Build A Root Cellar

Root Cellars: Portland's DIY Don't

Okay, so almost three years later, it’s exposé time. Harriet Fasenfest, the Northeast Portland woman photographed for the Times’ story, was probably the least successful root cellarist of any interviewed for the article. Fasenfest, who operates an educational food preservation business called Preserve and has written a book titled “ The Householder’s Guide to the Universe ,” admits now that the cool basement area that she once dubbed her home’s root cellar was too humid (read “wet”) to store much of anything through our rainy winters. By then Fasenfest had consulted with Chip Bubl, Oregon State University’s agricultural extension agent for Columbia County. Bubl is somewhat of an expert on root cellars, though he is no relation to the Pennsylvania Bubels, who wrote THE book on the subject. “ Root Cellaring ,” written in 1979 by Mike and Nancy Bubel, is regarded as the root cellarists’ bible.

And Bubl, ensconced in St. Helens, Ore., knows enough about variations in the nation’s climate to recognize that the Bubels in Pennsylvania, and any of their friends and relatives in the Midwest, can dig their root cellars and happily munch on unsprouted, unrotten potatoes and squash and onions all winter long. But here in Portland, the darn tubers are likely to sprout almost as soon as you cellar ‘em. “The issue in western Oregon,” says Bubl, “is that because of our high water tables in the winter, we don’t have a lot of root cellars. Historically, they’ve been very popular east of the Cascades and in the Midwest, where the rainfall is more evenly distributed through the course of the year. You can stick them in the ground and they keep things cool and you can vent them. But here, we have so much trouble keeping them watertight.

Build a Root Cellar: A Complete Guidebook - Modern Homesteading ...

“The Complete Root Cellar Book” provides 30 easy-to-follow illustrated plans for constructing these naturally cool storage spaces, including root cellar plans for condos, town homes and warm climates. You’ll also find more than 100 recipes — classics and new creations — for using your cellared food. How does Golden Puffed Potato Pudding or Maple Pecan Crumble Apple Pie sound?

Root cellars — a common feature of early American homes — are gaining new favor as food and energy prices surge, and also as homeowners discover how much better locally grown produce tastes. Whether you garden or buy in bulk at your local farmers market, you can enjoy fresh carrots, cabbage, beets, potatoes, apples, grapes and lots more year-round if you create a space with the right temperature and humidity. You can go so far as to make an insulated room in your basement — complete with ventilation controls — or you can simply start with a barrel buried in the ground.

No matter the type of root cellar you choose, The Complete Root Cellar Book by Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie is a comprehensive guidebook that will help you construct and use these smart, money-saving structures. The authors contend that anyone, anywhere, can and should have a root cellar. “Root cellars help make the most of your food dollar by allowing you to stock up at low prices during seasonal harvests,” writes Maxwell, an award-winning home improvement author and MOTHER EARTH NEWS contributing editor. What’s more, according to Maxwell, “Root cellars offer a lifestyle ... an opportunity to cultivate traditional skills and hone gourmet insights in a way that is both fulfilling and globally responsible.”

With a root cellar, you can keep bushels of homegrown or local heritage varieties of vegetables (not available in supermarkets) in optimum condition for months at a time using little or no energy. Imagine taking just a few steps from your kitchen to gather ‘Italian Bassano’ beets or ‘Maiden’s Blush’ apples anytime you want to prepare them, all winter long.

RT @: Before you build that root cellar, DIYers, a little word of warning:

Before you build that root cellar, DIYers, a little word of warning:

Build a Storage Pit Style of Root Cellar,Gardening: A first-rate, fast way for you to put together a winter mont...

Hope you share your research & results - RT @: Looking to build a root cellar for our garden..need do some research first...

Hope you share your research & results - RT @: Looking to build a root cellar for our garden..need do some research first...

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