Actually, we DO have a FASCINATING refrigerator. Really! It’s an ultra-efficient Sunfrost, purchased by WF when he decided to power the house with solar (before my time here). Refrigerators are one of the highest energy users in a home. This one is much gentler on our limited power supply.
It’s a fine fridge but rather small due to the thick insulation (see the freezer). It’s not metal on the outside, so no magnets. The bottom drawers are just dry storage, not cold. We don’t keep ice cream around, partly because the freezer has an amazing ability to suck the moisture out of most foods very quickly. And it’s not “frost free”, needing a good defrosting every once in a while. But other than that, it’s a regular food storage unit, luxurious by most global standards.
It was interesting to see how “familiar” Burdockboy’s fridge looked (much cleaner, of course), showing a certain food interest/ethic. Returnable glass milk jug, organic dairy products, etc. It’s fun to recognize “kin” via food choices! I remember visiting a distant relative’s house years ago and not recognizing any of the food- it was all “weird” natural brands. Now, my food looks like that, and I’m mystified when I go to my own relative’s houses with the “standard American” food. It’s just a different world. We shop mostly at our local food co-op, something plenty of other people think is weird.
Our fridge is also full of re-used food containers, eggs, and general mess. We’re just not home enough to keep a good handle on the contents, and I’m actually quite embarrassed about it much of the time. An odd tendency to store lots of food, working full time in town and making lunches from left-overs every day does not a clean fridge make. So there, Burdockboy: truth in memes! I’m letting you all peer into the depths of my food-consumer soul… be kind!
3 comments:
Thanks for playng along.
That's really a great refrigerator.
I wish I was smart enough to come up with a way to regulate some of the cold outside to keep food cold. I mean, we have winter for over half of the year i seems a waste to heat the house while cooling food.
I second burdockboy's thought exactly. I mean, this past week we had to move the fridge away from the wall because it had gotten so cold back there, the fridge could somehow no longer keep the freezer cold enough, and stuff was thawing. So my short term solution was to move the freezer goods into a cooler on the step, which is what we lived with as a fridge for two years, all seasons. They were frozen solid last time I checked. Why do we bother with a freezer, except to keep the cats away from the local, grass fed side of beef we recently purchased? And I feel totally ridiculous buying a bag of ice for vodka tonics this time of year, but I just don't have a taste for homemade ice. Too many years of suburban Minneapolis water, I guess.
Hey Burdockboy and Deb:
Yes, I know that there are many ways to live without refriderators. Some people use what they call "california coolers" or just a hold out the back of the house on the north side. I've only seen one in action, but it seemed nice.
I really miss larger freezer space, though (think storing a whole bunch of meat chickens; just one round of butchering required!). Some off-grid friends of ours have a Sunfrost freezer that they unplug and put outside for winter, then power in the summer with the extra from the panels. Considering that, but it's crazy expensive. Who knows...
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