Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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ROOT CELLARS:A HOMESTEADER'S GUIDANCE
http://www.floydcountyinview.com/rcguidance.html

See also book Root Cellaring: the simple no-processing way to store fruits
and
vegetables, by Bubel, Mike, and Bubel, Nancy # ISBN: 0878572775
http://www.biblio.com/books/88993174.html
# Publisher: Rodale Press
--------------
A root cellar is a must for any latitude, even in the far south where
temperatures within it may not reach ideal levels between 32 and 40 degrees
F. The fact is, even under the warmest climate conditions, the colder you
can keep any food (with few exceptions), the longer it will last. Even if
some manage to equip their shelters with refrigerators and freezers, they
can not be sure that they'll have the electricity to run them? Therefore,
for bulk storage under unreliable tribulation circumstances, a large root
cellar or two is the wisest choice. If they can keep food edible for even a
month longer than the case would be without them, cellars will be
indispensable additions to all our efforts. Include at least one in your
plans like you would include your food, because much of your food will
depend upon it.

A root cellar and a cold cellar are the same thing. If there is a
difference, it would merely be that root cellars are often separate units
from a house, often dug into the side of a hill and buried fully on three
sides except for the front. Also, a root cellar does not usually have, as
basement cold cellars do, a concrete floor. The main purpose of a root
cellar is to keep fresh vegetables fresh as long as possible into the
winter or spring months. Therefore, it calls for a high humidity of 80%-
90% in order to keep vegetables from losing their moisture and shriveling
up. A damp soil floor provides this condition best. A concrete floor will
provide a lower humidity, but this is a better condition for some
vegetables. Some root cellars wisely include two rooms, one with, and one
without, a concrete floor. When storing dried vegetables, they'll need the
driest and coldest conditions possible, which is why a root cellar will
have importance far beyond its ability to keep fresh vegetables. Although a
root cellar is not by any means dry, with or without a concrete floor, it's
cool temperatures will make it an ideal place for dried foods if they can
be stored in air-tight containers or bags.

Therefore, if some of us are destined to be in arid lands where humidity is
low and soils are dry, make sure to build a root
cellar anyway. Though fresh vegetables and fruits won't go as far in them,
dried ones will more than make up for the fact. And since the arid regions
are ideal for drying foods in the sun, there will be plenty of dried foods
to store in a root cellar.While the ideal root-cellar combination for fresh
foods is low temperature and high humidity, the worst situation is not, as
we might first expect, high temperatures and low humidity. The worst would
be high temperatures and high humidity because this combination is best for
nurturing bacteria, molds and yeasts. Therefore, in the ideal conditions,
the valued high-humidity factor is actually best for the growth of
infectious micro-organisms. However, there is a trade-off because humidity
maintains freshness, and freshness is important to the modern consumer. Low
temperatures (above freezing) are then needed to counter the bacteria/mould
problems created by high humidity. If we dropped the humidity level
somewhat and sacrificed some freshness in the process, the rot factor would
be reduced also, creating a better survival situation, in my opinion.
Indeed, the best combination for dealing with rot becomes low temperatures
and low humidity, where at 32 degrees F. and zero humidity we would net
rot-free, albeit, completely dried (shriveled) foods. Although nature does
not provide zero humidity conditions in any region, very low levels of
water in cellar air would be just fine if we take into consideration that
shriveled foods can always have their water re-instated during cooking or
soaking. But so what if an apple shrinks some? The only thing it will lose
is water, but the nutrients and the edibility, which are of utmost
importance to us, are not affected. When we are hungry, safe-to-eat
shriveled foods will taste mighty awesome! Understand that there is a
difference between infected and shriveled. 

Now, I'm not trying to suggest that you aim for shriveled foods. The point
I want to make is that not all is lost if a cellar has
fairly high temperatures and low humidity, as would be the case in Texas.
The rotting induced by the higher temperatures will be offset to a point by
the lower humidity. Great root-cellar difficulties lie in hot southern
states where regional humidity is also high. Unrefrigerated food storage in
these areas will be difficult in most months of the year. However, don't
take my word alone for it; research the possibilities yourself.

