1. Fruits such as apples and oranges can be placed in a cool and ventilated place or in cold water. For fruits that are easy to lose water in high water, such as lychees, grapes, etc., first moisten the fruits with water, and then put the fruits in a sealed container. Wrap it in a bag or plastic wrap, and then place it in a cool, ventilated place or in cold water.

2. Leafy vegetables are easy to wither and age. After buying them, do not wash them or remove the roots. Align the roots with the bucket, put them in, add a small amount of water per centimeter, and then place them in a dark and airtight place. place, do not put too many vegetables in the bucket too densely;

3. If the meat has been made into dishes, you can put more oil to wrap the whole meat in the oil and isolate it from the air ; Fresh meat can be preserved with salt.

If there is no refrigerator, you can take some measures to preserve it for a few days, but it cannot be stored for too long. We try to eat the food while it is fresh.

How to preserve food in the days without refrigerators? Talk about the wisdom of the ancients in preserving food

As the times continue to change, people's demands for material life have become more and more greedy. In the 1970s and 1980s, when young men and women were talking about marriage, they only needed to buy a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a watch, the "three big things" to get married. When the time entered the early 21st century, the betrothal gifts changed to refrigerators, color TVs, and washing machines.

However, in recent years, people’s appetite has grown bigger and bigger, and houses, cars, and notes are the first choices for betrothal gifts. The author believes that a happy life does not necessarily have to be based on material needs. Because people living in ancient society, although they did not have so-called valuables at home, could still have children and live peacefully.

Although there may be many inconveniences in life, as long as you accumulate more life experience, many things can be easily solved. For example, after the arrival of hot summer, the weather is not only extremely hot and muggy, but it can also easily cause food to rot. In order to avoid this phenomenon from recurring and causing excessive food waste, the ancients invented many little tricks.

How ancient people preserved food in summer

Ancient society lagged behind due to productivity and technological development. Therefore, their living standards are simply not comparable to those living in modern society.

But in order to make life more convenient, they have also spared no effort to invent many life tips. There are even many life hacks that have been passed down and are still popular today.

After the hot summer arrives, modern people can hide in air-conditioned rooms and enjoy the air-conditioning. If the heat is unbearable, you can take out ice cream, iced watermelon, drinks, etc. from the refrigerator to relieve the heat. You can also put leftover meals, meat, eggs, fish and other foods in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. This can effectively prevent food from becoming moldy due to high temperatures.

But the ancestors living in ancient times did not have such convenient conditions at all. Many times, in order not to waste food, they have to cook less or leave no leftovers. However, this method is not easy to control, so wasting food in summer was a relatively common phenomenon in ancient society.

Although everyone knows the truth of "everything on the plate is hard work". However, food that has become rotten or moldy is not only inedible but may even be life-threatening if eaten. Is there no way to solve this situation? In fact, despite the changes of times and the development of people's ideologies, many effective methods have been invented.

1. Eat salt-cured meats

In ancient society, there were no refrigerators, freezers, etc., household appliances that can cool and preserve freshness. However, due to inconvenient transportation in ancient times, many people would buy a large amount of meat or fish at one time when they went shopping. The weather is particularly hot in summer and if not stored properly, it can easily deteriorate within a day or even half a day. Even if it doesn't spoil, it will become particularly stale.

In fact, the thoughts of ancient people were far more active than we imagined. Since the temperature in summer is relatively high and food is not easy to preserve, you can directly use edible salt to marinate meat or fish. This so-called "preservation method" is very effective. Not only can it effectively prevent food from deteriorating, but it can also preserve food to a certain extent.

This is mainly because edible salt is extremely salty and contains a certain amount of preservatives. From this perspective, curing food with salt is actually covering the food with a layer of preservatives. This method is still very popular today, and has become a famous delicacy "salted bacon".

However, since edible salt was a popular commodity in ancient history, ordinary families could not be so generous and use large amounts of edible salt to marinate bacon or fish. Only wealthy families would be willing to spend a lot of money.

