"Root Cellaring" by Mike and Nancy Bubel

[Nicole]

Last night's and tonight's bedtime read was "Root Cellaring" by Mike and Nancy Bubel.  The book is a thorough overview of how to build a root cellar, how to cold store food when you don't have a root cellar, and what to grow for storing.  The book is very clear on what one can (and cannot) expect to get out of your cellar and has some very nifty and inexpensive techniques for quickie storage when renting a backhoe isn't an option.

I particularly got a kick out of the old, broken refridgerator converted to an underground chest-type storage box!

I recommend it for PO'ers with a garden.  It's only $14.95 retail in trade paperback; I purchased mine from Seed Savers Exchange.

[Green2Go]

Hey Nicole,
I have the book too. It gives some detail about the storage temperature of veggies which particularly interested me.  Part of what is important in storing fruits and veggies is picking the right variety.  Some apples and pears store longer than others (some also produce later than others).  I've found that red cabbage stores much longer than green cabbage.  Green tomatoes can be picked late in the season and stored in newspaper to ripen -- certainly not as good as sun ripened, but much better than hot-house tomatoes.  Like you pointed out, the book gives alternative ways to store food other than building a traditional root cellar.
G2G

[Nicole]

I was a little unimpressed with the breadth of her fruit and vegetable selection, especially since they included veggies that only keep for a week or two.  They included the traditional stuff, though.

[mem]

I have learned from it, and have already implemented some things.  Tips on things that need humidity, or need dryness, for example, were helpful to me.

The old refrigerator trick was interesting to me, too.  But from reading this book I confirmed my suspicions about a room in my basement.  I always thought it was odd, but from reading this book I'm convinced it was the original root cellar on for this house.  It has become so again now.