For hot, dry regions like western Texas--if you are after freshness for
garden produce--you'll want to expolit as much soil dampness as possible so
that you don't want concrete floors. Indeed, having no walls at all would
net maximum humidity, but be aware of the problems. A mere hole in the
ground to act as a root cellar will allow rodents to get in and seize your
treasures. If you could properly drape chicken wire on the soil walls, that
might keep them out. You can always carry your own water into the cellar
and dampen the soil If you want a dry cellar for dried foods, a cheaper and
easier alternative to stone or concrete walls is plywood and wood studding.
To keep rodents with sharp teeth out, metal screening tacked to the
plywood, and overlapped a good distance at the joints, would work fine. To
keep the plywood from rotting, it should be sealed with an exterior-grade
varathane or a coat of hard-drying tar. Take precautions with the toxic
chemicals in pressure-treated plywood. By using the studding method, you
can easily insulate (between some, or all, studs) if it becomes necessary
to alter humidity/temperature. You might buy the insulation and install it
anyway, whether you think you'll need it or not, as you can always take it
out at will. The only drawback to this method is that water may get in
through the joints of the plywood, especially at ground level. Heap dirt
above/around it so that rain water drains away and no pools form nearby.
Figure a way to seal the plywood joints and don't treat this job with too
little care. Standing water in your cellar will spoil food sitting on the
floor and will be a major headache to deal with. If you caulk the studs at
the joints before applying the plywood to them, then caulk directly in the
joints afterwards, and finally adhere a 4-inch wood strap to each joint
using the caulk as a glue, you should be water-tight for the few years that
you'll need the cellar. But frost can do a lot of damage, so screw, rather
than nail, the plywood to the studs to prevent joints from opening, and
while you're at it, screw the 4-inch straps to the studs.

To avoid freezing of cellar foods, build a pantry over the root cellar, and
let the pantry be larger by a few feet all around; 
the more northerly the location, the further out from all cellar walls it
should span. Keep in mind that this will also keep the root cellar drier,
which may or may not be what you want, and that it will help keep rodents
out, which is exactly what you want. Indeed, the size of the over-head
pantry (or whatever else you want to call the structure) as it relates to
the root-cellar dimensions will affect the cellar in various ways. Apart
from mimimizing frost and rain moisture, it will reduce the heat from the
sun's rays, which, in most cases, is what you want. Whereas the soil around
the cellar may receive less rain moisture, whatever moisture it does get
will dry less quickly since the sun's heat will also be kept a distance
from that soil, while the over-head pantry floor will reduce the
evaporation of soil water even further.

Create a perfectly flat ceiling in the cellar. The more protrusions there
are in building materials (i.e. joists and beams), the more area there will
be for condensation to form. This means more drips and puddles on your
shelves and in your food baskets. You want humidity for fresh vegetables,
yes, but in the air, not pools in the containers. If your ceiling or roof
structure is wood beams or rafters, nail unfinished plywood (definitely not
pressure-treated) to the inside of them. Leave it natural, and clean it up
so that whatever drips you do get won't come with unwanted germs.

The root cellar needs temperature control pipes, which are a simple matter
to install. Because hot air rises, put an exhaust
pipe 6 inches in diameter at the top of the room, going straight out the
ceiling into the pantry. Screen the top of the pipe to keep flies and mice
out, and add a dust cover suspended an inch or two above the screen. A
second pipe for intake through a wall near the floor will allow cold air to
come in as hot air rises out the exhaust pipe. Since the location of the
intake pipe's hole in the wall will be underground, the pipe will need to
rise to the atmosphere above the surface of the ground. Of course, this
pipe must reach the atmosphere outside the pantry. Put an elbow on the end
of this exterior pipe (but don't glue it on) and point it north to receive
the coldest air currents when you need them. Turn the elbow away from the
north if you need to warm things up in the cellar, or if you need winds
from other directions for cooling. But don't plug it for long periods
because you need the constant air circulation in the cellar to remove
air-borne molds. When you build shelving, do not let the back of shelves
contact the cellar walls, as this restricts air circulation around shelves
and promotes molds on foods. Leave a 3-inch gap. 

