My father built a house in the 1940's in Wisconsin complete with a victory garden. There was a root cellar off of the basement next to the coal bin. I recall the vents and the bushel baskets full of root vegetables and fruit. It stayed quite cool year round as there was air circulating. I miss those days!
When I was growing up, the kitchen garden was alongside the house. During the fall, we canned everything . Grandma had a root cellar she used. During ww2, this was a "victory garden. The idea is so sound and efficient for a family or someone who's isolated on an off-grid site. Thank you again for your videos.
The best return on investment a person can make, in my humble opinion. Even if one buys from the growers the savings are significant and the food far better.
My grandparents had a root cellar under their house. It was a wonderful place to play as a little kid. I remember the big potato bins with the dirt in them.
Great job on the root cellar, remember we had one in the basement of our house. Dad made shelves for moms preserves, and there were bins that held potatoes and carrots. Remember we rinsed out tang cartons and put corn on the cob in them with water, then stuck those in the freezer. Great memories. Keep your powder dry and take care
And now a 'moose' for your larder! Happy for you Emperor Peter and Empress Catherine, as the fort will surely beckon more and more of 'your time travelers' for visits, sharings and the like. Yes, I can see a very busy time ahead for both of you. I truly believe you have had 'inspiration' assist you in the 'timing' of your fort build, it's simply amazing! There's quite a bit to know about 'root cellars' or else your veggies will rebel and leave you with 'revolting' sustenance = YIKES! Your quick final word of advice for all to build their own root cellar, are words which bear 'much weight' in these times.I thank you Proff Peter for the 'wee bits', and dear camerawoman\ artist Catherine, and the work behind these videos. Health an' blessings dear ones! "The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury." (Charlie Chaplin). The 'stuff' (luxury) you run away from! TRUE wisdom! :)
The simply root cellar can actually be the quickest return on investment one can make. As to that there luxury business, it often seems to me that people gave grown to expect it… get a job that requires the least amount of work with the most free time available.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Which is precisely 'why' we are all getting sick (lack of work) and feel unfulfilled...like walking 'empty larders'...perpetuallly looking for what will fulfill us, in 'all the wrong places'. Hence the attraction to you 'time traveler types'. "Why are 'these peiople' soOOOoo happy?" Yes, as I've said before....No Christmas gift 'gymn membership' for either you or beloved Catherine! :) You simply 'get life'!
Congratulations on getting your moose! My grandmother had a root cellar and always covered her potatoes with powdered lime. I'm not really sure why, maybe you can shed some light on that for me. Have a great weekend!
My great grandparents bought an 1820's farm house in 1910 , it was in the family for 4 generations, i spent meny happy hours there growing up , my brother almost burned it down playing with matches lol . The root cellar was fascinating to me as a child , the door had a brick arch with tight joints indicative of old fashioned lyme mortar , the door itself was painted pale green , it was pretty big i think , maybe 6x10 . They had the same bushel baskets and it was lined with shelves . I remember the sweet pungent smell and the cool damp air . These days im really thankful for the time I spent there . We always referred to it as " The Farm " ie " Dad were gonna ride our bikes down to the farm "
I live your root cellar. I had never thought of a refrigerator or freezer buried. Dang I had to replace my deep freeze several years ago. I could have used it. Next time my fridge or fr ever needs replaced I have one or if I find one someone discards. Thanks for the idea.
Often if you go the your local landfill site, they’ll have a metal drop off. At ours there is always a few old freezers in the pile which one can take for free.
Peter & Cathy, As always a great video with a lot of important information about root cellaring and sustaining your own food. A heartfelt thanks, keep up the great work, and be safe! P.S. Awesome moose harvest and good luck deer hunting!
I think the reason we did not have root cellars in the Uk was because it ws cold enough to store foods like potatoes and such , for a long time. When I was a child , back in the 1960's, our house had an external pantry that was uninsulated, with a separate compartment for storing items that might attract varmints. I know that there were sheds to dry apples, and there were icehouses ( although for the gentry) at that time. We also used to use stone lined boxes cut into the ground for storage. Otherwise we "canned" things. Europe tends to have wetter winters than the US and Canada.
