living without electricity

[MaryN]

The Victorians managed without electricity to some extent and seemed to survive quite nicely. It would certainly be a simpler lifestyle, but we have, as a society, lost many of the skills needed to preserve and keep our food in good condition in all weathers. I think I would miss my nice fridge and freezers - it would be back to salting and drying I guess.

[Mortblanc]

It might turn out being as simple as the Victorian concept of a trip to the green grocer and a stop at the butcher shop on a daily basis to pick up the food needed for that day.

Not everyone in the Victorian era, or earlier or latter, kept a year supply of dried and preserved foods. That was almost always a rural concept.

Large villages and cities have always provided for daily needs for fresh foods with the presence of butchers, bakers, green grocers and specialty shops. I think the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans started that trend.

It has morphed into the concept of the supermarket in modern times, but the Elizabethan, Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian city dweller had as little concept of where his daily ration of sausages came from as the modern man does.

[Jace]

Here in China, most people still buy their food fresh, on a daily basis. Many people also only turn the fridge on for a few months over summer, leaving the left-overs either in a cabinet or out on the table for the rest of the year (probably why so many people get sick at the start of summer, as they've forgotten to check if the food has gone bad overnight).

This of course is the anti-thesis to a prepper, as it means you are left with nothing to eat if the local grocers' supplies are stopped for some reason (eg. localized flooding or snow). It also means that I can't really get any canned food for my stores, as the supermarkets only stock a very limited range due to the low demand. In fact, the only stuff I have been able to find is some disgusting tasting canned meat, a very small range of imported canned veg and some bottled fruit.

On the other hand, many people over the age of say 45 do still know how to butcher and preserve their meat, as the preferred method buying is to get the fish or poultry live and butcher at home. Meanwhile, practically every home will have at least some fish, duck or a ham salted and air drying on the balcony over the winter...we are still eating the salted pork we did last winter.

Therefore, I think at least in our region, the main problem with not having electricity is more that we are in an urban area, mainly all in apartment blocks. While food preservation won't be such a problem for people not accustomed to refrigerating everything, the constant trudge up and down steps, lack of water (all pumped upstairs) and entertainment would be the killer. We were actually told we were having our power cut off last week for one day of maintenance, and the only thing my neighbours were worried about was that they couldn't charge their laptops. When I pointed out that they couldn't have a shower or flush the toilet after the initial bit in the tank ran out, they couldn't understand what I was going on about until I explained that the water didn't mysteriously pump itself up.

[Steve]

I guess we'll be eating lots of dried food, a good reason to build a solar dehydrator and to save as many glass jars and bottles as you can.

[bigpaul]

I bought an old meat safe at a (private) recycling centre, it cost me £8 !!

[Straight Shooter]

I did look at solar panel set up and gave up on the idea( bought two small solar chargers for mob and charging aa batteries ) but that's it.......I am set......for no electrics, cooking range with boiler and rads that run on gravity....no electric pump required.....seven oil lamps, stocks of oil,,candles bloody loads of candles . I think my preps are very strong, water is no problem for us......all in all we are well fixed ....even this positon will not last forever.....that's when the real skill will test us all, like BP I have some skills ...and loads of GOOD OLD BOOKS to fall back on and to teach my grand children and my kids, and like mary I can cure meat, root cellar is also no problem, tip for you all,my mother was telling me a few days ago about how they used to keep eggs in a bucket of iselglass....you can get this from home made wine shops .....I will ask about the quantity and post tomorrow.

[bigpaul]

living without electric is not a problem for me or the wife, we have both done it in the past(separately) but I think anyone who hasn't will have problems.

[Straight Shooter]

Asked my mother about the eggs......in the day....a metal bucket place about two dozen eggs in bottom still in shells mix ....she thinks....?....one teaspoon and fill to cover eggs ...eggs stayed good for about two months.

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One teaspoon of iselglass....

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The mixture with thicken

[Straight Shooter]

The mixture will thicken up....sorry folks!

[bigpaul]

electricity is quite a new thing relatively, we didn't have electricity in private houses in the UK until the early 1930s, some places didn't have it until the 1960s, so its relatively new as human history goes, but there are still people who have know nothing else.