Some root cellars are completely buried and must be entered by stairs. If
the cellar is built on the side of a hill, however, the front wall may be
left completely unburied so that it can be entered without stairs through a
standard door. If coolness is a priority, as it will be in Texas, then bury
the cellar completely. A stairwell can be dug just outside a cellar wall
with a landing at the bottom, where an insulated door can be installed
leading into the cellar. Alternatively, the stairs may lead directly into
the cellar with a door on the ceiling/roof. 

Much of the information I am using here is from the book, ROOT
CELLARING(Mike and Nancy Bubel, Rodale Press). Their latest books can be
obtained from http://www.amazon.com. I have been able to get a good bit of
pertinent information. The authors claim that with proper management and
air conditions, the following foods (in the upper latitudes of the US) can
be enjoyed in the following months fresh endive in December, tender, savory
Chinese cabbage in January; juicy apples in February, crisp, fresh carrots
in March; and sturdy unsprayed potatoes in April--all without boiling a
jar, blanching a vegetable, or filling a freezer bag" For  survival, it is
not necessary that we have "tender," "savory," and "crisp" vegetables.
Therefore, under the same climatic circumstances, we could have the
above-named vegetables one or two months later and still be pleased. And if
this is the sort of success story that Mike and Nancy got with exposed
plants, imagine what we could do with plastic containers, plastic bags, and
dried foods in the same cool conditions. We should easily be able to
sustain ourselves with crops alone until the next harvest. Yet, we could
plan to store foods that last much longer than vegetables in the first
place. In all, the authors say they could keep 33 different vegetables in
open storage, and that spells variety on top of survival.

FRESH FOOD LONGEVITY

It is important to harvest vegetables at their peak, "neither
underdeveloped nor past their prime," for best longevity results
in cold storage. It is also important to treat them all with special care
because the slightest bruising invites molds and bacteria, and these then
spread to others vegetables. As soon as you see a rotting or molding
section of any vegetable, get rid of it. Slice off the bad part and eat the
rest, or throw it into the compost heap. Inspect the foods often. The
longer into the winter or spring we can eat our produce, the better.
Therefore, it is important to time the harvest at the latest possible date.
As well as planting vegetables as early as possible in the spring to be
able to eat them as soon as possible in late summer or early fall, plant a
sizable crop later than usual so that their peak arrives only in the nick
of time before the killing frost. This late crop will represent your fresh
supply of food in winter, so don't skimp. Plant lots of cool weather crops
in this later phase, not just because they can survive some frost and last
longer in the soil than other vegetables, but because, as any good gardener
knows, many cool-weather crops taste better after frost has nipped them.
Among these are parsnips, salsify, kale, Brussel sprouts, collards, and
Chinese cabbage. What's more, rooted vegetables can safely stay in the
ground past the first frosts too. Every vegetable has its unique period of
growth, and you'll need a good book on gardening to know the lengths of
each one in order to time their harvests as late as you can. Take into
consideration that vegetables planted later will grow slower in the cooler
months of fall. 

