When you take a look in the basement of the old farm in Open Air Museum de Locht, you will see a whole stock.

In order to get enough on the table in times of scarcity and because you could not consume everything in times of abundance, vegetables, fruit and meat were preserved. The food then spoils less quickly and people are less likely to get sick. Unwanted bacteria, fungi and yeasts are killed by preservation or their growth stopped.

The largest part was “wecked” until the middle of the last century, sterilized in glass in a weck kettle. (Named after the entrepreneur Weck). In the basement we also see two large Cologne pots. It contained string beans and sauerkraut. The string beans were pickled in salt, with the shredded white cabbage came a dash of buttermilk. Sugar, alcohol and acid were also used for preservation, think of jam, cherries on brandy and pickles in the acid. Sausages and beans were allowed to dry, ham was smoked and dried. The hams and sausages hung in the attic and above the stove.

Around the 60s, products began to be frozen. With that method and due to the fast processing, more flavor and nutrients are retained. Nowadays, high-pressure pasteurization is used, which benefits the taste even more.