Harvest lake ice in winter to put into cellar to keep perishables cold in summer

[Redlake]

Before the 1900s, Ice was harvested from lakes, stored in specific buildings, and insulated with straw. My suggestion is to use a saw (maybe carry them with tongs too) to be able to collect ice blocks and craft them with dry grass into a placeable block that cumulatively lowers the temperature in the cellar, making the food or other perishables last longer

[YordaEatsMelon]

This would be really cool, actually. We already have the items you mentioned (dry grass for straw, a saw, tongs, etc).

This would only work in maps with true winter enabled?

[Redlake]

Yeah, not unless they find a glacier I guess, or any biome where ice spawns naturally.

[Thorfinn]

Glacier ice does not melt at present. You can use it for windows or even making greenhouses.

[Redlake]

I didn't know that, fairly new to the game but definitely something I'll try later if I'm lucky

[Dilan Rona]

Medieval expansion has a cellar ice mechanic that helps with keeping food cellar temperatures low. And that is what I use myself. With a mod to enable me to harvest lake ice during the winter season.

[AppleJam]

On 4/1/2025 at 2:17 AM, Dilan Rona said:

Medieval expansion has a cellar ice mechanic that helps with keeping food cellar temperatures low. And that is what I use myself. With a mod to enable me to harvest lake ice during the winter season.

I've been wanting to get the mod specifically for that reason but comments on the mod page about bugs and crashes on up to date versions has me a bit reluctant to get it myself since that's what I'm playing on. Also as for the suggestion it'd fit right into vanilla mechanics so I'm hoping it gets integrated at some point.

[Dilan Rona]

@OutcastAJ The official one does have a problem with crashes. Specifically with the Aurochs attack animation (and apparently the water wheels). So I suggest you use this version specifically. https://mods.vintagestory.at/medievalexpansionpatch

I have had no crashes with that version, and it is recommended to use it until the official version is updated.

[Kosti]

On 3/28/2025 at 3:26 PM, Redlake said:

Before the 1900s, Ice was harvested from lakes, stored in specific buildings, and insulated with straw. My suggestion is to use a saw (maybe carry them with tongs too) to be able to collect ice blocks and craft them with dry grass into a placeable block that cumulatively lowers the temperature in the cellar, making the food or other perishables last longer

That would be really cool, honestly I was thinking about the same thing the other day lol, although it'll be a bit tricky not getting your base flooded as having ice that doesn't expire isn't the most realistic.

While the idea is cool, I do have to mention that once you've gotten used to the game food isn't really an issue and you don't really need to extend the shelflife of something like grain which lasts 12 years lol, even normal crops last for more than a year and you can have multiple harvests per one.

But again, I really like this and personally hope one day we see it in the game, even if it's not that important, small details like this make the game feel much more lively. Though that being said... hopefully a food/culinary update as well

[Dilan Rona]

4 hours ago, Kosti said:

as having ice that doesn't expire isn't the most realistic

In a way the cellar ice does expire. I also realised that a little bit can go a long way if you manage it right. And although the crops have a very long shelf life, the same can not be said for the more perishible meats. So any means to extend the shelf life of meat before it spoils helps a lot. Especially if you are limited by the amount of meals you can make

So from me, the core mods would have to be expanded foods, medieval expansion (the patched version), and primitive survival for their ability to add more methods for food (and by that I mean meat) preservation.

[Kosti]

1 hour ago, Dilan Rona said:

In a way the cellar ice does expire. I also realised that a little bit can go a long way if you manage it right. And although the crops have a very long shelf life, the same can not be said for the more perishible meats. So any means to extend the shelf life of meat before it spoils helps a lot. Especially if you are limited by the amount of meals you can make

So from me, the core mods would have to be expanded foods, medieval expansion (the patched version), and primitive survival for their ability to add more methods for food (and by that I mean meat) preservation.

Fair, but I will suggest if you have issues with meat to invest in a pen of pigs, goes a long way, and also how are you limited by the amount of meals you can make? I'm curious as i've never faced that issue, if anything im constantly running out of crocks lol.

[Dilan Rona]

You try to deal with a double trunk full of meat. And over 200 crocks full of food at the edge of spoiling or busy spoiling (all crocks sealed). Since I am the only one playing on a server now, I see no reason to make more than 20-30 crocks full of food