Some factors in the gardening department add to storage life. For example,
potatoes grown in sandy soils last longer in storage than those grown in
heavy soils. According to studies, both fruits and vegetables grown in soil
with high potash levels store better and longer than others. Wood ashes,
which should be in abundant supply, are a good source of potash. Manure is
also a good source of potassium. So store the ashes all winter long where
the wind won't blow them away, and any manure your animals provide can be
collected at the first thaw, but don't over-dose your garden soil. You
might think that adding plenty of fertilizer is good, but whereas you will
get a larger yield, high levels of nitrogen will increase the rate at which
some vegetables age, even after they've been picked, thus reducing their
cellar shelf life. Therefore, you have the choice between larger vegetables
with a reduced shelf life, or smaller ones with an increased shelf life
Understand that by adding plenty of nitrogen to the soil apart from adding
plenty of leaves, grass, food scraps, vines, etc., you're doing more harm
than good. The soil's nitrogen content is required by the bacteria which
eat up organic matter, and it is very desirable. if there's an organic
target in the soil other than the roots of your vegetables. As the organic
scraps (compost) in the soil are broken down by bacteria, heat is released.
This is the magic pill that makes plants grow. For as the heat expands in
the soil, it forces its way into roots. As it does so, it pushes along all
water and nutrient contents in the soil so that they too are forced into
the roots. The heat-energy then rises up the plants and propels all water
and nutrients to rise with it. The more heat in the soil, the more water
and nutrients enter the root and pass through the stems, and the bigger and
more succulent the plants. Remember this key for your greenhouse, and keep
the soil warm. Elevated tables, off the floor, are ideal. If there is not
enough nitrogen in the soil, or not enough organic matter, heat production
will be stunted, and growth of plants will suffer accordingly. Don't
overdose the soil with fertilizer, or too much heat will be produced,
leading to root burn. If plants take in too much water in relation to
nutrients, they will not last as long in the cellar, stressing the
importance of a garden soil that drains well. Don't over-water. Clearly,
aside from root-cellaring information, you must get a book which discusses
soil preparation, for the two are, surprisingly, related. Many books on
vegetable gardening will include a section on preparing soil.

The whole idea of cold storage is to decrease the natural metabolism of the
food so that it doesn't age itself into mush. If adding heat causes plants
to grow, removing heat causes growth (and all chemical reactions) to be
suspended. Aside from infections, fruits and vegetables can be destroyed by
their natural respiration process, as the addition of oxygen changes their
chemical states into something we don't care to eat. In some cases,
vitamins are also lost with the process. Blanching (dipping in hot water),
or other treatments, will retard/stop aging. Peas only require one minute
in boiling water to stop the aging process, but corn on the cob needs 10
minutes. Most other vegetables fall between these two extremes. Blanching
is a good way to save foods that are about to go bad, when no other
preservation method is available to save them. However, if you like fresh
carrots and apples as opposed to cooked, or partially cooked, ones, build
yourself an excellent root cellar.  Freezing is fine for some fresh
vegetables and destructive to others (e.g. potatoes). However, you'll want
to avoid completely, with all vegetables, the repeated freezing and thawing
that can take place in root cellars from week to week. Build your cellar so
that you can prohibit freezing if you so desire, but it wouldn't hurt to
have a second cellar where foods are deliberately kept frozen in winter, to
be unthawed and used as desired.

Common fruits like apples, peaches, plums, pears and tomatoes release
ethylene gas in storage, and while small amounts will not affect other
storage foods, it speeds up their aging process somewhat, not to mention
that it makes some vegetables, like carrots, bitter. Keeping temperatures
below 45 degrees F will keep the release of this chemical to allowable
limits, but it is best to store large amounts of these fruits separately if
the longevity of other shelf foods is the goal. If your roots are sprouting
in a cold cellar, this chemical may be the cause. Cold weather at the
garden site at harvest time is a positive factor because vegetables are
prone to store more sugars and starch and less water in these periods.
Having a lower water content, they are made of more stuff, and this keeps
their water content from evaporating as easily on the shelf. Mike and Nancy
suggest leaving the vegetables in the soil as long as possible by covering
them with 12 to 18 inches of mulch (dried leaves, grass, straw, etc.) to
keep them from freezing. As they can be kept in the ground for two to four
weeks longer by this method, not only are they skirting deterioration all
the while, as would be the case on a cellar shelf, but they are storing up
more sugars and starch so that they last longer on that shelf when
ultimately they
need to move there.

There's no reason why we couldn't reap additional benefits by replanting
some vegetables in the cellar, after the winter temperatures become too
hazardous for their outdoor existence. Of course, don't replant them in the
hardened soil floor, but in cases filled with sand or loose soil. This will
keep some rooted vegetables for up to one month longer. Or, you can
simply heap the vegetables on the cellar floor and cover them with damp,
loose soil.

