Awesome! I love hearing those king of stories. It works well for sure.

Do you know when she pulled them out lol??

@@MizzQueenBreNaturally I'm not sure how exactly how long they were able to keep them in the ground, but my grandma seemed to think they stayed fresh all winter. :)

@@mycozygardencottage lol you say seem to think like she was hallucinating or sun lmaoo thats funny and I appreciate you and yo grandmother💛💛💛

@@MizzQueenBreNaturally Well she was pretty old ...lol. But she was sharp so I think she was telling it right. I loved hearing her talk about how they raised a cow and a pig every year and had fruit trees and a big garden. They grew all the food they ate except things like sugar and coffee. They canned and preserved everything. She said it was a hard life but a good life. :) My mom was born in the 1940s so it must have been in the 1930s or so.

Whoa, they don’t rot?

@@JakeHawken Carrots and beets are biennial. The first year they grow and store sugars in their tap root. The second year they flower and make seeds. When they start growing new leaves in the spring you don't have long before they bolt and the root loses its flavor and gets woody.

@@zone4garlicfarm thank you that’s interesting. I have beets in my garden and they have been left in situ. when I want one I just go out and get one. I’m eating it within minutes of harvesting it. Great to know I can reliably do this.

My beetroot has been in the garden all winter. I jus harvest what I need as I need them.

Can you use grass clippings or mulch between layers or maybe cheese cloth or something? To keep from having to get straw. I don't have a truck.

Cool. We have a lot of videos on food security. From canning to growing dry beans. Check them out.

Use the excess to barter other types of food 😊 set up a food stand and sell it. I'm planting dwarf apple, cherry, fig, pear, outside and trying tropicals inside oranges/lemons/ limes/ avacado/ pineapple ? Who knows? Don't know until you try❤

Can applesauce, apple pie mix, etc. Dry apples for adding to baked goods, etc. You can also use them in fruit rollups and to make vinegar. Sell, trade, barter with other local growers. Go to a farmers' market.

That is a good method too. I wouldn't say easier....especially digging through that insane hard pan clay in my area.

Maybe a small college room size one.. those get thrown away. Hmmm.

Great idea!!! Did you add a drainage on the bottom or just vent the top? Also, did you place it below the frost line? You should make a video for the northerners.

You probably already know this, but the way to dig in hard clay or gravel is to dig a small hole to full depth, then expand it by shearing off little slices, going round and round until it’s to full size. A sharp shovel with good handle, damp soil and good boots like military type or cowboy boots all help A LOT. A narrow long shovel helps to make the initial hole, don’t know what they’re called, not a trench shovel with the funny bend in it.

That is a good point, I’d toss a pallet over the mulch and be done with it. Kids aren’t going to lock themselves in a trash can, and if they are, a little of that is good for the gene pool.

That is awesome. I love hearing these stories. Thank you for sharing.

Our basement had a place for coal as well as a root cellar. No longer have that home tho. This idea is great if it is under a roof, because those galvanized cans lids leak where the handles are.

That just made me feel really good. I wish life was like that.♥️

What a beautiful memory!

@@chrisroper2731 They painted the can on the outside with "pitch' whatever that is---kept them from leaking.

Thanks. Good idea about the fuel.

Good tip on storing fuel, loved it.

That might be a really great idea. That would be especially helpful so that it won’t get stolen!

Good tip. Maybe I'll have to vent them less if the temperature stayed somewhat consistent.

Thank you for the very helpful tip!

Thank you. Yes, it has a lot of advantages.

Agreed

“They” will take the hay for their animals in a SHTF situation.

How do you know a food shortage is coming? Documentation?

@@beebob1279 Some places will see it. The UN reports on famines and lack of Food in Africa and some despot or communist nations like China almost yearly. American food banks get stressed but haven’t really run out. The question is, will there come a day when there are enough issues everywhere combined to mean no food on the store shelves or little trucking getting food where it needs to go bc of a war external or internal. FEMA says have a minimum of 3 months prepared for yourself of food and WATER. The feds require their employees to maintain a 3 month stock also bc they are expected to work even after a SHTF or crisis where they are no longer getting paid but will in a few months. We export a lot of our crops. We turn under a good bit of our crops. Do you live where crops are plentiful if you had no store food? Are you surrounded by thousands or millions of ppl in your region?

That is awesome!

How often do you have to refreeze the water?

