root celler questions

[BarredBuff]

Nah..maybe we need to get some materials first It's been a long time in planning. Wish I had done it rather than building the back deck and if I'd known THEN how things were gonna get I would've!

Touche.

 

[k15n1]

root cellars are used to store fresh veggies. I don't know why someone would put jars of canned foods in there? I'd say it's worth cleaning up and putting doors on it though. You can store veggies and fruit fresh in a good root cellar. I would fix it, and check the temps and see if it is doing what it's supposed to(keeping cool enough/proper humidity levels) before stocking a bunch of things in it though.

I've read that root cellars are generally quite damp (it's part of the magic) and are not the best place for storing canned goods.

 

[Beekissed]

Most folks just remove their rings before placing canned jars of food in the cellar...and they generally don't keep canned jars of food long enough in the cellar for the lid to rust. If your lids are rusting enough to lose the seal on your foods, you might want to eliminate older canned goods. Other than that issue, dampness never penetrated a sealed jar of food....at least in my lifetime I've not seen it.

 

[me&thegals]

Me neither.

Isn't that the point of canning? That the outside environment absolutely cannot get into the jar? Anything not perfectly clean on the outside could mold--and mine have--but I've gotten better at thoroughly cleaning my jars and air drying them before storing them in the cellar.

 

[Beekissed]

We've opened and consumed canned food far past the "safe" date....even ate some honey we put up about 30 years ago. Still good! Damp cellars are my mildew...er...milieu!

 

[~gd]

Does se Iowa get tornatos? many a root celler was built as STORM cellers, Some were built as bomb and fallout shelters.

 

[Wannabefree]

Does se Iowa get tornatos? many a root celler was built as STORM cellers, Some were built as bomb and fallout shelters.

THERE is a couple more good reasons to have one... *runs off to tell DH we need to get materials for a root cellar STAT*

 

[me&thegals]

Ours is under the front porch. Rather than a concrete base for the porch, our builder suggested dropping it down and having extra storage space. Awesome! Way cheap space and it holds a LOT of goods in there! Dad built shelving, so it stores all my kitchen stuff like saucers, steam canners, jars, flour grinder; plus all my soapmaking and lip balm supplies; all our family extras like winter gear, suitcases, etc.; PLUS potatoes, onions, squash... And, it's brought the kids comfort over the years that we have a poured concrete room to run to in case of tornadoes

 

[Wannabefree]

We get tornadoes and threats of tornadoes every year...it'd sure make me feel safer! I have been wanting a storm cellar for a while. I was thinking of a trap door under the kitchen though The house sits about 10 feet off the ground on that corner anyway..plus it'd be convenient having an acess door from the kitchen. DH is a concrete guy too...so it's totally doable. Now I know what I want for Christmas

 

[StupidBird]

I remember the root cellars on a few farms up in Ohio and Indiana. Here in Georgia, it's red clay over granite; not promising for good cellars.

Grandma's root cellar was a little white building next to the house, perhaps 10x20, but it was seen through a child's eyes and might be smaller. One or two very small windows, open the door to steps down with the above-ground section all shelves for canning jars. Down below was a frightening dark void, lit by a small bare bulb on a wire; mostly Grandma never bothered to turn it on. Man, those cellars frightened me!

But now I want one. Can't keep irish-type potatoes fresh very long here. We don't have a basement or even a crawl space to convert. It would have to be waaaaay over-built because I'm terribly allergic to mold, and therefore would be the cleanest one on the planet just for me to use. Is that even possible? There are these European ones that are all white-wash and tile.

If I had a nickel for every project I think up, I'd have enough money to pay somebody to do one for me!

I have spent a night in a cellar as a tornado ripped through overhead (first grade). I'm afraid this house wouldn't take a direct hit, so, there's another reason to build one.