(Saturday, May 29, 2010) – Ice has become a high demand, and a rare, commodity in Franklin County. Residents throughout the county, especially in Montague, Gill and Leyden, sought out bags of ice on Thursday and Friday to stuff into their refrigerators and freezers to keep their food from spoiling after Wednesday night’s violent and destructive storm. I was one of those people.

After getting a phone call from my boyfriend, the two of us met at a local gas station to try to stock up on ice for his two large freezers., which were full of frozen meats from his family farm. We arrived at the station only to find an empty ice bin. So, we set out in separate cars, somewhat panicked, in search of ice. After several phone calls to local grocery stores, I found out that the Big Y and Stop & Shop has special orders of ice on route. But, I decided to give BJ’s a try and was relieved when a worker told me that they had an abundant supply. I loaded a cart with 16 bags and set off to pack two large freezers. Dry Ice is best.

Rose Bache of Summit Ice, in Greenfield said Friday afternoon that her phone has been ringing off the hook. Bache said the company has dry ice for sale. She said the company’s plant didn’t have electricity, so it has been running on a generator. Summit is also working hard to keep local retailers supplied with regular and block ice. Some places in Greenfield that they sell to are CVS, Ruggeri’s, and several other convenience stores. She said she has also been advising people to buy dry ice because it lasts longer and actually keeps things frozen for several days. She said regular ice will keep items cold, but not necessarily frozen.

Food Safety Tips Food safety tips from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention:

• Throw away food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture
• Throw away perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours.
• Thawed food that contains ice crystals or is 40 degrees F or below can be refrozen or cooked.
• While the power is out, keep the refrigerator closed as much as possible.
• Add block ice or dry ice to your refrigerator if the electricity is expected to be off for longer than four hours. Wear heavy gloves when handling ice.
• Generally, if you have questions about food’s safety, throw it away.

By Mackenzie Issler, Recorder Staff

View all news