No refrigerator? There's an icehouse. No electricity for the icehouse? There's a pond.

Process

January-February. Pond ice 20-30 cm thick. Cut with ice saw (special, large teeth) into 50×50 cm blocks. Pull out with tongs. Load on sleigh. Carry to icehouse (stone cellar insulated with sawdust).

How Long It Lasts

200-300 blocks = summer. Sawdust insulates — ice melts slowly. By August — last pieces. Milk, butter, meat — cold all summer. No compressor, no freon, no electric bill.