Root cellars are small underground buildings designed to store produce in cool earth until needed for cooking. A root cellar could range from an underground pit dug by your house’s foundation all the way through to elaborate multi-roomed structures excavated into hill sides, all filled with sawdust for insulation purposes that keeps moisture at bay and prevents rot from setting in.
Root cellars are typically constructed below the frost line to take advantage of nature’s cooling powers. Most are ventilated, while some feature sand floors to help reduce rot. They often include doors either set at an angle or flat on the ground, and some include walls for protection from rain or snow.
One root cellar owner prefers placing hers in a sunny spot and using a simple system of covering and uncovering vents to regulate temperatures and keep the sand floor dry during winter, in order to use her cellar for root vegetables that need temperatures between 34 degrees Fahrenheit (about -3 Celsius) and 36 degrees Fahrenheit (1 centigrade). Trish has found that by filling her cellar with moist sawdust she can keep its moisture levels optimal without experiencing shriveling of vegetables.
Another root cellar owner uses a wood-burning stove to keep their cellar at an even temperature in winter, using her cellar not for long-term storage but more as an alternative to freezer storage for vegetables like potatoes, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants.
As part of an interpretive center at Lincoln and Caroline Erskine’s former homestead in Jacksonport, a crew is digging to access an existing depression in the ground in order to construct this historic root cellar, while simultaneously increasing safety and accessibility.
Once complete, this facility will provide visitors with an opportunity to view a root cellar and hear from local residents about its importance for food preservation. In addition, workshops and educational programs on homesteading will take place here as part of this root cellar project which has received grants from both the National Park Service and Aratani Foundation to develop exhibits that showcase both its history as well as how replicate it can be recreated in future installations.
Root Cellar Lodging provides an excellent resource to learn more about this historic practice of root cellar storing food correctly and the basics of its operation. The book discusses why root cellars are superior to cold rooms, how you can design one yourself, and when monitoring conditions in your root cellar will work best for your food products. With careful planning and regular monitoring a root cellar can become a valuable way of providing year-round access to fresh, local foods – but don’t expect riches by digging one yourself!