Have you thought about using sand around the container to keep wet similar to how Indians have done with the clay pots forever?

Great idea !

Well done! 🌅

Good point. I will add that to the process.

@@CountryLivingExperience And I wonder about little critters getting inside… add mesh screen to the holes?

It would still function with no bottom.

@@CountryLivingExperience could this be done with a plastic trash can since it doesn't rust?

@@lisakukla459 sure, but in E TX its so lush & every kind of varmint bug & spider will eventually find the easy way in...these nice people from was it Minnesota? may not have learned that yet lol...to keep mice out is why he made holes 3/8" wide...theres also lots more surface water seepage due to rain all year long

Yes, It is good for utility use but not for massive storage.

Correct, it is about placement. Mine have always been in barns with dirt floors. The gravel is a must if doing this outside.

How do you keep worms out?

Even more simply, just don't drill the holes to begin with. Not very much air will "rise" up and through those tiny holes anyways. Air doesn't travel much/very well in compacted soil. What does happen is that the metal conducts thermal energy up from or down into the ground depending what area is warmer or colder--that in turn either cools or warms the air inside. While you may get some condensation, all you really need to do is to put something like diamatcaeous earth or the like on the bottom, so that if condensation does build enough on the wall to run down to the bottom, it will be absorbed (and slowly released into the air) and kept directly away from the food. You still want a vent, but mostly to vent excess humidity and the warmer air on the top. Generally though, even with holes, there is not going to be much air circulation going on anyways. Most of the air circulation will just be from cold air and warmer air exchanging that thermal energy, which convects/moves the air in very weak, slow "currents". But more importantly, you want to vent the excess humidity out.

Awesome! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you!!

My great great grandfather was an Iceman in Eagle, Colorado. They stored the ice in the same manner as you've said. Later in the year he delivered ice and he would chip a piece of ice off and give it to the children that he came across. I love to hear how life was done back in the old days😊

I do that now with potatoes that I have in the house.

Do remember many other things your parents did for food preservation? What were your main food staples and what were you most excited for when it was time? If it's too long for a comment maybe I can interview you sometime?

@@rosehuynh1572 We grew garden vegetables, so Mom did a lot of canning. Dad bought an old ice cream freezer from some drug store that was upgrading. So, we were freezing foods in the early mid 40s. I think Dad was way ahead of the norm on that. Dad hunted a lot, so we ate a lot of small game fresh. None of that was preserved. We made our own homemade ice cream. We cured and smoked much of our own ham and bacon. We made our own maple syrup and maple sugar. We made our own sauerkraut.

Apple skins emit ethylene gas that causes other fruit and vegetables to ripen faster. (So if you buy unripe fruit set some next to an apple or two.) By wrapping the apples you did 2 things, you protected the apples from getting bruises and you protected the other fruits and vegetables from ripening too fast. Back in the old days, they may not have known the scientific reasons for wrapping the apples, just that it worked. It is the same reason that at the grocery stores, they display all the apples together and away from the fruits like bananas. It is not just because it looks pretty. There is a good reason for it. Apples make bananas turn brown.

@@tommielourogers4327 G’day, Tommie. Good to know. We would plant an extra long row of carrots. In the fall, before the ground froze, we put stakes in the ground about 2’ beyond each end of where there were still carrots. Then,, take apart a bale or two of straw, section by section, each section is about 2” thick. Spread a single layer along the row, covering it, butting them tightly. Then cover those with a second layer that is twice as wide, butting their edges centered right down the row. As carrots are dug, move the stake along, and re-cover the remaining carrots plus a couple of feet beyond. These will be the sweetest, most flavorful carrots you have ever tasted! Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

Thank you Abraham. We will surely do a follow up video for you. From experience with my Dad's root cellar when I was a kid, this method works very well and keeps the food fresh all winter.

I wonder lining the lid with the foam, cutting it in circle shape might make a better insulator. Stick the pvc pipe right through the foam. That way it does not not have to be loose on the floor.

@@CountryLivingExperiencedid it work?

@@LCLand Yes. In this climate it works well in late fall, winter, and spring. Summer is too hot.

Awesome. You're welcome

I know what you mean I live here in Paris Tx .