We'll have lots of time to wrap all fresh foods in water-tight plastic bags
or containers, and you'll net crispier carrots as opposed to rubber ones.
To keep cellars fully moist, just hang wet towels or keep pots of water on
the floors. For drastic action, wet the floors. If there is a layer of
loose gravel over a dirt floor, not only will the water splashed over it
evaporate more quickly and for a longer period, but the floor will be
cleaner for the treads of your shoes. Mike and Nancy bury some vegetables
in moist saw dust.  They also drape moist cloths over-top of the bushels or
crates of food when needed.

Bring most vegetables and fruits into the root cellar immediately after
harvesting. Some vegetables, however, such as
onions and garlic, need to be dried in the sun for a week before dry cellar
storage. Squash and pumpkins need two weeks in the sun to develop a hard
rind, and they need a warm cellar. Sweet potatoes also need to be cured. If
you didn't know these basic things, then you need an appropriate book
before you spoil your first harvest learning the hard way. Go to
amazon.com, and search for Mike and Nancy Bubel.

Do not clean the vegetables before storage as this will risk bruising.
Leave them covered in a layer of dirt if that is how they arrive. Shake off
large clumps of dirt, of course, but be gentle. To reduce the clumps,
harvest in dry weather. Do not cut the tips of roots off or slice any parts
of perfect vegetables as this will invite bacteria to form colonies. Cut
off most of the leafy stems of root vegetables to inhibit the escape of
water, but leave an inch to keep bacteria from getting into the tops of
roots. The tops of beets and parsnips are themselves edible, so take
advantage.

If 33% or more of the cellar food is spoiling, something is very wrong.
It's likely humidity, temperature, or ventilation that is the cause. Clear
out the cellar air routinely using the intake and exhaust pipes, even if a
temperature change is not  needed. This will remove air-borne molds and
other unwanted, invisible creatures. A small percentage of waste is
expected so that we should plan on it by growing more to offset it. Eat the
foods that are spoiling first. Cut out the bad parts, or cook them if they
are merely bruised. You can even make a nice syrup, sauce, or juice by
squeezing any fruit/vegetable that is just beginning to go bad. There are
fewer cases of food poisoning from vegetable-based bacteria, though
dangerous toxins can be produced from some molds. Beware the deadly
botulism. 65% who get it don't live through it. This micro-organism grows
where oxygen is absent, and that means there's a chance that every
vacuum-packed jar or plastic wrap might contain it. If the can or lid is
bloated, don't eat it. If it smells bad, don't eat it. If you're going to
die, try to die peacefully.

Make your cellar at least 12 x 12 feet. You might make two of them that
large, side by side, one drier than the other. Remember, root cellars are
keys to survival. Plan on storing enough preserved foods to live on for one
entire year, until the next harvest, and view the fresh produce as a bonus.
Plan twice as much food as you think you'll need, both as insurance, and in
case someone comes knocking on your door for aid. Consider anyone who comes
knocking as your laborer. If they won't work, why should you feed them?

The following are root-cellar products that are best stored in cold and
very moist conditions (32-40 degrees F and 90-95%
relative humidity):Beets, collards, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrots,
turnips, radishes, rutabagas, parsnips, Jerusalem
artichokes, celery, salsify, celeriac, parsley, Brussel sprouts, leeks, and
kohlrabi.

The following products do best in the same temperatures but a slightly
reduced humidity (80-90%):Potatoes, endive,  escarole, cabbage,
cauliflower, quince, apples, pears, oranges, grapefruit, and grapes.

The following do best in 40-45-degree cellars with a relative humidity of
85-90%:Cucumbers, cantaloupe, eggplant, tomatoes, watermelon, and sweet
peppers.

Reduce the temperature and humidity of the following vegetables (35-40
degrees and 60-70%):Garlic, onions and green
soybeans in the pod.

The following need high temperatures and lower humidity (50-60 degrees and
60-70%):Hot peppers, sweet potatoes,
pumpkins, winter squash, and green tomatoes.

