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Root Cellaring...natur...
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Root Cellaring...natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables
Root cellaring, as many people remember but only a few people still practice, is a way of using the earth's naturally cool, stable temperature to store perishable fruits and vegetables. Root cellaring, as Mike and Nancy Bubel explain here, is a no-cost, simple, low-technology, energy-saving way to keep the harvest fresh all year long.
In Root Cellaring, the Bubels tell how
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Published
(first published 1979)
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As I starve for fruits and vegetables in my diet I find a book such as this to be divine. Things learned so far: 1. Gardening is the management of the soil since it is a most complex substance that one may ever have to deal with. 2. Regarding vegetables grown from ones own garden makes one lives/retire to complacency and a declaration of independence. So as an apartment dweller I cannot be complacent but displaced. Finished and returned to the library.
I am suffering from paranoia since I feel l...more
I am suffering from paranoia since I feel l...more
Great information: the why and the how with plenty of details to actually get started.
If you have ever wondered how Ma in "Little House in the Big Woods" kept all her produce and harvest bounty so that Laura had good things to eat in January and never developed scurvy, this book answers all your questions. I can't believe there are so many methods to storing produce, besides canning and freezing, and I can't believe that I didn't know them before my 37th year. I did, after all, live in Iowa for the first decade of my life. Genetically I'm programmed to understand agriculture and...more
This book gives a lot of great information not just on root cellaring! It makes root cellaring approachable for anyone, even if you don't have and actual "root cellar." I especially enjoyed the first half of this book that gives information on when to start different vegetables and different ways for storing them. Recommended!
May 08, 2010
Mary
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
garden-and-food
Okay, call me fruity if you like (pun intended!) but I want to do this. The appeal to be completely self-sufficient is like a siren's song to me.
Good thing I've stuck wax in my ears and tied myself to a mast...
(3 stars for the boredom factor, but wow what a lot of ideas it gave me!)
Good thing I've stuck wax in my ears and tied myself to a mast...
(3 stars for the boredom factor, but wow what a lot of ideas it gave me!)
We grow, forage and store most of our food, and this book is one of our most beloved and well used references. An essential, practical and well explained guide to food storage in bulk using time-tested methods not dependent upon the teat of the power company.
"This is a truly comprehensive reference on root cellaring: selection of storage vegetables, planting strategies, storage techniques, construction information on various styles of root cellars, descriptions of actual root cellars, and recipes to use with storage vegetables. The book is well-organized and thorough, with good illustrations and photos, as well as nice reference tables. I felt the descriptions of actual root cellars dragged and wasn't excited by many of the recipes they suggested (i...more
Three stars as i think the book too quickly makes the assumption that there is a time where the ground is frozen in all areas. Living near the SF bay it just doesn't get that cold here. Even still there were lessons to be learned about how/where to store goodies. There are inventive ideas like under existing porches and in closets along side the giant built structures or full basement conversions. The explanations were extremely detailed with great diagrams and easy to understand.
While I don't store food in root cellars in my own life, I found this book invaluable in my dissertation research, which dealt in food storage and archaeology.
Apr 25, 2010
Lynne
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
environment-and-food
An excellent resource for anyone looking for ways to preserve fresh fruit and vegetables. Some are simple, some require construction... it's all a matter of what you need and are able to do. Cellaring requires little to no energy use, and virtually anyone can find suitable space and materials.
I can't imagine there is a better book out there on this subject.
I can't imagine there is a better book out there on this subject.
Another great reference to have on-hand when it comes time to store food over the winter.
Good information - we're just not ready to take on these projects just yet.
Jan 02, 2010
Jeffrey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
home,
sustainability
Great book for anyone who cooks with produce a lot. Even for those of us with no hope of digging a hole in the ground, it gives appropriate storage techniques that can be used by anyone who has ever had a piece of fruit or a veggie go bad before it was eaten.
Due to circumstances, I have been living on a lot of food storage. The body does not like too much dry and processed food. A dear friend of mine sent me this book on preserving garden produce in a more natural state. Thank you! Next year will be so much easier! I'm still reading it, but it has suggestions on which types of plants to grow, when to harvest them, and how to store them. If you don't have a root cellar it doesn't matter. The book seems to provide many alternative ideas on how to stor...more
Jul 30, 2012
Click Clack Gorilla
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
post-apocalyptic-nonfiction
Great resource for planning your own root cellar. A little boring to read if you're not yet to the stage when you'll be building one soon, but full of exact plans, first-hand stories, and recipes. I was particularly impressed by a root cellar made by burying most of a large truck.
A good book for building a root cellar. Includes information on what temperate and condition to keep numerous vegetables as well as many options for creating space both inside the house and out to keep those vegetable through the winter. There are excellent suggestions on where and how to build a storage facility to leave our home grown or locally grown produce in good shape for eating right through until spring.
Dec 06, 2008
Kristen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nature-gardening-natural-history
Useful tips on storing food without having to can it. Who knew that attics are good places to keep winter squash?
Has almost as much about how to plan, grow, and harvest food for root cellaring as it does about making a root cellar (makes sense, of course). Pretty awesome. I like that it has very detailed fancy options, but also descriptions of people doing things much more simply. And that there are plenty of options that work if you're not out in the country. Looking forward to trying some of this ourselves next season!
Wouldn't it be great to have your own fresh veges all winter long that you grew yourself! I thinks so but I was a little disappointed that it is so complicated. Different vegetables need to be stored at different temperatures etc. There are lots of ways to do it though. At least you can easily store winter squash in your basement at a warmer temperature and they will last nicely.
Actually only read parts of this, mostly because I'm pretty sure that there is no way I'm going to construct a root cellar in our backyard. But I think I'm reasonably reassured that it might be possible to store winter onions in our sunroom, so it's not be a complete waste. Might be worth having around for future reference, for a different location or a harder time, perhaps.
I loved this book, and thought it was very comprehensive and easy-to-read. Of course, this comes from the perspective of someone who knew absolutely nothing about root cellaring before I read the book. There are black and white photos and diagrams that show you how to build a root cellar, but you may have to do some supplemental research.
Using this book, I built a wonderful and functional root cellar in an unheated basement room. This winter, it is keeping a temperature of around 38 degrees. It's like having a walk-in fridge. It is filled with veggies from the summer garden, plus my canning. It cost me about $35 in insulation and materials. A gem.
Very comprehensive book on root cellaring--truly the bible it was claimed to be. It made me mourn the dirt-floored section in our basement that we covered over with cement. Why? Oh why? How will we ever achieve 90-95% humidity now. Wail.
Aug 03, 2007
rose
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reference,
read-in-2007
being something of a reference book, i can't truly say i've "read" it. i will use this book, however, if we ever have a surplus that we're not canning. the authors are passionate about root cellars and therefore, it's actually pretty interesting.
Really thorough. I will definitely buy a copy of my own if/when I ever own a house and want to build or renovate and use a root cellar.
I didn't get a chance to read the whole thing before it was due back at the library, but it was very interesting to skim through it and get some ideas. It definitely got my wheels turning...
Root cellars are what we had before refridgerators. They don't use power, either . . . can't be too bad, and ideal conditions for winemaking, cheese making, and fermenting.
Aug 14, 2008
Junio
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who want to store fresh produce
Recommended to Junio by:
My Dad
Shelves:
green,
homesteading
This is the go-to guide for root cellaring. If there's something you need to know and it's not in this book, then it ain't root cellaring.
Great reference book
Awesome! I just can't wait till my root cellar it done! It tell me what veggies need what temps, great for anyone wanting to store fruits and veggies.
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