Build a root cellar; For storing root vegetables long into fall and winter

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Up from Michael Denman’s self-dug pond, on his land in Grahamsville, NY, a great blue heron swoops low in an attempt to pilfer his brown trout before it recognizes the humans below, abandons its landing and disappears into the woods. We follow a trail around the water, trod many times by his daughter and her horse, Oreo, over to the chicken coop and up stone steps to a gate and arbor overflowing with a massive trumpet vine that leads into the Denmans’ terraced gardens. Standing there, amidst the orange trumpet flowers, the hum and chirps of ruby-throated hummingbirds and buzz of bumblebees sound as if they are being fed through a sound system.

Each of the three tiers of raised-bed gardens has been carved into the sloped landscape by Denman and then reinforced with a series of stone walls. As we walk around beds of carrots, cabbages, sunflowers and lettuce, Denman leads me along a narrow path aside the greenhouse to a small wooden door set between two rock walls and tucked under a giant slab of stone. This small, dark room is Michael Denman’s pride and joy—his root cellar.

In the early 1990s, Denman purchased a few acres of land just south of Denman Mountain, where his ancestors lived for generations, and he began work building his own home and laying the foundation for a modern-day homestead. Soon after he purchased the land, Michael got married. With his wife, Kathy, the two began designing and working to create their dream home. Much of their property consists of a steep slope, but rather than attempt to work against nature, the Denmans decided to utilize as many of these unique characteristics as possible. Digging a root cellar into the side of the hill was one of the first projects they completed.

Underground storage facilities have existed in one form or another ever since food has been harvested with surplus. Some experts claim that Native Australians were the first to bury their yams to keep them fresh over 40,000 years ago. Modern root cellars like the Denmans’ have come a long way since then. Although his structure is built into the earth, Denman has constructed the room out of reinforced concrete to ensure a secure, well-insulated structure that does not suffer from leaks or drainage problems.

In order to effectively store food in a root cellar, three important factors must be considered. First and foremost, cellars must be able to keep food cool enough to store properly in the warm months and prevent freezing when the temperature drops. The temperature inside the cellar should range between 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, it is important to consider the humidity, as most vegetables require a higher level to avoid drying out. Maintaining 85 to 95% humidity is ideal for most storage. Michael solved this problem by allowing a certain amount of ground water to enter the bottom of his structure. Many choose to keep the floor of the cellar bare, as the dirt does an excellent job maintaining the temperature and humidity. Finally, air circulation is a necessity in root cellars. Almost all underground structures have at least one air vent that allows air to circulate. This aids the process by allowing a certain amount of airflow to regulate the temperature in the insulated room, while also providing a means to release unwanted gases.

Although root cellars have historically been associated with homesteaders, large farms are increasingly finding that this low-maintenance strategy for preserving fruit and vegetables is both cost efficient and effective. Without using a single watt of electricity, an entire harvest of carrots, onions, or apples can be stored until well after the first of the year. And it is because of the cellar that many farms are now able to offer produce to their customers throughout the entire year. Winter farmers’ markets now take place in both Sullivan and Wayne counties. Some farms are now even offering winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares of storage vegetables to consumers.

At the Anthill Farm in Honesdale, PA, farmer Sky Ballentine has invested in a large, two-room root cellar, which has allowed him to expand his business and explore new markets. Winter squash, beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, potatoes, garlic, onions and apples are just some of the produce being preserved on the farm. Properly storing each type of fruit or vegetable can be a challenge. “Different crops have different needs and most of the storage crops are alive, so we are dealing with live plants,” says Ballentine. Some plants are uprooted and hung allowing the vegetable to continue ripening. Having two separate rooms allows for different levels of humidity and temperature ranges. It also allows farmers to keep certain produce like potatoes separated from those that would cause faster rotting, like apples, which emit ethylene gas.

This year, Ballentine will be selling his produce throughout the winter through a new buying club, The Lackawaxen Farm Company. This model will allow customers to purchase locally grown produce online and have it delivered to one of several drop-off points throughout the region. One of the challenges of living in the northern climate is finding locally grown produce throughout the year. Too often, gardeners or farmers’ market shoppers are forced to purchase produce from halfway around the world during the winter months. Thankfully though, options like winter markets and local buying clubs (thanks in large part to the lowly root cellar), residents of northern areas now have more options for finding locally grown winter food.

The art of root cellaring does not always mean burying concrete structures underground, and can involve much creativity. It can just as easily mean digging a hole in the yard and nestling in a can full of rutabagas, or storing a box of potatoes in the basement. In their effort to maximize the potential of their property, the Denmans have built an additional raised-bed garden on top of their cellar. Currently, they grow potatoes and sweet corn in that space.

The preservation of food can be simple, inexpensive and effective as long as the temperature and humidity are held and pests, such as mice and voles are held at bay. Burying hardware cloth around the location where vegetables are stored is one effective measure used to keep out unwanted vermin. Root cellars are also extremely versatile. Because of the darkness and their consistent cool temperatures, they make an ideal location to ferment food (a time-honored food preservation method) and to store beer and wine.

As the sun sets on the opposite horizon of Denman Mountain, Michael plucks a few carrots from one of the raised beds, walks over to a spring flowing from a pipe into the upper level of the garden, washes and hands them to me. “A snack for your ride home,” he says. And though there is nothing quite like a fresh carrot washed in cold spring water, I’d be willing to bet that those carrots will taste just as fine during the dead of winter.

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