You're not going to have a separate root cellar for every different
category, but you can work around the less-than-ideal conditions in a
number of ways. If the temperature is too cold for some foods, take them
out and put them in the attic or an enclosed porch. You can also section
off the pantry to have two different temperature conditions. Use your wit
to create different places around your house which provide the best
possible endurance conditions for various crops.

The following list provides the near upper limits of preservation times for
vegetables kept in their ideal conditions, so long
as they are kept in air-tight wraps or covered with a damp material (saw
dust, towel, dirt, etc.). If you know temperature and/or humidity
conditions will not be ideal, reduce their shelf life accordingly. Remember
that they will often remain edible longer than the times given. Although
every case will not be exactly the same, use this list as a guide for
determining how many vegetables of certain kinds you will plant. For
example, the guide makes it plain that you should plant lots of potatoes
and carrots as they might last 4-6 months, while you wouldn't plant too
much broccoli since it keeps in a good condition only for weeks. Where
specific times were not available, I have entered "long keeper" or "good
keeper," and you can plan on growing lots of these with confidence. Leafy
vegetables are not included as they are generally not good keepers in their
fresh states, not at all meaning that you shouldn't plant any (you can
always preserve them in other ways). Remember also that you can extend the
upper limits by keeping them in the garden longer while protecting them
from freezes, or by replanting them on the cellar shelf/floor. Don't be
fooled by writers who give carrots, for example, a mere 7-14 days in the
refrigerator, even when wrapped in plastic bags. If your not the queen, you
can handle eating carrots after months in a cool spot, and if they are
rubbery after a certain time, you can boil or fry them up to gather in
their vitamins. You can preserve them as relishes in vinegar at any time if
you don't like how they have come to taste in the fresh state, or cook them
in broth/stews.

Beets 4-5 months
Broccoli 1-2 weeks
Brussels Sprouts 3-5 weeks
Cabbage (long keepers)
Chinese Cabbage 1-2 months
Carrots 4-6 months
Cauliflower 2-4 weeks
Celery (long keepers)
Chives (not a root-cellar crop
Collards 1-2 weeks
Cucumbers 2-3 weeks
Eggplant 1-2 weeks
Horse Radish (long keeper
Jerusalem Artichokes 1-2 months
Kohlrabi (long keepers)
Leeks N/A
Onions (good keeper
Parsnips 1-2 months
Pepper (long keepers)
Sweet Potatoes (long keeper)
Potatoes 4-6 months
Pumpkin (good keeper)
Radishes 2-3 months
Rutabagas 2-4 months
Salsify (good keeper)
Soybeans (long keepers)
Squash 4-6 months
Tomatoes 1-2 months
Turnips (long keepers)

A good idea is to get a spare refrigerator in the basement, and set it to
the temperature that you expect your root celler to maintain in winter, and
then do some testing of store-bought fruits and vegetables, keeping records
of how long they last, etc. On a smaller scale, you could do this in your
regular refrigerator.

The following lists give you an idea of how long certain vegetables can
keep in the garden soil before the cold weather demands their removal
indoors. Generally, the less susceptible they are to frost, the longer you
can keep them in the ground past their maximums using a 12-18-inch covering
of mulch. You'll need a good book on gardening to tell you what their
maximum outdoor stays should be. If you incorporate a greenhouse in your
plans, you'll be able to go further into the winter before shelving
vegetables in a root cellar or cool pantry. In fact, a greenhouse could
assure winter-long fresh foods apart from a root cellar, but don't rule a
cellar out of your plans by any means; you never know if you will always be
able to keep the greenhouse warm enough to work.

Very Susceptible to Frost:Cucumbers, Eggplant,Lettuce, Squash, Sweet
Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Pumpkins.

Moderately Susceptible to Frost:Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage(young), Carrots,
Cauliflower, Escarole, Garlic, Onions, Celery, Spinach, Parsley, Peas,
Radishes.

Least Susceptible to Frost:Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage(mature), Collards,
Kale, Kohlrabi, Parsnips, Salsify, Turnips.