Store Garden Produce #10-More on Root Cellaring-Part 2
In How to Build a Cellar Part 1, the construction of a root cellar was introduced where anyone could build within the confines of their own basement. Below are several other options available instead of building a full-fledged root cellar. Even though building a cellar may require a bit of an investment, alternatives are available for little or no cost at all. This article is not inclusive. This is a wrap up to Kali’s Store Garden Produce Series #1-10. Follow the whole series Here!
Any type of root cellar will eventually pay for itself by allowing its owner to store up produce or additional food that might either be homegrown or purchased at their local farmers market during the harvesting season. Fresh, homegrown produce is more economical, provides more nutrients and definitely is tastier than produce purchased at the Supermarket. Furthermore, a cellar of any type is quite inexpensive to maintain, it requires optional electricity and if built correctly, will not require further maintenance or upkeep.
Root Cellaring Concepts: As mentioned in Store Garden Produce # 9, when considering any form of root cellar you will need to understand the main concepts. Good results in storage depend upon:
1––Ventilation: You will need constant air circulation in any cellar to remove air-borne molds. Use a warm air vent as well as a cold air return as discussed in store garden produce #9 of this series.
2––Regulation of temperature: Temperature is maintained by venting as well as packaging the individual produce in newspaper, moss, or others stated below.
3––Sufficient moisture: The air must not be allowed to become too dry, as this will cause the produce to shrivel. Sprinkle with water when needed.
4––Type of insulation: Clean straw, corn stalks, dry leaves, hay, newspaper or sawdust are all common forms of root cellar insulation. Dirt is the most inexpensive and most natural insulation readily available. A slightly more expensive alternative is peat moss. However, it is only recommended for a single storage season due to the contaminating molds and bacteria it might develop within. Straw and dry leaves as well need to be replaced every year. Faced or unfaced insulation with a proper vapor barrier can also be used for longer-term use.
5––Quality of vegetables stored: Always use produce at its prime, without lack of maturity, puncture marks or presence of decay.
6––Darkness: Stored produce is best if kept in total darkness for maximum freshness and longevity, especially potatoes; they are the most susceptible to turning green when exposed to light.
7––Ethylene Ripening: Special care needs to be taken into consideration with ethylene gas ripening. For a complete list of Fruit & Vegetables of ethylene ripening criteria as well as a chart on Temperature and Humidity control.
Timing of Storage: Another aspect to root cellaring is the timing of storing the produce itself. It is not so much as how to store garden produce, but as when to store garden produce for the winter. If you place fruits or vegetables in storage, either in pits or in cellar rooms before the cold weather sets in for the fall, this will become your major cause of early spoilage. The most difficult steps with successful storages is to keep the produce in prime condition after harvest until the temperature of the cellar is able to provide a dormant state. Most root vegetables can be left in the ground after several frosts. Some can even be stored in the ground all winter depending upon how cold your climate gets. Visit my site for available charts on the difference.
How to Make a Root Barrel: Outdoor pits and root barrels can be used as an alternative in storing produce if the drainage is thorough. Outdoor pits can be either lined or unlined. A lined pit is one that is sealed against ground water and rodents. This typically consists of a 55 gallon barrel or drum that is buried semi-horizontally in the ground. Place 2-3 bushel full of mixed roots in the barrel, using insulating material or wrapped individually, then put the lid loosely in place to allow for airflow. Cover the barrel with about 12 inches of straw held in place by a 3-inch layer of soil. You can add more straw depending upon the amount of cold for your particular climate.
In the unlined pit, the roots are piled on a layer of straw and the pile is then covered with more straw held in place by a layer of soil. The unlined pit must be dug in an area where water will not fill the pit and where rodents are not a problem.
A storage mound is similar to the unlined pit. It is used where groundwater is a problem or where only a short storage period under mild temperatures is anticipated. The produce is piled on a layer of straw on top of the ground. The mound is then covered with a layer of straw that is held in place by a layer of soil. The mound usually contains one or two bushels of mixed roots, so when the mounds are removed, all the produce can be taken into the house. Click Here for Diagrams.
There are many different options available to build your own cellar. I heard of one person using an old bus. To expand upon this further, you would want to dig out a pit with a backhoe that is larger than the bus itself. Make sure to dig down at least 6-12 inches further, depending upon your climate, so that you will be able to cover the roof of the bus with dirt. Seal the front doors shut and close off any other holes to provide an airtight enclosure. Remove all the seats and replace them with shelving. Use the windows as venting by applying the venting system described in Store Garden Produce #9. Drive the bus front first, into the pit. Then use the emergency exit as the main entrance for the cellar. Backfill all around the bus and cover the roof with dirt. You could also build stairs to walk down to the level of the door as well, but then you will want to black out the window and insulate the door against the cold. Another option is build an antechamber as you first walk into the bus as extra storage. Then build a second door which actually enters the cellar itself. Since the bus is quite large, you would be able to patrician off several areas, one for vegetables, one for fruits, one for the smelly items such as cabbage or turnips. Make sure to vent each patrician individually. Instead of using an old bus, shipping containers and freight train boxcars will work just as well. Or how about using a discarded walk in freezer from an old restaurant that perhaps went out of business. Use your imagination. The possibilities are endless.
