I would like to talk about simple root cellars and the self-sufficiency found by constructing a root cellar. Generations ago, our ancestors had root cellars. Most farmers of the past had root cellars and some still do to this day. They are a way to store your fresh produce and even store your dormant growing produce to be planted next spring. It can be called the food storage of old times long forgotten. With the cost of food rising each year and the quality diminishing they are definitely becoming more invaluable.
What is a root cellar?
When I think of a root cellar I think of a hill with a door cut into the side of it. Through the doors are two rooms, not big but not small either and shelves lining the sides about four or five high with wicker baskets and totes of various kinds. I think of a summer harvest from a garden nicely prepared for storage and tucked away in a cool damp place away from the sunlight that threatens to devastate the bounty.
In reality, a simple root cellar can be away from your home or even, when constructed properly, can be in the basement of your home. They can even be a cave or covered trench. It is a place to keep roots, fruits and vegetables stored for use or even for replanting in your garden after the winter months. It is an incredible skill to keep a root cellar and is quite important if you seek self-sufficiency or even a way to prepare for an uncertain future.
What is needed for simple root cellars?
Depending on where in the world you are located, you should take into consideration climate. Most goods and produce require very cool and very damp conditions so proper controls will be needed for creating the proper climate conditions.
The ground usually stays pretty balanced around 45 to 55 degrees below four or five feet, that is why basements or even a hole in the ground are the usual suspects. Proper venting for air flow if you are storing items that produce gases and wet cloths or fabrics for moisture to create humidity in your storage area. Even a bucket or container of water in the corner will do the job.
If you are in a very dry and warm climate, trying to get a cool humid conditions might not exactly work out, so storing sun dried produce, nuts and grains may be the way to go. Very cold climates might need some kind of an insulator to hold in just enough warmth to keep everything from freezing solid.
How should I store goods in simple root cellars?
There definitely are things that you do not want to store in your root cellar. Things like canned goods will definitely rust or even the lids of jars and such will too. Plastic will obviously keep in almost any condition. You can for sure store some prepackaged foods for emergency food storage purposes but staying conscious of what you are storing and where will definitely make a difference in the longevity of your stored foods.
Some foods and produce require different climate types. Some dry, some humid. Having a two chamber root cellar will offset this problem and create the best situation to be able to keep the climates close to what they need to be.
Don’t go tossing your green treasure on the shelf all willy-nilly. You worked hard to grow them and worked smart to put your root cellar together. Be sure that you do everything possible to ensure your harvest stays delicious through the cold season. Be sure to look up how to prepare certain vegetables for root cellar storage.
Think of how nice it would be to have a rack of wine bottles aging in there. Beers, cider and other bottled drinks do really well in the cool dark too. Cured and smoked meats will last a really long time in a root cellar as long as the temperature stays below 40 degrees. When its that cool, you can store milk, cheeses and other dairy in there too with success.
You can also check out my guide to food storage.
A good location goes a long way
A good location can and will contribute to the quality of your storage(meaning how much time and energy you will need to put into being mindful of your treasures) and the longevity of your bounty. Depth, size, whether or not it is vented, native climate, double chamber or completely underground. All these are big factors in keeping the desired conditions. You are also going to want it in a place that is close enough to access in an emergency or if it snows really heavily.
Go ahead and vent
Having ventilation is fairly important as well because some of your fruits will produce a gas called ethylene. This gas can and will promote over ripening or even rot in some cases so you will want the air to circulate.
An easy method is simply to put an intake vent close to the floor that leads to the outdoors and an exhaust vent in the ceiling or somewhere high up – Cool air sinks and hot air rises. If you want to get fancy with it you can install shutters that open and close either by hand or by switch of some sort. Even a fan might prove effective.
This brings us to pests. Pests like weevils in your grains or mice in your foods can be destructive to your stored goods. You will want to make sure that your vents are screened off with a fine mesh for the bugs. Getting some spearmint or peppermint and sprinkling it around the perimeter of the area does a good job of keeping mice at bay if you don’t want to go the mouse trap direction. Keeping your root cellar as sealed off as you can is going to be the best and probably the most effective way to protect against rodents and pests.
Finalizing and putting to use
Vigilance will guarantee your success as a root cellar user/operator. Making sure your goods rotate and have proper ventilation will give you the freshness your expecting. Sealing and putting down deterrents will protect against invaders. Constant attention to details like humidity and temperature will ensure the longevity of your meats, vegetables and replantables through the winter to next spring. It definitely does take some work and care but I guarantee it is well worth it.
I hope this article offered some helpful insight into root cellars and outlines what some of the basics are.
If you have any comments or want to offer any tips yourself please comment below. Thanks