I started taking omega 3 oil with the polyphenols in it. It has done amazing things in my body. I'm 64 female- had horrific blood pressure- neuropathy pain in my feet, screwed up sleep schedule, up 3-4 times a night to pee, stiff achey joints. Lots of lower back pain. 3 months ago I started the oil. Increased my D3 to 20,000 units per day and added K2 200 mg per day. Last time I bought a 50 lb bag of feed I had to drag/ flip/ push rest and fight again to gey it from the car to house. Yesterday, I picked up the 50 lb bag threw it over my shoulder- grabbed the second one and slide it up on my other shoulder and carried them into the house with little effort!! Thought they had given me the 28 lb bags because we had discussed that option briefly. But NOPE 50 pounders!!! ❤❤❤❤ P.S. my blood pressure went from 189/110 down to 120/73 this morning!!! No blood pressure meds- no diabetes meds- just the oil D3 and K2.

Wow, Thanks for the share!💕

Thank you Lynda. I remember my grandparents house having one. They lived in Detroit. It was always cool for sure.

We had a old house that sat above a root seller there was a door that you walked through to get into it kind of like a basement with a walk in door from the outside there was no way to get into it from the house though This was very common back then I believe the house was built in the late 1800s it’s been in our family before a long time The only problem with this was I’ll the humidity that would come up into the houses like this and actually caused some people health problems

My grandparents had one under their Oklahoma home, doubled as a tornado shelter. Meanwhile in the 21st century I live in a house made of ticky tack and pay for everything but air… soon they will tax us for cleaning that up too. sigh.

I think they’re called “cold rooms” used for food storage. I’ve seen a lot of them on HGTV on “Holmes on Holmes” with Mike Holmes. He’s a Canadian building contractor who repairs other “builders” bad work. I grew up in Oklahoma and many farms used root cellars that were built under their houses. They also doubled as storm shelters to escape tornadoes!

My house outside Hamilton Ontario had a full root cellar as part of the basement, separated by a door. I’d kill for that thing now lol.

Thanks. It sure is a quick and simple solution.

Amen

Great idea!!

Thanks

Maybe you could do some vertical hydroponic gardening ? I'm going to try that as well

Absolutely. Another good option for sure.

Don’t freezers all have frion in tubes all around the freezer? Why would you drill through those???😊

@granmabern5283 ....that's what I'm sayin

I appreciate that! Welcome to the channel.

Awesome

I was thinking of buying an auger- mainly fence posts but now even more great uses for it❤

Glad it was helpful.

Awesome. Love the leaves in bags idea.

It is amazing the temp difference just a few feet under the earth.

It's definitely not that simple. It depends on where you live and where your frost line is. It depends on humidity levels and temps in the "cellar" as to how fresh foods stay and for how long.

Insulation will prevent the ground from freezing. I bury a 10 gallon trash can in my garden with the rim just above ground so I can get at it. When the first real snow falls I pile about 2 feet on top of it. That is enough insulation to keep it from freezing.

Thank you so much! We are glad you are here.

Hi I just seen this video…great info!! A few questions…I live in the city but have a private backyard…could I dig holes 18-20 inches deep use the straw to insulate and cover it? Also wearing the produce in cloth bag spreading out thru the bag to also preserve them? Or do you know a simple method for my situation? Single mom I’m doing this on my own. Thanks!

@@Isisndaflesh Hello. You would need to have some sort of container to keep out bugs. !8 to 20" will not be deep enough. You have to go down quite far to take advantage of the coolness of the soil.

Glad it was helpful!

Awesome! You’re welcome

You are so welcome! Glad it was helpful.

Dig a hole large enough to hold what you got line with straw is got to be 18 inches below ground so ground freezing won't happen cover with straw the left over dirt will last all winter when need produce dig up what you need then cover back will keep cabbage potatoes apples beets I have used in the past because no root cellar works fine my grandfather taught me this when young used it and it works great.

My Father-in-Law had a 55 gal drum buried in the barn for potatoes. They lasted until the next harvest. Potatoes were an every Breakfast & dinner staple.

Thank you.

Cool. Thanks

Cool

Awesome, thank you. Welcome to the channel.

You’re welcome

You’re welcome

I read that carrots last forever in sand!

Awesome!

So how long do they keep for?

Great idea!!!❤

Lol, yep. Hard pan clay

Ozarks. Almost solid rock. Cry me a river rofl!! 😛

Thank you so much Larry. Very kind of you. I appreciate it.

You're welcome. It is extremely tough for sure.