Our root cellar on the farm was also where we went during storms or tornado warnings all our produce and canning was on shelves from the floor to the ceiling.Thanks for another fine educational video.
What a great video and such a sense of satisfaction to know you #1 grew your own food and #2 you have enough. Well done. Congrats on the moose as well!!
Just love it thank you! I think it would be awesome to have one. I also want a bigger garden. One day, and you make it seem so simple to build I think my husband and I could do it. Thanks for another great video!
Very informative video! I learned a lot. That must give you a great feeling of security.👍 Also, congratulations on getting the moose!!! That is AWESOME!!!👏👏👌
Thanks for giving us a run down on the root cellar, i would love to build one some day. Both my grandparents houses had root cellars, and a pantry, no modern houses have those today.
Appreciate your efforts and dedication! Very informative. Great book reference. You mentioned storing apples, I assumed you meant outside of cellar, and if so, where and how? Thanks again, and keep your powder dry!
Yours is nicely made. There are many ways to do this. Native Americans did it long ago. You can still find their granaries. I have seen as simple as a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out and then sand for layering. The same with a metal 55 gallon barrel or an old garbage can. It is better to put a heavier insulated lid on these and you have to dig the hole. In high shool in the 1970s I helped a family dig down the side of an old concrete cistern and break a doorway in the side. I wasn't around when they vented it but it pretty much standard the way you did it. My family used an unheated section of the basement which never froze but was not warm. In The Tales From the Green Valley they used the roof loft.
I'm in central pennsylvania and just built mine this spring in my greenhouse. Small hand dug 64x60x 68 deep but fits plenty of produce from my large garden. so far is keeping a constant temp of mid 50s. I'm expecting when the ground freezes it will be 40 degrees until may. 3-400# of potatoes harvested, 5 bushels of apples and 4 bushel crates with winter squash in the cellar right now. I built mine with low tech back ups and a high tech on off that I can watch the humidity and temp from my phone so I can turn on an intake and a circulation fan to move my air around when it's cool or to move out the ethylene gas.
You might want to remove the apples and squash to a separate place, such as an unheated but draft-free attic. They emit methane gas which will cause root veg to sprout and then rot.
@pbonniejean apples emit ethylene gas. I have enough of a draft flowing thru that they will be good. Have been in there for almost 1.5 months now with no change from day 1. Good storing varieties are key tho. Good storers normally have thicker skin so they loose less over time. Air flow is key too. I've helped with the farm over the years with apples in our big cooler for 36bu bins of apples and had pumpkins and other assorted veggies with them. Heavy concentration of the gas causes them to ripen. Small amounts being moved outside keeps it at minimum. I'm also trying sawdust in there and charcoal. Both help with removing the earthy taste and the gasses. There are old journal entries of keeping sawdust on floors to help remove smells from the fruit and to slow the growing of the root veg
If you have a hill on your property digging a root cellar on the northside of the hill will keep the cellar cooler, plus it keeps the soor in the shade .
I seen that a cold cellar is 10 foot under ground with a four wide staircase leading up to the basement. The staircase acts like a chimney to keep the room under 50F. There was only two known fortress castles in history that had them. I believe they stored dried goods and probably barreled stores. "Clean and dry" which is the standard for such things.
This year our root cellar is finally in use. 8X40 it needs checking everyday and our ancestors did not eat what they wanted, they ate what looked like it will be going bad next. The wife and I think it our most important piece of equipment. All our ferments are in their and we planted many things later than normal just to get a fall harvest.
