Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday Thought-Natural Refrigerator

This is a natural way of keeping milk and vegetables/fruits cool. Designed by J.C.Kumarappa and his associates in 1950s and 60s as a way to make the village sustainable and self-reliant.
You can find more info if you visited Magan Sangrahalaya in Sevagram or visit their website http://www.gandhifootprints.org/


The object on the left side of the photograph is a modern adaptation of the natural refrigerator--the immensely popular mitticool refrigerator which runs without electricity but can keep your milk and veggies fresh for long!
Do visit their website: http://www.mitticool.in/product.php to find out more.


(Please excuse the quality of photographs. I had been taking them for my own record. Never thought I would be sharing them someday! )

You may also want to check out Subhorup's wonderful article of Living Without a Fridge in Hyderabad: http://ditchyourfridge.blogspot.in/2011/07/fridge-less-kitchen-in-hyderabad-india.html
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85 comments:

  1. VetirmagalJune 22, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    This is so eco friendly.

    Also useful in summer months when power cuts makes homemakers go crazy.

    Thanks for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:20 AM

      Yes, very useful. There is a mitticool distributor here in Chennai. You may check if they are there in Hyd.

      Delete
  2. CoralJune 22, 2012 at 8:42 AM

    Useful !

    ReplyDelete
  3. magiceyeJune 22, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    These are real cool (pun intended)

    ReplyDelete
  4. PurbaJune 22, 2012 at 9:34 AM

    This is exactly what power starved Delhi needs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:22 AM

      Delhi is also "power" starved?? (In both senses:)
      Chennai suffers a lot too. Today in my home and work area we have an all day power outage:(
      Mom was cleaning the refrigerator to take care of perishables. Hence the post:)

      Delete
  5. RajeshJune 22, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    We use similar earthenware pot for drinking water. It is ice cold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:24 AM

      Yes, Rajesh. And the water is yummy. Kumarappa/associate's design is slightly different--it is two claypots of varying thickness placed in each other and welded. The gap between the two pots is very thin and is filled with water. The percolation keeps the inner claypot quite cold.

      Delete
  6. Rahul BhatiaJune 22, 2012 at 9:47 AM

    Such things never go out of fashion or their utility, Bhavana:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. RachnaJune 22, 2012 at 10:01 AM

    Pretty good!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AmitAagJune 22, 2012 at 10:08 AM

    Wow...these need to be in the market!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AshJune 22, 2012 at 10:16 AM

    Sounds great, and its what we need with all those power cuts that keep hitting!

    And isn't the taste of cool water from an earthern pot the most heavenly thing ever?!! :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:25 AM

      I so agree, Ash!! I love water in earthen pots. And yes, we need this. But more than that villages need it to get off the grid!

      Delete
  10. RenuJune 22, 2012 at 10:19 AM

    I still like the water from Surahi more the from the fridge.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Found In FolsomJune 22, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    Cool....cool

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ranjana's craft blogJune 22, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    We used to see this in villages...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:27 AM

      you did??? Because nowadays in the villages I dont. They want an electricity-dependent refrigerator!

      Delete
  13. Shilpa GargJune 22, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    The mitticool refrigerators will have a huge market even in towns!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 2:00 PM

      true--but innovations once they get into cities become expensive as they are driven by the market economy--right? how to keep it cool and affordable for the rural side?

      Delete
  14. COOLJune 22, 2012 at 11:40 AM

    Apt topic for them :)
    natural refrigerators !

    ReplyDelete
  15. AnonymousJune 22, 2012 at 11:57 AM

    a very nice Friday thought! We can think about these natural fridges during the weekend and make it possible also!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 2:01 PM

      hahaha--well-said!!! Think and buy if possible:):)

      Delete
  16. Jayashree SrivatsanJune 22, 2012 at 12:59 PM

    Hi Bhavana
    Have seen water stored in earthern pots but this is so new to me . Wow !

