How the Amish Keep Food Cold With a DIY Zeer Pot

Have you ever wondered how the Amish keep food cold without electricity?

They use a brilliant cooling system called a zirpot that requires no power whatsoever.

This ancient technology dates back to Egyptian times

and can maintain temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, even in hot weather.

Creating your own zirpot refrigerator is surprisingly simple.

You'll need two unglazed terracotta pots of different sizes,

with the smaller one fitting inside the larger, with about 1 to 2 inches of space between them.

You'll also need sand,

water, and a cloth cover.

Place the smaller pot inside the larger one and fill the gap between them with sand.

Pour water into the sand until it's completely saturated.

Place your food in the inner pot and cover with a damp cloth.

As the water in the sand evaporates, it pulls heat from the inner chamber through a process called evaporative cooling.

For maximum efficiency,

place your zirpot in a shaded breezy area and re-wet the sand one to two times daily.

This simple device can extend the shelf life of

vegetables from two days to nearly two weeks in hot weather.

The Amish have preserved countless self-sufficiency techniques that most Americans have forgotten.

Want to learn more ingenious off-grid methods for food preservation,

water collection, and home cooling?

Our complete guide to grid-independent living contains dozens of practical solutions our ancestors relied on.

Click the link in our bio to discover more.