We built our root cellar under a small sitting room. It is in the ground on the east side, up against the foundation on the north side ( too bad but this is where the room is ). We insulated all walls and door that are above grade. We have a 1500 gallon cistern inside to help moderate the temperatures because it can get -30F here. We have a gravel floor. Last winter was the maiden voyage n for this and we stored potatoes, carrots, and onions in there. Mmmm I have the root cellaring book in a box since we never u packed the books because of our multi year remodeling. I must dig it out, because I thought winter squash would need a warmer temperature, so this year there is also cabbage in there, turnips, I still have the parsnips in the ground. We used foam insulation too. We are plumbing the cistern up to a hand pump on a sink above and draining it to just a drain system that goes outside via a piping system, drawing water away from the house. I think we could simplify the potatoes, because I have them in heavy wooden boxes but with leaves and straw around them.. we put our carrots in damp leaves ( learned that from Will Bonsall’s permaculture book ). But yes, we are giving away pounds of potatoes because we had 4-500 pounds of them for just the two of us. I am really careful about curing them for two weeks minimum in the barns attic then when I pack them I can clearly cull those that are damaged for immediate use. Probably going to have add some venting for the airflow. We do not have fruit in there or the squash… food security is a concern and not only that real food, I know how it was grown, and it is free of chemicals. Yup…grew up growing my own food. So a holy to have a huge garden that more than supports us.
Yes about the parsnips and carrots… heavy mulch. But I leave some parsnips in the ground because they just sweeter and better over the winter. No way those get dug in the winter. Building a root cellar in the ground on our property would require dynamite. Very rocky, lots of ledge, granite, slate ….
It’s wonderful to hear of your success and the great use you’ve put your root cellar to. We never store squash, onions or garlic in the cellar due to the high humidity. They are stored on the floor in the basement.
@ my onions are fine in the root cellar. I have them hanging on hooks in mesh bags I crocheted. The garlic is under the cellar steps in the house where the heat exchanger water heater pumps out cold dry air. I keep much of my dried food there too in buckets with gamma seal lids ( screws on lids ). The dried food includes carrots, potatoes, winter squash, apples, pears, dried cherry plums, and dried beans. I pressure can the beans on a regular schedule so that I am always canning the oldest. Initially I keep them dry to save space. I’m soak and ferment my means for 48 hours before canning. In all we are producing much more than two people can eat. We share with people in need because abuse living on a meager incomes ourselves, this is how we can contribute. E
Make it to fit your needs, its a storm cellar if you need one, its a place to store wine and cider, (if you so imbibe) . I wonder what the effect positive or negative of the acidity of the peat moss has on the bacteria growth on the vegetables?
@@TheWoodlandEscape after the tobacco crop was in the barn we would dig the potatoes and lay them on the wagon bed until almost Frost and then put them in the cellar Work good.
Love your consistently high level of detail - so much to learn from you and your channel. Thank you very much! How can I send you a direct message, please, not pertaining to a particular video?
As always, a very interesting video, what caliber did you use to bring your moose down?. the wife and I are Ip in a colonial high tea at the General Adam STEPHEN house in Martinsburg, West Virginia
What is your extreme low temperature in your area? We get sustained -30° F to -40° at times in my part of the world, so I’m trying to figure out how deep I need to bury mine when I build. I’m in a flat, so I’ll be digging down and mounding over.
@ It always amazes me when I learn of places farther north than myself that have milder winters! I must have some magical combination of Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude! Of course, living on the edge of the Great Plains, there is not much to block the wind between us and the north pole besides a couple barbed wire fences!
I was curious about that, too. In my part of Alaska, I'd guess we stay above -11F for most of the winter, but sometimes get a system in that drops it toward -30F. I just assumed it wasn't possible to have a disconnected root cellar. We have a dirt crawl space and I would love to take advantage of that somehow, but it's lined with thick insulation from an energy audit long ago. So I don't really feel comfortable cutting through it. My carrots are still doing okay in the fridge right now, thankfully. I grew a lot of them this summer. 🤤🤤🤤
@ Oh my, Randall, you’ve shattered my faith in you. And here along I’ve been telling people that my friend Randall knows everything, lol. Just messing with you. Are you going to Pricketts this year? Yours truly will be presenting.
Little off topic bumped into1 of your segments where you built a kit gun for a friend it was a left handed shooters kit Would you be able to to give me the brand name , I’ve been looking for awhile.No success.Tried Kibler they said no.Sure be appreciated. My plan is to use it for Turkey hunting
So you shot a deer, how do you keep that meat for the winter? Do you just freeze it in a freezer or do you do that as in the 1700’s? And than; how? Can you make a video about that.
