Who has a root cellar?

19 years ago

Hi all,

I'm fairly new to this forum - I stopped by out of curiosity & I've spent quite some time searching through old posts. I can't wait til next year to get cooking!!

5 years ago we bought a 150-year-old log house that came with barns & an underground root cellar. It looks like a little barn about 5x5 against a mound, right beside where the former veggie garden is. When you go in, there's a door at the back that opens into a cement block area that looks to be about 7x10 - this part is totally underground & has a hole/stack in the roof. Since we moved in, we've been renovating the house & other stuff, but I'm hoping to revive the veggie garden & put that root cellar to work. I've been reading throught 'Stocking Up' & old Harrowsmith magazines, but I was looking for some more personal advice.

It will need a good cleaning & some shelves built, but what else? Can I keep canned goods in there as well as say potatoes, turnips, etc? To those who have such a thing (or know about it), any advice? Tips? Comments?

I'm actually very excited about it (especially now that the renovations are in the home stretch), and am planning the veggie garden/potager of my dreams, so I would love to 'chat' about it!

All the best,

Gail

PS. Here's a house picture:

{{gwi:263282}}

And a cellar picture taken from the same spot - I just turned clockwise about 90 degrees. The grassy area to the left of it is the former/future garden:

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Comments (11)

dgkritch
19 years ago
Wecome to the Harvest Forum, Gail.
I'm no help on the root cellar, but what a dream!
I love the house and your view.

I would love to build a cellar, but I live in the PNW and it rains.......alot!
It would end up more of an underground pool! LOL!

Deanna
CA Kate z9
19 years ago
I am sooo jealous. I have all the plans collected for digging a root cellar here on our property. Somewhere along the line it became a wine cellar in my DH's mind. Maybe someday.

You cans keep anything down there that you want to store at 60Âº F. In some places it won't even get cold enough to freeze if the shelter is totally underground. Root vegetables will keep best if you actually put them on the ground and save the shelves for other foods. If you google the subject you will get all sorts of storage info.
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jimster
19 years ago
Here is a link to a unique site about root cellars.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Elliston, New Foundland, Root Cellar Capital of the World
alphonse
18 years ago
The issue with metal in a root cellar is humidity-canning lids will rust.Steel shelf standards might last longer if they are of heavy gauge.
This may or may not be a problem for you,if you use canned goods in a timely fashion.
prairie_love
18 years ago
Cool site, Jimster!

Gail, what a lovely place and fun plans you have! We had a root cellar when I was growing up (although we didn't use it) and I have also been thinking it would be great to have now. If I had the setup you do, I think one thing I would do is put a thermometer (or several at different locations) in the cellar for the winter. One of those that records highs and lows. I would want to know exactly how well it holds temperature before I started storing things there.

Ann
CindyLouWho
18 years ago
I have a root cellar and LOVE it. Ours is part of the basement (new construction). When we designed the house, I designed the root cellar into the Northeast corner. It is unheated with ventilation pipes (cold air in, hot air out). I've used inexpensive coated baker racks for shelves and old plastic milk crates and laundry hampers for storage. If I were to do it over, I would have a separate section just for apples. They make everything else ripen/rot faster. Right now, I have the apples as far away from the other veggies as possible (room is about 14x10).

The best book I've seen on the subject is "root cellaring". I've attached a link---I consider it my bible of storage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Root cellaring book
julsie
18 years ago
Cindy beat me to the recommendation! I don't have a root celler, but have been thinking about putting one in. That book is great. Go to your library and see if they can help you get ahold of a copy. It's caled Root Cellaring, by Mike and Nancy Bubel.

Good luck!
gail_ish
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for all the advice!
faithfulwings
18 years ago
What a beautiful homestead! I was searching for storage times today & came across a link that contains root cellar basics plus storage lengths.

Here they are:

http://waltonfeed.com/grain/life.html#hard

http://waltonfeed.com/old/cellars.html

I hope this helps you.
kayskats
18 years ago
does your place have a "well-house"? I was just rereading Edna Lewis' "The Taste of Country Cooking" and she talks about keeping butter and milk cool in the hot Virginia summers? Lovely place you have!!!
belindach
18 years ago
I'd love to have a root cellar but we'd have to many problems with water. We're near sea level.