    ReplyDelete
  17. D.NambiarJune 22, 2012 at 1:27 PM

    That refrigerator is a supercool idea. That's also made of some kind of clay, right? Wow!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 2:02 PM

      I agree!! You should have seen the no of times I said wow when I was heard and then saw it!

      Delete
  18. SoniaJune 22, 2012 at 2:24 PM

    Hey its really nice.. U know what, few days back I got a pot made up of mud as I wanted to have naturally cold water.. The mud pot just cost 40 bucks but unfortunately that pot is not done properly as the water leaks out of the pot :( I visited the site u have mentioned here for refrigerator too.. Its just so awesome.. Can u please tell me what is the cost of that refrigerator and also how can it be purchased if you have any idea..

    Thanks for sharing Bhavana...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:25 AM

      I live in Chennai and here they do have a distributor. My NGO had contacted them some months back, very excited hoping to have them in our village resource centres. They were out of stock at that time. I know with city dealers they charge premium prices.
      My suggestion is that you contact them at the email provided and they will provide you the name of the dealer in your area. If you do buy it, let me know.

      Delete
    2. SoniaJune 23, 2012 at 2:45 PM

      Ya sure:) Thanks a lot for the information :)

      Delete
  19. BritulJune 22, 2012 at 3:08 PM

    Natural refrigerator !!! wow ... that's great. useful at the same time natural ... nothing artificial and definitely no harmful effects to the environment. Thanks for sharing the pics what was kept for your personal record. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:23 AM

      Thanks Britul. Yes, that is the best part of it. And it does get heady chilled--it is pleasantly chilled

      Delete
  20. debajyotiJune 22, 2012 at 3:14 PM

    these are cool. really really cool. wasn't aware of these stuffs. thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:22 AM

      You are welcome. I myself was not till in recent days

      Delete
  21. umashankarJune 22, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    Those are fascinating equipments. We all remember pitchers being used to store cool water while we were children. Nothing beats the fragrance and coolness that a pitcher would add to water. I am sure these innovative refrigerators would keep the vegetables cool and fresh for substantial periods. Maybe we will use them again someday....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:22 AM

      Yes, you are right. Water from the pitcher is yummiest. I have not had food for a Miticool as yet. They did not have stock in Chennai. But people say it is very good.

      Delete
  22. Priya SreeramJune 22, 2012 at 5:08 PM

    lovely; thx for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
  23. subhorup dasguptaJune 22, 2012 at 7:05 PM

    neat ideas. most people dont realize that the fridge is the largest part of a standard household's carbon footprint after a car. thought i would drop a link related to this.

    Fridgeless kitchen in Hyderabad

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 22, 2012 at 11:06 PM

      Subho, I have updated my post to include your link!!! Neat post, man!

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJune 23, 2012 at 8:49 AM

      nice, and thanks. that site has some very interesting stuff on all aspects of environmentalism and politics.

      Delete
  24. Danny SimonJune 22, 2012 at 7:29 PM

    Wow! the first one looks like the pots we used to use earlier in homes for storing water! I still love the fish curry that are made in earthen vessels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:18 AM

      Yes, it looks a lot but it is double-potted with thin gap in btw for water to percolate.
      I have never eaten food cooked in clay vessels :(. I guess it must be good...

      Delete
  25. Puru@ShadowsGaloreJune 22, 2012 at 11:06 PM

    A shining symbol of Gram Swarajya :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Shalu SharmaJune 23, 2012 at 3:36 AM

    Nice one, as a matter of fact, its still used in some part of the country. The water from them tastes nicer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 8:19 AM

      No, it is not used. Because this is not a pitcher. It is double-potted structure with thin gap for water to percolate and solid perishables and milk packets can be kept in it.

      Delete
    2. Shalu SharmaJune 23, 2012 at 1:20 PM

      Ohh I see.