Thank you for this information…. I have enjoyed this video,now I know not to cut off the roots of the cabbage,and all the root vegetables. Also keep the apples and the potatoes separate.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👏👏👏👏👏👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️🥳🥳🥳
My father built a house in the 1940's in Wisconsin complete with a victory garden. There was a root cellar off of the basement next to the coal bin. I recall the vents and the bushel baskets full of root vegetables and fruit. It stayed quite cool year round as there was air circulating. I miss those days!
Sounds like your father was a skilled homesteader, and I imagine the root cellar helped keep everyone well fed.
When I was growing up, the kitchen garden was alongside the house. During the fall, we canned everything . Grandma had a root cellar she used. During ww2, this was a "victory garden. The idea is so sound and efficient for a family or someone who's isolated on an off-grid site. Thank you again for your videos.
The best return on investment a person can make, in my humble opinion. Even if one buys from the growers the savings are significant and the food far better.
My grandparents had a root cellar under their house. It was a wonderful place to play as a little kid. I remember the big potato bins with the dirt in them.
Funny what we remember… I remember my mom always asking us to fetch something from the cellar.
Congratulations on the Moose ❤
Thank you.
Great job on the root cellar, remember we had one in the basement of our house. Dad made shelves for moms preserves, and there were bins that held potatoes and carrots. Remember we rinsed out tang cartons and put corn on the cob in them with water, then stuck those in the freezer. Great memories. Keep your powder dry and take care
It is a wonderful feeling to have a root cellar full of homegrown food. The tang cartons, we’ll stir, that’s a new one for me. Watch yer top knot.
And now a 'moose' for your larder! Happy for you Emperor Peter and Empress Catherine, as the fort will surely beckon more and more of 'your time travelers' for visits, sharings and the like. Yes, I can see a very busy time ahead for both of you. I truly believe you have had 'inspiration' assist you in the 'timing' of your fort build, it's simply amazing! There's quite a bit to know about 'root cellars' or else your veggies will rebel and leave you with 'revolting' sustenance = YIKES! Your quick final word of advice for all to build their own root cellar, are words which bear 'much weight' in these times.I thank you Proff Peter for the 'wee bits', and dear camerawoman\ artist Catherine, and the work behind these videos. Health an' blessings dear ones! "The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury." (Charlie Chaplin). The 'stuff' (luxury) you run away from! TRUE wisdom! :)
The simply root cellar can actually be the quickest return on investment one can make. As to that there luxury business, it often seems to me that people gave grown to expect it… get a job that requires the least amount of work with the most free time available.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Which is precisely 'why' we are all getting sick (lack of work) and feel unfulfilled...like walking 'empty larders'...perpetuallly looking for what will fulfill us, in 'all the wrong places'. Hence the attraction to you 'time traveler types'. "Why are 'these peiople' soOOOoo happy?" Yes, as I've said before....No Christmas gift 'gymn membership' for either you or beloved Catherine! :) You simply 'get life'!
@ My pet peeve saying that I hear often is, “killing time”!
Congratulations on getting your moose! My grandmother had a root cellar and always covered her potatoes with powdered lime. I'm not really sure why, maybe you can shed some light on that for me. Have a great weekend!
I’m sure your grandmother had her reasons. She must have had good results. I don’t have a clue as to why.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Lime "sweetens" acidic soil.
@@pbonniejean It does indeed, but I believe they were referring to covering the stored potatoes with lime.
You have all the ingredients for some great soups that coupled with some deer meat my mouth is watering just thinking about it !!
I can't wait to start making some hearty soups from the root cellar.
Thanks for all you do Peter. Another great mentoring video.
You’re very welcome. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned over the years.
Another great, funny and informative show. Thank you Peter and Kathy
Glad you enjoyed it.
I'm the first generation in my family that doesn't have to live off the garden and root cellar. But I have both anyway and glad I do
I think you made the right choice.
My great grandparents bought an 1820's farm house in 1910 , it was in the family for 4 generations, i spent meny happy hours there growing up , my brother almost burned it down playing with matches lol . The root cellar was fascinating to me as a child , the door had a brick arch with tight joints indicative of old fashioned lyme mortar , the door itself was painted pale green , it was pretty big i think , maybe 6x10 . They had the same bushel baskets and it was lined with shelves . I remember the sweet pungent smell and the cool damp air . These days im really thankful for the time I spent there . We always referred to it as " The Farm " ie " Dad were gonna ride our bikes down to the farm "
That's a great memory, it is special to be able to hold on to places like that.
