a couple of frozen water bottles into the thermal bag.This will extend the shelf life of cold foods by 5-6 hours.

A cooler bag looks like a large bag with a top clasp and handles. The outer and inner layers are made of fabric that does not allow light and moisture to pass through. Between them there is thermal insulation made of foam material.

But the main element of the bag is the cold accumulators. For a country bag, the optimal number is 4-5 pieces. For home use you will need more. Batteries can be gel, liquid, crystalline. It is important that it is convenient to cool them on time.

Storing food in the summer without a refrigerator

Keeping food fresh in an apartment, without cellars and wells, is more difficult. You can use the following tips:

• Cheese and butter are wrapped in paper soaked in salt water. The oil can also be stored in a container of salted water. In this way, cheese and butter can be kept fresh for 2-3 days.
• You can boil milk the old fashioned way, adding a pinch of soda and pour it into a ceramic or glass jar. The jar is lowered into a bucket of water and covered with a rag, using the principle of an atmospheric refrigerator.
• After gutting, the fish is rubbed with salt and wrapped in parchment. This way it will keep for a couple of days in the coolest place possible.
• It is best to dry or wither the meat. To do this, the piece is greased, wrapped in paper and hung in a cool place. Another option: immerse the meat in boiling water for a few seconds or fry only the top layer in oil on all sides.

If you have to live without a refrigerator for a long time, you should reconsider your diet and food purchases. It is better to buy all perishable products for 1-2 days so that they can be eaten immediately.And in the summer, when a lot of vegetables and fruits are sold, a small fasting diet on vegetable dishes will only be beneficial.