Many common people only use salt to marinate meat during the New Year or festivals, and the quantity is relatively small. Generally, the shelf life of this type of pickled food can be up to more than one year.

In this way, you will no longer have to worry about food spoiling because it cannot be eaten or cannot be stored in the hot summer. This method was gradually promoted and continued for thousands of years. Today, rural areas in many areas of China still retain this relatively primitive method of food preservation.

2. Ice cubes keep the original flavor

Many people especially like to drink ice drinks in the summer, such as cola with ice or smoothies and other foods. Whenever summer comes, it will be special sell like hot cakes.

In fact, the northerners who lived in ancient society were the first ancestors to learn to use ice to cool down and store food. Winters in the north are long and cold, and all rivers are covered with a thick layer of ice.

People can not only walk and play on the ice, but also transport river ice home and store it in cellars. In this way, you can wait until summer comes and move the ice cubes indoors to cool down while also keeping food fresh. This method was called "ice cellar" in ancient times. It is said that this method originated in the Zhou Dynasty, and special institutions were also set up at that time.

According to the "Shijiyuan" record: ""The Rites of Zhou" has an ice man who cuts ice with his palm and makes ice cream."

Princes, generals and ministers in ancient society could all enjoy the benefits brought by "ice" in summer. On the one hand, it can cool down and on the other hand, it can keep food fresh. For example, fresh fish just caught from the river, as well as various animal meat and other foods, can be kept fresh by this method.

History is always strikingly similar. This method of preserving food, or cooling it, is only available to the privileged class. Ordinary people have no chance to use "ice".

This is actually related to many factors. First of all, there is no condition to dig a professional cellar for storing ice; secondly, there is not so much food to keep fresh. So there is no need to go to all the trouble.

3. Oil sealing method

The so-called "oil sealing method" to preserve the freshness of food was common in ancient society. Before the emergence of oil extraction methods in ancient society, the cooking oil in people's daily lives was generally lard. Because pork is cheaper than other meats, and there are many parts that can be used for frying. Put the fried lard in a jar and it will keep its flavor for a year.

It is actually very simple to use the "oil sealing method" to preserve food. Place cooked pork or other animal meat directly in a container, and then introduce lard into the container until the food is submerged. It can be guaranteed not to deteriorate even in summer, but this method consumes more fuel, so only rich people can afford it.

But this idea does have some changes in taste compared to refrigeration. Especially when food is soaked in lard, it will have a strong smell of lard. If you don’t like eating lard, it will definitely be difficult to accept. This method was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s in the last century. But after vegetable oil entered people's lives, lard gradually withdrew from the Chinese dining table.

4. Food dehydration

I believe many people will find a vegetable bag when eating instant noodles. It actually contains dehydrated vegetables. After encountering hot water, it will quickly absorb water and expand, although the taste method is indeed open to question. But when the weather is hot, it is not only beneficial to preservation but also prevents it from spoiling.

Although ancient society did not have dryers, it also mastered a relatively common drying method. The sun is particularly strong at noon in summer, so vegetables suitable for sun-drying can be placed on the roof or in the courtyard. Then dry them continuously for several days to allow the water in the vegetables to evaporate. This is not only conducive to preservation but also allows you to eat fresh vegetables in winter.

Another way is to make sesame cakes or fried noodles. Since these two foods taste very dry, they are not easy to spoil in summer. Making these two kinds of food is actually very simple. Just mix the flour with water and knead it into a cake shape, or just fry the flour directly. Since the food contains less water, it is also less conducive to bacterial growth.

5. Water well storage

Drinking a glass of ice water in summer can not only quench your thirst and cool down, but also make your whole body feel cool. In particular, the temperature of deep well water in ancient societies was much lower than that of the surface. Therefore, many families with wells store food in the wells.

The method is actually very simple, just put the food into a basket and tie it to the basket with a rope. Then placing it in a water well can play a very good role in preserving freshness. Whether it’s leftovers or meat, eggs, fish and other foods, you can use this method to keep them fresh. Another point is that there is no need to spend any money, so this is also one of the more common preservation methods in ancient times.