Well you answered alot of my questions! The humidity requirements is interesting! That is something I never thought of! God video!
It is an important factor for a successful root cellar.
I live your root cellar. I had never thought of a refrigerator or freezer buried. Dang I had to replace my deep freeze several years ago. I could have used it. Next time my fridge or fr ever needs replaced I have one or if I find one someone discards. Thanks for the idea.
Often if you go the your local landfill site, they’ll have a metal drop off. At ours there is always a few old freezers in the pile which one can take for free.
Very interesting and through sustainability very contemporary
Thank you.
Great video! Thank you guys!!!
We appreciate you watching!
Peter & Cathy, As always a great video with a lot of important information about root cellaring and sustaining your own food. A heartfelt thanks, keep up the great work, and be safe! P.S. Awesome moose harvest and good luck deer hunting!
You are very kind, I appreciate the well wishes!
Thanks Peter,
I have been thinking about building one- great tips
Frank
Glad I could help, Frank.
Interesting, and inspiring video - thanks. You guys are cultivating a great channel.
Thanks! We're just trying to share what we've learned over the years.
I think the reason we did not have root cellars in the Uk was because it ws cold enough to store foods like potatoes and such , for a long time. When I was a child , back in the 1960's, our house had an external pantry that was uninsulated, with a separate compartment for storing items that might attract varmints. I know that there were sheds to dry apples, and there were icehouses ( although for the gentry) at that time. We also used to use stone lined boxes cut into the ground for storage. Otherwise we "canned" things. Europe tends to have wetter winters than the US and Canada.
That is some interesting storage methods, thanks for sharing.
Our root cellar on the farm was also where we went during storms or tornado warnings all our produce and canning was on shelves from the floor to the ceiling.Thanks for another fine educational video.
That sounds like a very functional design!
Great video and root cellar! thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Ingenious! Question: You used modern piping for your ventilation system. How were they ventilated in the 18th Century? Clay pipes?
Piping of many kinds was often made from wood. Water pipe for example was always made from Tamarack wood … things like the first water pumps.
What a great video and such a sense of satisfaction to know you #1 grew your own food and #2 you have enough. Well done. Congrats on the moose as well!!
It is a very satisfying feeling!
Such a great root cellar! So educational!
We hope you find it useful!
Great information! My family had a cellar when we lived in the hills of Kentucky!
Thank you, glad you found it useful.
Very informative and awesome video. Thank you for that knowledge good sir.
Glad to share, it’s a very satisfying project.
Another great video, I have never got the concept of the root cellar to be honest.
They’re quite simple and can be very effective.
Great video very informative thank you
Glad you found it helpful.
Outstanding semi 18 th century seminar , thank you for the transparency on the modern applications , now we know you are not a time traveler 😂
It is important to embrace what works best.
thanks for the great tips , i really enjoyed the video. take care
Glad you found it useful.
Just love it thank you! I think it would be awesome to have one. I also want a bigger garden. One day, and you make it seem so simple to build I think my husband and I could do it. Thanks for another great video!
It is not as hard as it looks.
Very informative video! I learned a lot. That must give you a great feeling of security.👍 Also, congratulations on getting the moose!!! That is AWESOME!!!👏👏👌
Our freezer is full of meat, that was a great moose hunt.
@@TheWoodlandEscape YAY!!
Great video. Thank you.
You are most welcome.
Excellent video - Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for giving us a run down on the root cellar, i would love to build one some day. Both my grandparents houses had root cellars, and a pantry, no modern houses have those today.
It’s a shame we lost them, they’re such a huge money saver and better food to boot.
Hi, new subscriber here!
I have a pantry, I would love to have a root cellar!
Great job!
Thanks for subscribing and welcome! You're going to love all the benefits a root cellar brings to the table.
Enjoyed the knowledge of making a root cellar, I may not have the area that I am able to make one, but someday I may. Thank you.