@@CountryLivingExperience Mine is hard as a rock as well. Generally try to wet it the day before several times. Makes life slot easier.

How you planning to get the temp down? Mine stays around 63 here in Georgia and It needs lowered as well. It's 22 inches deep.

@@DsHomeyGarden dig deeper in soil

Corn would attract mice and rats

@@bbikermama Not corn; Corn cob. It's bedding.

@@lisakukla459 you mean the husks you’d peel off the corn, or the central core you’d cut the corn off? When I’ve seen animals eat a head of corn they seem to leave the inner core, so I guess that bit isn’t attractive. That’s what you’re calling cob, of course. Weirdest and saddest thing I’ve ever seen was an African farmer feeding his goats shredded cardboard, they were so poor, and the goats accepted it when there was nothing else. There’s calories in cellulose and glue (Meaning the critters might still eat your insulation) We don’t know we’re born, people!

Glad you liked it!

Thank you. God bless you too.

You’re welcome

I grew up on Michigan. I know the frost line is 42” there. If you dig down to 48” you’ll be in great shape.

I’m in Michigan too. Macomb county. I recently discovered I have a root cellar underneath my condo

@@tammybrennan2040 awesome!

@@CountryLivingExperience I’m going to binge watch ur videos. I discovered u by u tube recommending it. Best thing u tubes done.

Thank you. I will try to get some follow videos in the queue. As of right now, we have had carrots in there for 2 months and they are firm and fresh.

@@CountryLivingExperience I looked for a follow up video, but did not see one. Have you stored a container of potatoes in it before...? How did they hold up? Thank you!!!

@@robinsnestfarm7322 Hi. I didn't make a follow up video. The potatoes and carrots stored for several months but lost some moisture. The carrots were still edible but the potatoes had chitted. I planted them and had a great crop though. I would say that it was great for edibles short term but only for seed long term in this climate. In the North, results are different.

@@CountryLivingExperience Where in East Texas are you? I live outside of Longview. Just found your channel. Thought about trying the root cellar until I read your last comment.

@@andreeelliott2943 We are south of Tyler. It works well in the winter.

@onedazinn988, that is what I am going to do.

You're welcome

Nice! That sounds like a great project.

Awesome! I live in north Texas too. How did this go? Are you still using it?

@@AbolishFamilyCourt Yes! Working great. I added a more secure latch. The temp seems pretty solidly at 67 to 70 degrees during the summer. I keep a sachet of baking soda and some plain (no additives) clay kitty litter in the bottom, just in case of excess moisture or funky odors. So far so good.

@@WinkTartanBelle Inspirational! Thank you

Cool. The mesh bags should work. Newspaper might be good. Give it a try.

Thank you. Glad we could help.

You're welcome

You're welcome. Happy gardening!

In Louisiana won’t you hit water?

@@stormeyholmes267 that's our problem here in the southeast. The water table is just a few feet down. Unless we build a mount or a cinder block above ground cellar it doesn't seem like it will work.

@@vinlago I am wondering if you could grow in buckets?

@@stormeyholmes267 we use small hills or raised beds and keep a ditch and drain around the garden so rain drains away. Buckets work as well but if you mean for potatoes laundry baskets might do or nested buckets with panels cut if the inner bucket to make potato retrieval easier. Look growing potatoes in containers or Ruth Stout method.

Thanks. Yes, a big tote would work well.

Can't rodents chew through plastic, hence the steel can?

@@songbirdforjesus2381 Yes, rodents DO CHEW/BITE/SCRATCH through plastic. Even thick, hard plastic. It takes longer but they ARE PERSISTENT & CONSISTENT if a meal is involved!!! The holes in neighborhood trash cans and direct observations prove it.

My pleasure

Usually yes, but this is hard pack red clay. The water just would run off.

Most fruits need their own storage 😩

True, but storing an apple with potatoes will keep the potatoes longer 😊

Learning so much! 🥰

Why?

@@sarahsoutar252 it is believed the ethylene gas emitted by apples as they ripen causes other produce to spoil. With potatoes, it’s believed the ethylene stops potatoes from sprouting. It’s a widely held belief although there are some who say it’s nonsense.

You’re welcome

You’re welcome

I have a team of people that I acknowledge. A gravel bed would be beneficial.

@@CountryLivingExperience Of course, we all do. Well DONE TEAM! