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10 poetic autumn landscapes by Russian artists Arkadiy Shaikhet, creating the image of the Soviet 1920s-30s

An in-depth guide to Russian dacha life

The short lease of the Russian summer has come to an end once more. As a reminder of the July heat, the warm days of late September are the best time to recall those wonderful moments spent at the Russian dacha.
By Yulia Smorodova, specially to RBTH
The short lease of the Russian summer has come to an end once more. As a reminder of the July heat, the warm days of late September are the best time to recall those <a href=http://rbth.com/dacha_digest target=_parent>wonderful moments spent at the Russian dacha.</a>
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Yulia Smorodova

The short lease of the Russian summer has come to an end once more. As a reminder of the July heat, the warm days of late September are the best time to recall those wonderful moments spent at the Russian dacha.
The chance to enjoy a family feast is the main draw of the dacha. Here you can cast off the strict urban regime, since the dacha menu knows no diet: traditional shish kebab, fish soup, mushrooms, and a cornucopia of fruit and veg. Another dacha delight is making preserves for the winter, <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/video/2014/09/03/delicious_russia_homemade_jam_with_blackberries_and_sea_buck_39509.html target=_parent>such as jam.</a>

Yulia Smorodova

The chance to enjoy a family feast is the main draw of the dacha. Here you can cast off the strict urban regime, since the dacha menu knows no diet: traditional shish kebab, fish soup, mushrooms, and a cornucopia of fruit and veg. Another dacha delight is making preserves for the winter, such as jam.
Some dachas are miniature worlds of outbuildings, plantations, and household and other facilities. If it’s your first time at a Russian dacha, grab hold of a map (if you can) so as to get to grips <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/infographics/2014/07/28/a_virtual_tour_of_the_dacha_38569.html target=_parent> with what’s what.</a>

Yulia Smorodova

Some dachas are miniature worlds of outbuildings, plantations, and household and other facilities. If it’s your first time at a Russian dacha, grab hold of a map (if you can) so as to get to grips with what’s what.
A country house without a resident babushka is like a burger without meat. <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/pictures/2014/07/21/rustic_life_a_glass_of_fresh_milk_for_a_beloved_grandson_38375.html target=_parent> A babushka is a lucky charm</a>, a symbol of the romance of the countryside. For many Russians, it is through the babushka (preferably their own) that the inexplicable lure of the dacha finds expression.

Yulia Smorodova

A country house without a resident babushka is like a burger without meat. A babushka is a lucky charm, a symbol of the romance of the countryside. For many Russians, it is through the babushka (preferably their own) that the inexplicable lure of the dacha finds expression.
And what sort of dacha would it be without a cat?! Not Russian, that’s for sure. Cats, like babushkas, are almost synonymous with the dacha experience. It is often the cat that guards the dacha, not only from mice, but from all kinds of (smallish) <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/infographics/2014/08/13/good_spots_for_hunting_or_fishing_in_russia_38967.html target=_parent> wild creatures lurking in the surrounding forest.</a>

Yulia Smorodova

And what sort of dacha would it be without a cat?! Not Russian, that’s for sure. Cats, like babushkas, are almost synonymous with the dacha experience. It is often the cat that guards the dacha, not only from mice, but from all kinds of (smallish) wild creatures lurking in the surrounding forest.
What is there to do at the dacha? The question very rarely occurs to hardcore dacha-goers. <a href=http://rbth.com/society/2014/09/13/going_back_to_the_land_39711.html target=_parent> Kitchen gardening and horticulture</a> are the favorite pastime of many generations of Russians. In summer most people prefer to consume the fruit (as well as veg and herbs) of their own labor, which is both tasty and environmentally friendly.

Yulia Smorodova

What is there to do at the dacha? The question very rarely occurs to hardcore dacha-goers. Kitchen gardening and horticulture are the favorite pastime of many generations of Russians. In summer most people prefer to consume the fruit (as well as veg and herbs) of their own labor, which is both tasty and environmentally friendly.
This has been Russia’s third great apple year in a row. September is when everyone returns from the dacha with crates full of aromatic apples ripe <a href=http://rbth.com/arts/2014/08/20/the_forbidden_fruit_baked_apples_with_a_twist_39155.html target=_parent> for baking apple pie and making apple juice</a>. Sometimes there are so many that dacha dwellers don’t know what to do them.

Yulia Smorodova[break]Yulia Smorodova

This has been Russia’s third great apple year in a row. September is when everyone returns from the dacha with crates full of aromatic apples ripe for baking apple pie and making apple juice. Sometimes there are so many that dacha dwellers don’t know what to do them.
When it comes to taking a break from the kitchen garden, many Russians <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/video/2014/08/12/one_can_catch_a_worthy_fish_even_in_the_smallest_stream_true_38941.html target=_parent> like to go fishing.</a> The catch isn’t always enough for dinner, but the process itself brings real pleasure to fishing aficionados.

Yulia Smorodova

When it comes to taking a break from the kitchen garden, many Russians like to go fishing. The catch isn’t always enough for dinner, but the process itself brings real pleasure to fishing aficionados.
There is only one way, according to Russian popular belief, to relieve stress after a hard working day and protect the body from illness: the traditional banya. It must be <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/video/2014/08/21/how_to_stoke_a_russian_banya_relaxation_for_body_and_soul_39193.html target=_parent> heated and used correctly, in terms of both technique and ritual</a>.

Yulia Smorodova

There is only one way, according to Russian popular belief, to relieve stress after a hard working day and protect the body from illness: the traditional banya. It must be heated and used correctly, in terms of both technique and ritual.
A Russian dacha weekend is not complete without a barbecue, or <a href=http://rbth.com/multimedia/video/2014/07/16/delicious_russia_shashlyk_and_adzhapsandal_for_dinner_at_dac_38265.html target=_parent> simply roasting skewered meat over an open fire.</a> In the pantheon of traditions, it is perhaps the most inviolable. As with most dacha activities, the process is often more important than the result.

Yulia Smorodova

A Russian dacha weekend is not complete without a barbecue, or simply roasting skewered meat over an open fire. In the pantheon of traditions, it is perhaps the most inviolable. As with most dacha activities, the process is often more important than the result.
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September 19, 2014
Tags: lifestyle, dacha digest

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