I hope I'm not violating any copywrite laws, but I had gotten enough responses to synopsize the article in the Nov/Dec 2008 Good Old Boat. So here it is in a nutshell. I gleaned the pieces that I thought were oriented to our issue. "Chilled food is a luxury, not a necessity. Keep most "refrigerate after opening foods' at room temperature for as long as it take to use them up. (Keep in mind, the McBrides are full time liveaboards). Eggs - although Lin Pardey mentions coating eggs with Vaseline or sodium silicate and has kept eggs for 3 months by turning them three times a week, Connie admits that she doesn't go through all this. She just keeps them in what used to be their on board refrigerator and without doing anything else they keep for three weeks. Just to make sure, she cracks them in a separate bowl before using them in any mix. She claims that she has lost less than a dozen eggs over the past four years. Mayonaise - if you never put a dirty utensil in the jar. In fact her rule was to never put any utensil of any kind in the jar, but to shake out what you need. Not only did her mayo last up to a month but the even ate leftover potato sald the lollowing day for lunch. She buys plastic jars of Majo to make it easier and recommends that if you can find it, to get the squeeze bottles. Same rules for jelly which can last for three weeks. Dairy Products - Butter and margarine must be handled carefully. Sticks of margaine do not melt and will keep for up to a month. She stores each pound in a clean plastic food storage container, date it, and rotate the sotck. Margarine in a a generally melts at a lower timperature a nd the container do not seal well enough to prevent accidents. Butter melts more easily but if you enjoy using it for baking it will keep for a while before it turns rancid. (We keep our butter out all the time at home and have never had a problem. JM) She buys cheese in small portins and store each one in a separate airtight container and tries to use it in a few days after it's opened. Unopened, it does not mold for weeks, though it does get sharper. Harde cheeses, such as Parmesan and Romano, stay fresh much longer. Milk - she used to buy UHT milk (Parmalat) until a few of the boxes spoilled. After opening they lasted less than a day. She no carries canned cream, evaporated milk, nad condensed milk for cooking and baking. For everday milk they use Nido or other brands of powdered whole milk. Used for cereal, coffee, and for cooking and it tasts ... like warm milk. Meat- In port, they buy fresh and cook it within a few hours. She wraps forzen meat in layers of towels and stores it in an insulated cold/hot bag for up to 24 hours before cooking. Canned meat is used often. Spam, forned beef, canned tuna, chicken, salmon, etc. She suggests canned chicken turkey and beef from Werling and Sones www.werlingandsons.com. Chorizo and ham tidbits keep for several weeks before using. ONce opened, she treats them like fresh meat and cooks them immediately. She bought a cured ham. After opeing it the first time, she wipes the ham down with vinegar. Anytime she uses some, she wipes the newly exposed area with vinegar. As an alternative to meat, she substitutes several alternatives. Soya chunks (textured vegetable protein) is available in different sizes. Small size is a suitable substitute for ground beef. Her favorite meat alternatives are beans, i.e., lentils, spit peas, garbanzo beans, pigeon peas, and black beans. (Hey, anybody notice she didn't include Bush's?? JM) Use totillas or pita bread for tacos and chimichangas. She recommends Janet Horsley's "Bean Cuisine". Fresh Produce Challenges - Remove any plastic wrap or bags immediately and keep produce separated. Onions are best stored in the light definitely not with potatoes, which should be stored in the dark, preferably with apples. Apples should never be stored with citrus fruits. The sense of smell is a well used tool when living without refrigeration. She gives everything a sniff test before eating it: eggs, mayo, jelly, leftovers, and even canned food.Some foods mold overnight, i.e., sliced tomatos. So, that's the jist of her article. I don't know about you but I'm gonna go get a piece of fried chicken! Joe