It’s a great project if you ever have the opportunity.
Thank you for making this
You’re most welcome.
Very informative and interesting, Peter. You have a good stock pile for the winter
Congrats on the Moose kill. Good luck deer hunting.
Thanks! We're getting ready for the long winter ahead.
Very nice! Our root cellar here in France is about 2 meters underground under our house. It almost never changes temp. All year long. Dirt floor.
That is a great cellar!
The carrots we had were delicious 😊
Happy to feed you and thanks for the help on the fort.
Great root cellar!
It’s a great way to keep your food fresh through the winter.
Appreciate your efforts and dedication! Very informative. Great book reference. You mentioned storing apples, I assumed you meant outside of cellar, and if so, where and how? Thanks again, and keep your powder dry!
Essentially in a separate cellar. Watch yer top knot.
,,Great video ,,thanks so much for sharing,,,
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yours is nicely made. There are many ways to do this. Native Americans did it long ago. You can still find their granaries. I have seen as simple as a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out and then sand for layering. The same with a metal 55 gallon barrel or an old garbage can. It is better to put a heavier insulated lid on these and you have to dig the hole. In high shool in the 1970s I helped a family dig down the side of an old concrete cistern and break a doorway in the side. I wasn't around when they vented it but it pretty much standard the way you did it. My family used an unheated section of the basement which never froze but was not warm. In The Tales From the Green Valley they used the roof loft.
There is no end to the methods people use for storing food in the winter!
👍great video
Glad you liked it.
@TheWoodlandEscape 🙂
I'm in central pennsylvania and just built mine this spring in my greenhouse. Small hand dug 64x60x 68 deep but fits plenty of produce from my large garden. so far is keeping a constant temp of mid 50s. I'm expecting when the ground freezes it will be 40 degrees until may. 3-400# of potatoes harvested, 5 bushels of apples and 4 bushel crates with winter squash in the cellar right now. I built mine with low tech back ups and a high tech on off that I can watch the humidity and temp from my phone so I can turn on an intake and a circulation fan to move my air around when it's cool or to move out the ethylene gas.
You might want to remove the apples and squash to a separate place, such as an unheated but draft-free attic. They emit methane gas which will cause root veg to sprout and then rot.
@pbonniejean apples emit ethylene gas. I have enough of a draft flowing thru that they will be good. Have been in there for almost 1.5 months now with no change from day 1. Good storing varieties are key tho. Good storers normally have thicker skin so they loose less over time. Air flow is key too. I've helped with the farm over the years with apples in our big cooler for 36bu bins of apples and had pumpkins and other assorted veggies with them. Heavy concentration of the gas causes them to ripen. Small amounts being moved outside keeps it at minimum. I'm also trying sawdust in there and charcoal. Both help with removing the earthy taste and the gasses. There are old journal entries of keeping sawdust on floors to help remove smells from the fruit and to slow the growing of the root veg
My family turned the many apples into canned sauce.
That sounds like a great setup and a lot of food.
@@MichaelCarter we did too
If you have a hill on your property digging a root cellar on the northside of the hill will keep the cellar cooler, plus it keeps the soor in the shade .
Absolutely the best orientation.
I seen that a cold cellar is 10 foot under ground with a four wide staircase leading up to the basement. The staircase acts like a chimney to keep the room under 50F. There was only two known fortress castles in history that had them. I believe they stored dried goods and probably barreled stores. "Clean and dry" which is the standard for such things.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
This year our root cellar is finally in use. 8X40 it needs checking everyday and our ancestors did not eat what they wanted, they ate what looked like it will be going bad next. The wife and I think it our most important piece of equipment. All our ferments are in their and we planted many things later than normal just to get a fall harvest.
You are wise to check daily. We used to check weekly and lost some produce.
Nice cellar
Thank you.
Oh i want one of these. I need to talk with my amish neighbor to help me build it.
You’ll not regret it!