On a smaller scale, consider using discarded dryer drums or old refrigerators that can be picked up from the local dump or recycling center. I personally prefer the refrigerator due to the two separate compartments and the addition of an icemaker in the door. Depending upon how the icemaker is constructed, remove the icemaker parts and you will find holes going to the freezer compartment, one for ice and one for water. These holes can be used for the cold and warm air return. Insert plastic tubing in the holes then seal around the tubing. You will probably have to drill two holes within the icemaker unit in the refrigerator door to allow the exchange of air to the refrigerator compartment as well. Add elbows or screening at the top to keep out the snow, rain or insects. Next, dig your pit large enough to place the unit in, making sure to allow the depth slightly below ground level. Place some rocks in the bottom of the hole for drainage. Place the unit into the hole on its back. The door or doors will open like a lid. You can use the discarded bins and shelves to pack the produce with in the unit. Use the insulating material described above when packing your produce. Place a plastic tarp over the door seals of the unit so that water will not ice the doors closed. Surround the outside of the refrigerator with dirt but leave the top uncovered. For the top, several hay or straw bails kept intact are preferred due to the ease of removal when accessing the produce within.
More Tips & Techniques for Root Cellaring Here!
Follow Kali’s Entire Series on Storing Garden Produce for Winter Here!
Successful Gardening!
Kali S Winters
Time-Table For Blanching & Sterilizing
The following time-table shows blanching time for various vegetables and fruits, as well as the sterilizing time in the hot-water bath outfit, and in equipment for sterilization by the water-seal method, the steam-pressure method and the aluminum steam-cooker method.
The time given in this table is for quart jars. Add 30 minutes for 2-quart jars and deduct5 minutes for pint jars.
|
|
|
Sterilizing |
|||
|
Vegetables |
Blanching |
Hot-water |
Water seal |
Steam pressure in lbs. |
|
|
|
Minutes |
Minutes |
Minutes |
5 to 10 Minutes |
10 to 15 Minutes |
| Asparagus Beets Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Carrots Corn Greens Lima beans Okra Parsnips Peppers, sweet or hot Peppers, pimentos Peas Pumpkin Salsify Sour-crout String beans Squash Tomatoes Fruits Apples |
10 to 15
- |
120
- |
90
- |
60
- |
40 |
The time given is for fresh, sound and firm vegetables. Increase the time of sterilization by adding one-fifth for vegetables which have been gathered over 24 hours.
The time given is for altitudes up to 1000 feet above sea level. For higher altitudes increase the time in hot-water bath 10 per cent for each additional 500 feet. For example, if the time is given as 120 minutes in the table and your location is 1500 feet above sea level, the time should be made 132 minutes.
Neither home-made nor commercial hot-water bath outfits are entirely satisfactory, however, for such localities water-seal and steam-pressure outfits are advisable, as they give higher temperatures.
Successful Gardening!
Kali S Winters
Follow All 10 Parts of Kali’s Store Garden Produce Series Here!
Tips on Root Cellaring
Choose a site that usually stays dry and has good drainage in which to bury the root barrel in.
The kind of storage facility that you will need depends largely on the climate in your area.
Cone-shaped outdoor pits or root barrels are often used for storing potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, salsify, parsnips, and cabbage. They are sometimes used for storing winter apples and pears.
The pit may be built on the ground, or in a hole 6 to 8 inches deep in a well-drained location.
Do not store vegetables and fruits in the same pit.
To ventilate large pits, place two or three stakes up through the center of the pile of vegetables or fruits to form a flue. Screen the flues at the top to ward off rodents.
Once a pit is opened, its entire contents should be removed. For these reasons it is better to construct several small pits rather than one large one.
Place a small quantity of different vegetables in each pit. Then you will only need to open one pit at a time for a variety of vegetables.
Pits should be made in a different place every year.
Pack tubers in dry compost, ancient leaves, straw, wood shavings or sand.
Place not more than three to six weeks’ supply in a single pit.
In extremely cold climates the total thickness of earth layers should be as much as 12 inches.
The air of the chamber must not be allowed to become too dry, as this will cause the produce to shrivel.
Vegetables requiring moist storage should never be left directly exposed to air.
Perforate plastic bags or liners at regular intervals to allow air circulation and prevent condensation.
Alternating layers of produce with packing materials reduces disease transmission.
Wrapping individual items of produce with newspaper aids moisture retention and reduces the possibility of cross-transfer of odors and disease.
Potatoes sprout as a result of exposure to light or warm temperatures.
While root cellaring is low-tech, you can buy a high-tech battery operated temperature and humidity gauge to help you monitor conditions in your root cellar.
Successful Gardening!
Kali S Winters
Check out All 10 Parts of Store Garden Produce Here!
Root Cellar Temperature & Humidity Chart
Ethylene Ripening Chart
How to Make a Cellar Alternative
As mentioned in Store Garden Produce #10-More on Root Cellaring, Outdoor pits can be either lined or unlined. A lined pit is one that is sealed against ground water and rodents. Figure 1. This typically consists of a 55 gallon barrel or drum or any suitable container such as metal garbage cans or barrels, leaving about 4 inches exposed at the top, that is buried semi-horizontally in the ground. Place 2-3 bushel full of mixed roots in the barrel and put the lid loosely in place to allow for air venting. Cover the barrel with about 12 inches of straw held in place by a 3-inch layer of soil. You can add more straw up to 3 feet deep, depending upon the amount of cold that must be endured by your climate.
In the unlined pit, the roots are piled on a layer of straw and the pile is covered with straw held in place by a layer of soil. The unlined pit must be dug in an area where water will not fill the pit and where rodents are not a problem.
Figure 1: An outdoor barrel storage pit
Using a 55 Gallon Barrel Drum
A storage mound (Figure 2) is similar to an unlined pit. It is used where groundwater is a problem or where only a short storage period under mild temperatures is anticipated. The vegetables are piled on a layer of straw on top of the ground. The mound then is covered with a layer of straw that is held in place by a layer of soil. The mound usually contains one or two bushels of mixed roots, so when the mounds are removed, all the produce can be taken into the house.
Check out All 10 Parts of Store Garden Produce Here!
Tips on Root Cellaring
Root Cellar Temperature & Humidity Chart
Ethylene Ripening Chart
