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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Keeping canned goods from freezing
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NunavutPA12
Member
# Posted: 12 Jul 2020 13:40 - Edited by: NunavutPA12
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Since we have no refrigeration at our cabin, every summer we haul a couple of hundred pounds of cans to our cabin. This is done by aircraft (the only way in) and I'm loathe to haul the left over ones home the same way. So ....
I put all the cans in a heavy-duty nylon mail bag (courtesy of Canada Post!) and sink them all in the lake in about 30-feet of water. The labels will come off, of course, so you have to mark them all with a waterproof permanent marker. For a buoy, I use an old 20-pound propane tank (the bears and other animals will chew holes in a plastic buoy). We leave the cabin in September and the lake freezes starting in October. The cans remain un-frozen in the lake water beneath six-feet of ice. Good as new the following summer!

Princelake
Member
# Posted: 12 Jul 2020 19:08
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Pretty good idea! What about digging a root cellar?

Aklogcabin
Member
# Posted: 13 Jul 2020 11:17
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Fantastic ! I’ve been looking for a solution to this issue for years. And have thrown out too much. Actually I used it to try around traps. After it freezes it all breaks down into one stew. There’s no odors or sign of molds or bulging of the can. Just mushy. And I can’t bring myself to take the chance especially being remote.
Got a groovy old ice pick that I have in mind to sharpen up to use as a pencil to label cans. And am going to try it out .
I’ve thought about a storage hole but for summer cooling it’s on the list . Thanks North Rick. But with snow debts getting to it in the winter could get tough. I have though about putting a trap door in the cabin floor insulating the sides with blue board and a root cellar under that. Don’t mean to jack your thread but I’m trying to deal with the same thing. And probably others are too. And of course pictures are always cool.
This is the reason why I really enjoy sites like this. Thanks man !

NunavutPA12
Member
# Posted: 13 Jul 2020 14:37 - Edited by: NunavutPA12
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Quoting: Princelake
Pretty good idea! What about digging a root cellar?


We're in a permafrost area!

justincasei812
Member
# Posted: 21 Jul 2020 10:00
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I watch a youtube channel and I think one of the channels I watch they are just north of North Pole, AK and they dug a root cellar about 8' deep to keep all canned and garden veggies at a decent temp. I think in the winter it was around 30F in the cellar and nothing burst or froze and root veggies dig pretty good. At the same time who wants to dig 8-10' deep and big enough to store some canned goods. I like the idea of submerging it the lake. I am sure the temps would be about the same.

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