Root cellars can be an effective way to store food. By keeping the surrounding soil cool and damp, root cellars protect produce from rotting, bruised fruit, and the loss of nutrients by protecting from rot. Root cellars should ideally be built underground to take advantage of natural soil moisture; their underground location also helps the cellar remain colder – both essential elements for successful long-term storage. There are various methods for building one; you could even repurpose an old refrigerator or freezer as long as there’s ventilation; alternatively building one from scratch using earthbags (an earthbag root cellar is more permanent; constructed using bags filled with soil mixed from clay clay sand gravel for sturdy walls); they tamp down on these bags creating sturdy walls containing soil mixed from clay sand gravel that are then tamped down against the walls creating sturdy walls.
Building an earthbag root cellar begins by first digging out an area large enough for it, and making sure it drains well. After filling each bag with excavated soil and tamping it down, repeat this process until a solid wall forms – making sure its corners stay cooler by curving instead of straightening your walls! This allows water to flow around them instead of pooling up on them in corners.
Once the walls are completed, you can install shelves and other structures as desired. It is essential that you choose a location with adequate drainage and insulation; installing a sloping door or drainage ditches outside will help keep it dry during rainstorms. Be sure to include intake/outlet vents so air can move through freely while gases such as those released by apples/pears escape through vents.
Some homeowners use sand to increase humidity in their root cellar, however this can become messy quickly as it sticks to shoes and gets tracked into the house – not ideal. Applying a layer of cement to the floor provides an effective way of increasing humidity while still remaining dry; plus it improves drainage.
This article is taken from Stewart and Shannon Stonger’s book The Doable Off Grid Homestead as a resource. Available both as hardcover and electronic books versions of this resourceful guidebook, click here to purchase.
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An earthbag root cellar is an economical and long-term way to store harvest. Learn how to build one in this article from Stewart and Shannon Stonger of The Doable Off Grid Homestead, originally published in the Fall 2014 issue of The Simple Homestead magazine. Our grateful thanks go out to all our partners who support our work; without their support our work would not be possible! Simple Homestead magazine is independently owned, created by a small group passionate about self-reliance, sustainability, and preserving the environment and is not associated with any government agencies or corporations.