Micah68
05-16-2009, 02:51 PM
We actually have two root cellars. One is more moist and stays a bit warmer, but husband would have to tell you why. Anyway, for those who are not familiar with root cellaring, it is an excellent way to preserve food.
We ate our last cabbage today, and have one more spaghetti squash and a couple more pumkins. Most of the potatoes we had left have now been cut, cured, and planted for this year.
Here is some information you may find interesting, although I am not sure of some of it, like the relative humidity information - I know ours is nowhere near that high:
Use this chart as a quick reference. For more detailed information check the references listed or call our county extension center.
Root Cellar storage requirements
Apples
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Beans, dry
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 50 degrees Farenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Beets
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Brussels sprouts
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage, Chinese
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Carrots
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cauliflower
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Celery
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Garlic
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Grapefruit
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Grapes
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Jerusalem artichoke
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
May be left in the ground undisturbed until needed. Digging can be done unless the soil is frozen hard. A thick layer of mulch may extend your harvest season.
Kale
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Kohlrabi
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Onions
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Oranges
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Parsnips
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Pears
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Peas
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
Airtight container
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Peppers, hot dried
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Popcorn
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
Airtight container
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Potatoes
Cold and moist
Do not store with fruits
38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Potatoes, sweet
Warm and moist
To keep sweet potatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Pumpkins
Warm and dry
50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Radish, winter
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Rutabaga
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Squash, winter
Warm and dry
50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Tomatoes
Warm and moist
To keep green tomatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Turnip
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Note
Storing foods in a root cellar makes it possible to eat fresh fruits and vegetables from the home garden well into the winter months.
The length of time that fruits and vegetables keep well in root cellars depends on several factors:
Early or late crops (late-maturing crops store better)
Storage conditions (less-than-ideal conditions shorten storage life)
Fruit and vegetable condition at storage time (proper curing of damage-free produce results in longer storage life).
Vegetables and fruits should not be stored together even though temperatures and moisture requirements are similar. As fruits such as apples and pears ripen, they give off ethylene gas which decreases the storage life of vegetables. This is especially evident with potatoes which sprout early if stored near certain fruits. Also, the odor of strong smelling vegetables, like turnips and cabbage, can be absorbed by fruits and other vegetables. Store them away from other food and where the odor cannot waft into the house.
Do not allow fruits and vegetables to freeze.
We have grape vines, and while they say you can save grapes in root cellars, we have never figured out how. Also, the one time we tried storing some oranges we had a horrible fruit fly problem.
I have heard of people burying old refrigerators or freezers, laying down, and putting bales of hay on top and it is supposed to make a decent makeshift cellar.
Most of what we know has been passed down through our families, but I have a very good book that fills in the rest. It is called Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables and the authors name is Bubel.
We can a tremendous amount of food, but it is really nice to have "crunchy" foods put up also. :-D
PS - husband reminded me of his subdivision living cousin. She buys vegetables at farmers market by the bushel and uses her crawl space as a root cellar.
We ate our last cabbage today, and have one more spaghetti squash and a couple more pumkins. Most of the potatoes we had left have now been cut, cured, and planted for this year.
Here is some information you may find interesting, although I am not sure of some of it, like the relative humidity information - I know ours is nowhere near that high:
Use this chart as a quick reference. For more detailed information check the references listed or call our county extension center.
Root Cellar storage requirements
Apples
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Beans, dry
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 50 degrees Farenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Beets
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Brussels sprouts
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage, Chinese
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Carrots
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cauliflower
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Celery
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Garlic
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Grapefruit
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Grapes
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Jerusalem artichoke
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
May be left in the ground undisturbed until needed. Digging can be done unless the soil is frozen hard. A thick layer of mulch may extend your harvest season.
Kale
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Kohlrabi
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Onions
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Oranges
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Parsnips
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Pears
Cold and moist
Do not store with vegetables
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Peas
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
Airtight container
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Peppers, hot dried
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Popcorn
Cool and dry
Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
Airtight container
32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Potatoes
Cold and moist
Do not store with fruits
38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Potatoes, sweet
Warm and moist
To keep sweet potatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Pumpkins
Warm and dry
50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Radish, winter
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Rutabaga
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Squash, winter
Warm and dry
50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Tomatoes
Warm and moist
To keep green tomatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Turnip
Cold and very moist
32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Note
Storing foods in a root cellar makes it possible to eat fresh fruits and vegetables from the home garden well into the winter months.
The length of time that fruits and vegetables keep well in root cellars depends on several factors:
Early or late crops (late-maturing crops store better)
Storage conditions (less-than-ideal conditions shorten storage life)
Fruit and vegetable condition at storage time (proper curing of damage-free produce results in longer storage life).
Vegetables and fruits should not be stored together even though temperatures and moisture requirements are similar. As fruits such as apples and pears ripen, they give off ethylene gas which decreases the storage life of vegetables. This is especially evident with potatoes which sprout early if stored near certain fruits. Also, the odor of strong smelling vegetables, like turnips and cabbage, can be absorbed by fruits and other vegetables. Store them away from other food and where the odor cannot waft into the house.
Do not allow fruits and vegetables to freeze.
We have grape vines, and while they say you can save grapes in root cellars, we have never figured out how. Also, the one time we tried storing some oranges we had a horrible fruit fly problem.
I have heard of people burying old refrigerators or freezers, laying down, and putting bales of hay on top and it is supposed to make a decent makeshift cellar.
Most of what we know has been passed down through our families, but I have a very good book that fills in the rest. It is called Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables and the authors name is Bubel.
We can a tremendous amount of food, but it is really nice to have "crunchy" foods put up also. :-D
PS - husband reminded me of his subdivision living cousin. She buys vegetables at farmers market by the bushel and uses her crawl space as a root cellar.