We built our root cellar under a small sitting room. It is in the ground on the east side, up against the foundation on the north side ( too bad but this is where the room is ). We insulated all walls and
door that are above grade. We have a 1500 gallon cistern inside to help moderate the temperatures because it can get -30F here. We have a gravel floor. Last winter was the maiden voyage n for this and we stored potatoes, carrots, and onions in there. Mmmm I have the root cellaring book in a box since we never u packed the books because of our multi year remodeling. I must dig it out, because I thought winter squash would need a warmer temperature, so this year there is also cabbage in there, turnips, I still have the parsnips in the ground. We used foam insulation too. We are plumbing the cistern up to a hand pump on a sink above and draining it to just a drain system that goes outside via a piping system, drawing water away from the house. I think we could simplify the potatoes, because I have them in heavy wooden boxes but with leaves and straw around them.. we put our carrots in damp leaves ( learned that from Will Bonsall’s permaculture book ). But yes, we are giving away pounds of potatoes because we had 4-500 pounds of them for just the two of us. I am really careful about curing them for two weeks minimum in the barns attic then when I pack them I can clearly cull those that are damaged for immediate use. Probably going to have add some venting for the airflow. We do not have fruit in there or the squash… food security is a concern and not only that real food, I know how it was grown, and it is free of chemicals. Yup…grew up growing my own food. So a holy to have a huge garden that more than supports us.
Yes about the parsnips and carrots… heavy mulch. But I leave some parsnips in the ground because they just sweeter and better over the winter. No way those get dug in the winter. Building a root cellar in the ground on our property would require dynamite. Very rocky, lots of ledge, granite, slate ….
It’s wonderful to hear of your success and the great use you’ve put your root cellar to. We never store squash, onions or garlic in the cellar due to the high humidity. They are stored on the floor in the basement.
@ my onions are fine in the root cellar. I have them hanging on hooks in mesh bags I crocheted. The garlic is under the cellar steps in the house where the heat exchanger water heater pumps out cold dry air. I keep much of my dried food there too in buckets with gamma seal lids ( screws on lids ). The dried food includes carrots, potatoes, winter squash, apples, pears, dried cherry plums, and dried beans. I pressure can the beans on a regular schedule so that I am always canning the oldest. Initially I keep them dry to save space. I’m soak and ferment my means for 48 hours before canning. In all we are producing much more than two people can eat. We share with people in need because abuse living on a meager incomes ourselves, this is how we can contribute.
E
@ My hats off to you guys in your generosity. You must have a different variety of onions, ours rot very quickly in the cellar.
@@TheWoodlandEscape Stuttgart Onions
Make it to fit your needs, its a storm cellar if you need one, its a place to store wine and cider, (if you so imbibe) . I wonder what the effect positive or negative of the acidity of the peat moss has on the bacteria growth on the vegetables?
All I know is the peat moss works well.
The hardening off is more important than we know.
Indeed … adds months to good storage.
@@TheWoodlandEscape after the tobacco crop was in the barn we would dig the potatoes and lay them on the wagon bed until almost Frost and then put them in the cellar
Work good.
@ They would be hardened off quite well with your method.
Love your consistently high level of detail - so much to learn from you and your channel. Thank you very much!
How can I send you a direct message, please, not pertaining to a particular video?
You can email us at … thewoodlandescape1@gmail.com
My Grandparents used the rock walled up basement of their house as their root cellar.
That is similar to the one on the farm I grew up on.
Do you mostly eat just the meat and veggies during the winter? A basic rustic diet?
We do try and not buy much . We do have lots of dried herbs, onions and garlic to add a bit of zest to the diet.
Could you use coconut coir instead of peat moss?
Interesting, I don’t see why not.
Are mice a problem-can they get in?
So far they’ve not gotten in.
As always, a very interesting video, what caliber did you use to bring your moose down?. the wife and I are Ip in a colonial high tea at the General Adam STEPHEN house in Martinsburg, West Virginia
I used my .338 Winchester Magnum. I should have taken my flintlock. I called him into about 25 yards!
@ isn’t that good, that’s funny that’s my favorite caliber. I have a 338 win mag
@ Pretty darn hard to beat in my opinion. More energy at 500 yards than a 30-30 has the muzzle … gets the job done.
Do you also put your canned goods in your cellar. My mom used cold storage room with shelves
We don’t. We have shelving units in the basement for canned goods.
