Root Cellar Progress

Last week we had harvested the bulk of the carrots.  This week we harvested the rest of the carrots, beets, and celery root.  Today I got the celery root in sand in the tubs in the root cellar and the rest of the carrots sorted and in tubs over the barrel of carrots we harvested previously. Tomorrow I will get the beets in the next barrel.  Then we will bring in the kohlrabi, rutabagas, and …

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Root Cellaring

Yes, we can eat local produce year around!  Our grandparents had root cellars.  They stored fruits and roots and jars of preserved food so they could eat what they grew throughout the year in a cold climate.  We have a root cellar.  In addition to things like jars of tomato sauce, applesauce, and pressure canned soup stock, we store vegetables in a barrel in sand.    We have found the vegetables keep better in sand.  …

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Root Cellar Done!

Each fall we fill the root cellar for winter sales and our own use.  This fall was so warm Ken has been harvesting later than usual and I have just finished getting some items in boxes and some roots buried in sand.  Damp towels keep crops moist.  Dry storage for squash and onions and garlic is upstairs in a dry cool corner       Now I move on to book keeping and seed orders.  …

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Root Cellaring Begins!

Each fall we move produce from the field, sort and store several crops for winter use: potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi, rutabagas in the root cellar, and squash, onions, and garlic in cool, dry storage.  Yesterday I started burying roots in sand.  We find they store best if taken from soil, trimmed and placed in barrels with sand as quickly as possible.  When we dig them out each winter harvest day they as close to …

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