This below-ground space is naturally cooler. These days basements are still a great place to build a root cellar. Traditionally, root cellars were often built in the earth below pioneer homes to keep food from freezing over winter. In the summer, vents will be closed most or all of the time. In practice you’ll adjust air vents to allow enough wintertime air inside to maintain temperatures just above freezing, and to allow excess moisture to escape if needed. If produce freezes even a little, it will go mushy and spoil in short order. A little warmer and drier than this will work, but root cellars must never drop below freezing. These are what you’re shooting for, but no non-electric root cellar can deliver temperature and humidity like this all year long. Ideal conditions are typically just a degree or two above freezing for most produce, and 85% to 95% relative humidity. It all comes down to temperature and humidity. What conditions are best inside a root cellar? Always keep your apples separate from all other cellared foods. It’s harmless, but it does cause other produce to ripen and spoil more quickly. Planning to keep apples in your cellar? Ripe apples give off ethylene gas. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The difference is especially noticeable with organics grown under permanent mulch, such as the cedar bark mulch I’m hauling in the cart here. Organic produce tends to go bad only by drying out, sprouting or both. Conventionally-grown produce goes moldy much more readily. The difference in mold resistance between the two types is huge. An interesting fact is that organic vegetables keep noticeably longer in storage than produce grown with soluble fertilizers. I’ve successfully kept beets for 18 months in my root cellar one season. Root crops such as carrots, beets and potatoes keep the longest – easily 3 to 6 months and beyond. How long will food keep in a root cellar? Be sure to eat produce with damaged skin first, reserving perfect specimens for long-term storage. Integrity of the skin of cellared produce is key. This makes the skin tougher and better able to resist rot and retain moisture. All of these deliver longer keeping qualities when they’re allowed to dry out for a few days before cellar storage. The easiest produce to keep are root crops such as carrots, potatoes, beets, turnips and parsnips. Some people also keep cheeses and cured meats there, too. Article content What foods can I keep in a root cellar?Īll kinds of vegetables and fruits can be kept in a root cellar. And besides eating better, there’s something deeply satisfying about standing in the middle of months worth of wholesome food in a root cellar of your own. Did you know you can dig cabbage out of the ground in the fall, then temporarily “plant” the root attached to each head in soil-filled tubs to keep fresh and vibrant all winter long? A root cellar is the space to make this happen. Tired of eating soulless California carrots all year long? Explore the local farmers market scene, then stock up on heirloom varieties of carrots, beets, potatoes, apples and dozens of other foods when the harvest comes in. The food storage capacity of a root cellar makes local eating possible like nothing else can. It’s all part of the grass roots movement to create a more direct connection between farm field and home dinner table. Third, root cellars allow a deeper, more satisfying food experience for the right kind of person. Why everyone is flocking to the idea of backyard chickens.It lets you buy vegetables and fruits in bulk and at lower cost during harvest season, eating them over many months when store prices are higher. Even a small root cellar delivers way more food security than you can ever get with any store supplied with food from farms thousands of miles away. We’re fine now, but we rely on a fragile and energy-dependent system of food distribution. First, more and more people are feeling less confident that the modern food system can be trusted to supply wholesome food year-round without disruption. Article content What are the advantages of a root cellar?
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