      Delete
  27. A Homemaker's UtopiaJune 23, 2012 at 11:43 AM

    Nice post Bhavana..:-) Award waiting for you..:-)
    http://ahomemakersutopia.blogspot.in/2012/06/awards-galore.html

    ReplyDelete
  28. abhinavrJune 23, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Very much eco friendly. We sometimes keep drinking water in earthen pot. It really has a special refreshing ability than that kept in other types of vessels.. very cool :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 5:56 PM

      Yes, it is very eco-friendly!!! Wish we adopted it! Thanks for your comment!

      Delete
  29. indu chhibberJune 23, 2012 at 6:46 PM

    Bhavna you are so versatile.I hope those who need it know about this fab invention,is it being used by many?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 23, 2012 at 6:56 PM

      Not as versatile as you are, Induji! I just came from your blog--such a powerful verse! This is a great invention--few use it--as usual!

      Delete
  30. sangeetaJune 23, 2012 at 7:20 PM

    I so love this kinda minimalistic lifestyle. Long back I did a similar fridge installation for my school project. Probably 3 decades back :-) Those were the days of Ghada and Surahi anyways :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 26, 2012 at 11:45 AM

      I know Sangeeta. I wish we could live more simply. The ads and the availability of goods makes us crave so much...

      Delete
  31. Mr.MiglaniJune 23, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    versatile is the word for u

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dr VikramJune 23, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    brilliant we should look at these options as well.

    ReplyDelete
  33. NehaJune 23, 2012 at 9:10 PM

    mud pots are the best way to keep things cool. Even we have a pot that is used to store water and the water is not only cooled but also tastes great :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 26, 2012 at 11:46 AM

      I know, Neha. Water tastes lovely in the mud pots. And the point is it can be used in new creative ways too!

      Delete
  34. ashok June 24, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    brilliant ...thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  35. AnonymousJune 24, 2012 at 7:22 PM

    earthen pots or callled as GHADA in local dialect in many places in bihar is poor's as well as riches natural refrigerator
    Total free of cost and easy to use with no increased electricity bills ...
    only problem--it cannot make ice
    Nice post :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 26, 2012 at 11:48 AM

      Right--it cannot make ice:) But we gain on electricity bills:)

      Delete
  36. BikramJune 24, 2012 at 7:50 PM

    yeah I rmmeebr the days in our village when refrigerator was not even herd of .. the earthen pots did the trick always

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 26, 2012 at 11:48 AM

      Yeah...I wish we could return to some of the old ways...

      Delete
  37. muniJune 25, 2012 at 1:17 AM

    nice post..........

    ReplyDelete
  38. sasiJune 25, 2012 at 1:17 AM

    good information...........

    ReplyDelete
  39. momto8June 26, 2012 at 7:19 AM

    oh my gosh..here in industrialized USA that seems unbelievable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJune 26, 2012 at 11:49 AM

      You betcha!!! You should have seen me fresh from USA gawking and oohing and aahing over the local innovations!

      Delete
  40. UnknownJune 26, 2012 at 8:54 PM

    this was a suuuuuper intresting read....i do rembr the pots from my childhood tho....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJuly 1, 2012 at 9:29 AM

      nice! We never did--I drank water from mud pots in friends houses:(

      Delete
  41. SudhageeJune 30, 2012 at 12:24 PM

    This sounds similar to the Mitticool stuff. http://www.mitticool.in/ A friend of mine swears by their clay pressure cooker and water filters.

    I'm sure it is possible to live without a refrigerator, our ancestors certainly did. But the question I ask myself is will I do it? I'll give you the answer later :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BhavanaJuly 1, 2012 at 9:32 AM

      Sudha, it is mitticool!!! I put in the website address on the post-see above. So glad we have testimony in support of the group!

      Sudha, ur such an honest, upright person. True, can we do it. I had reduced my dependance on the refrigerator to almost half a shelf--mostly milk.

      But read Subhorup's article on fridgeless kitchen. I have posted the link in the blogpost!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to read through this post. Would love to hear back from you:):)

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