Living Without a Fridge

[barnakiel]

One more for the sans-fridge list:

- buy fresh,

Deceptively simple, as in many hot places (e.g. Panama, Canary Islands, etc..) vegs/fruit are held in refrigerated holds overnight: when you buy it in the morning, it looks great and SEEMS fresh, but in fact it is all refrigerated and so will keep without fridge much SHORTER than the stuff that is genuinely fresh.

b.

[rrranch]

We don't have a fridge. Every morning I go to the marina office and get a small bag of ice and it's all we need. Having lived on MRE's for a very long time, and C rats before that way too many times, it doesn't bother me. My wife just goes with the flow. She's awesome! When we're underway we just do without cold stuff. Fresh fish are all the meat we need.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by rrranch

We don't have a fridge. Every morning I go to the marina office and get a small bag of ice and it's all we need. Having lived on MRE's for a very long time, and C rats before that way too many times, it doesn't bother me. My wife just goes with the flow. She's awesome! When we're underway we just do without cold stuff. Fresh fish are all the meat we need.

one does not need to rely on mres for food without a fridge---i do not even buy ice--i just eat fresh items and keep all foods properly sans coldness . it is not difficult to do this and eat properly with fresh foods and fish. i am actively cruising in warmville and still do not have fridge. good luck. if one is constantly camping out on board, isnt cruising. is discomfort and stress. being a permanent or long term cruiser is not going to happen if one is always eating fake or dried foods.

[tidesup]

Hi all, new here.

Dont mean to be a buttinsky but a lot of stuff does not need refrigeration. If you want to check out www.notechmagazine.com (not promoting it, just as a reference) there are some tips there.

Happy sailing

[idpnd]

This site has data on the shelf life for fodder - StillTasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide - Save Money, Eat Better, Help The Environment

Seems to be quite refrigeration happy though

[downunder]

Originally Posted by zeehag

one does not need to rely on mres for food without a fridge---i do not even buy ice--i just eat fresh items and keep all foods properly sans coldness . it is not difficult to do this and eat properly with fresh foods and fish. i am actively cruising in warmville and still do not have fridge. good luck. if one is constantly camping out on board, isnt cruising. is discomfort and stress. being a permanent or long term cruiser is not going to happen if one is always eating fake or dried foods.

Many would consider not having access to refridgeration camping out

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by downunder

Many would consider not having access to refridgeration camping out

I have refrigeration when I camp out

I consider not having it slumming it, stepping back in time to a cave man existence.

The world has progressed a bit since then, we are all here typing out messages on these recently invented things called computers, yet some shun a simple thing like a fridge.

[rrranch]

you couldn't pay me to eat MRE's now. Im just saying we dont need a fridge. Our power is limited and extended time out theres just no way to keep anything cold so we make due. At home in the marina its really not needed. We buy fresh food every couple days and don't store a lot onboard. If we go out then we stock up with pretty much anything we want just nothing that needs refrigeration. It is amazing what you can store in a place next to the hull even in the summer that will keep just fine. ketchup, mustard, butter, all kinds of stuff. As long as it doesn't get hot it lasts a long time. Even when we're home on the farm I can't get my wife to put butter in the fridge.

[bobconnie]

Years ago I made my first blue water trip San Diego to Hawiyee in a wooden folk boat my brother and I sailed it in 21 days. Water in jugs, a long shaft outboard most of ya never heard of LOL(Sea Gull) no refer no ice and an old favorite in the 50s Dry Lite Dry Food (back packer stuff UGG) a 1 burner gas stove no light except Oil for running lights and all I can say is I have had fridge and pressure water and at least battery power ever since. I guess you could say I learned my lesson, quick !! anyway thats my idea on the subject of no fridge !! Bob and Connie

[JanetGroene]

It isn't about being holier-than-thou. It's about backups for your backups. My friend had major engine troubles in the Indian Ocean, no port available for days, no engine and a fortune in foodstuffs melting in her engine-driven fridge. Thanks to a good supply of canning jars she was able to save much of her stash. We once delivered a boat for people who couldn't live without refrigeration. Fridge clapped out on the way to the remote island in the Bahamas. Fortunately they had enough money to have parts and a repairman flown in and the supplies were saved but not everyone has that kind of budget.

[nauticalnomad]

Originally Posted by JanetGroene

It isn't about being holier-than-thou. It's about backups for your backups. My friend had major engine troubles in the Indian Ocean, no port available for days, no engine and a fortune in foodstuffs melting in her engine-driven fridge. Thanks to a good supply of canning jars she was able to save much of her stash. We once delivered a boat for people who couldn't live without refrigeration. Fridge clapped out on the way to the remote island in the Bahamas. Fortunately they had enough money to have parts and a repairman flown in and the supplies were saved but not everyone has that kind of budget.

I think its funny to fly a bloke in to fix your fridge, Surely you could fly a new fridge in cheaper than the flight and cost of a repairmen etc

[stevewrye]

Back in the early 70's in S. Pacific had no fridge system, just ice box. Block ice lasted about 6 days. If weather was good on 6th day of passage we would cook up everything that would soon go bad, break out the beer and have a bit of a party. Kind of fun to do so. We had fridge and freezer on last boat and it was great but always a lot of work keeping batteries up. Always had to yell at the kid because he would open up fridge and just look at food for minutes and not take anything out.

New boat being built has just fridge, low amp and a tiny freezer just for a dozen ice cubes for drinks. Last passage across pacific we learned to can fish we caught and meat we bought and thought it was great eating, buy a good pressure cooker. I'm looking forward to not having a freezer this time around, we met a lot of Europeans last crossing who lived with no freezer and all seemed healthy. Remember that in this day and age you can buy fresh produce almost anywhere, may not be the best and sometimes expensive but it is there. Just an ice box is fine and remember there is always cabbage, it lasts for ever.

[Nemo55]

How long would a supply of dry ice last in the built in ice box then,,,say in the heat of Florida ??

[captain58sailin]

I think if one builds a super insulated ice box, I think you could get along quite well. You can always hang strips of fish in the rigging to dry it. It tastes better if you marinate it in soy or teriyaki sauce first. We always just hang the bananas in the rigging and pig out when they start to go, or dry them or bake them into bread. New Zealand makes great canned butter. They used to build a low tech. fridge that used kerosene to generate the coldness.

[CaptForce]

Originally Posted by Nemo55

How long would a supply of dry ice last in the built in ice box then,,,say in the heat of Florida ??

You're leaving out the volume of the supply, the size of the box, numbers of times you open the box and the insulation; however, as I have been at home port in Florida for many years and done this, I would say a cubic foot of dry ice in a well insulated box of about five cubic feet and top loaded could last about seven to ten days.