What is your extreme low temperature in your area? We get sustained -30° F to -40° at times in my part of the world, so I’m trying to figure out how deep I need to bury mine when I build. I’m in a flat, so I’ll be digging down and mounding over.
We think in Celsius, but in F around -10 to -15.
@ It always amazes me when I learn of places farther north than myself that have milder winters! I must have some magical combination of Latitude, Longitude, and Altitude!
Of course, living on the edge of the Great Plains, there is not much to block the wind between us and the north pole besides a couple barbed wire fences!
@ Heck, you’re just lucky I reckon!
I was curious about that, too. In my part of Alaska, I'd guess we stay above -11F for most of the winter, but sometimes get a system in that drops it toward -30F. I just assumed it wasn't possible to have a disconnected root cellar. We have a dirt crawl space and I would love to take advantage of that somehow, but it's lined with thick insulation from an energy audit long ago. So I don't really feel comfortable cutting through it. My carrots are still doing okay in the fridge right now, thankfully. I grew a lot of them this summer. 🤤🤤🤤
When I was a kid we would layer our potatoes with lime and put them in a dark basement
I’ve heard that from others, what did the lime do?
@TheWoodlandEscape I don't know that's what my grandparents just always did
@ Oh my, Randall, you’ve shattered my faith in you. And here along I’ve been telling people that my friend Randall knows everything, lol. Just messing with you. Are you going to Pricketts this year? Yours truly will be presenting.
@TheWoodlandEscape I'll try
Little off topic bumped into1 of your segments where you built a kit gun for a friend it was a left handed shooters kit Would you be able to to give me the brand name , I’ve been looking for awhile.No success.Tried Kibler they said no.Sure be appreciated. My plan is to use it for Turkey hunting
Try Pecatonica
❤
How would you store winter squash?
Cool and dry. A basement floor works … we simply spread newspaper and lay them out so they don’t touch. They will rot in a root cellar.
Grand Dad. Door had sawdust in it.
That would certainly work for insulation.
No need to put some wire mesh on the floor to prevent tunneling animals?
We did not have that issue, but I can see where that would be a concern.
Too bad we don’t have root cellars in south Louisiana. Water table is to high.
What grow zone are you in? I’m a 6A. Just curious how the temps in my area would compare for something like this.
We are in 5A, close to 4B.
@ have you ever recorded your spring and summer time temps in the root cellar?
@@TheWoodlandEscape Wow. I'm in central Vermont. Same hardiness zone. I'd have thought everything froze.
@ spring is fine, but it gets too warm in the summer due to soil depth over it.
❤😊😊
How do you keep rodents from getting in through vent tubes?
Some mesh panels at the end?
Wire mesh.
Oh darn now I have a new 2025 project…😏
Too funny. You’ll not be disappointed!
Canada has more energy value in peat than Saudi Arabia has in oil
I agree, but alas I can’t easily access any in my neck of the woods, lol.
So you shot a deer, how do you keep that meat for the winter? Do you just freeze it in a freezer or do you do that as in the 1700’s? And than; how? Can you make a video about that.
Salting and smoke curing or do like the Indians did and cut it very thin and simply sun dry it
We have a raised food cache that we hang quarters of meat in for about 4 months.
@ these quarters off meat, is that raw meat or smoked or dried or something else.
@ Raw quarters.
I don't believe you sort through each and every basket of P, B, C. You would need to dump out everything then reload!
I don’t sort through things in peat moss as they don’t touch so can’t rot each other. I do look through the potato bins, the turnip and the cabbage.
You ever see a bigfoot up there in Canada?
Not yet, but I keep an eye out.
There is nothing that smells more foul in vegetables that rotting potatoes.
Agreed! Especially if those stored vegetables were anaerobic - no fresh air or access to oxygen.
Yup!
These didn’t start in Australia by aboriginals.
Looked at Iran
I’ll do some more try, thanks for the feedback.
Thank you for this information…. I have enjoyed this video,now I know not to cut off the roots of the cabbage,and all the root vegetables. Also keep the apples and the potatoes separate.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👏👏👏👏👏👏🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺☮️☮️☮️☮️☮️🥳🥳🥳
Glad you enjoyed the video!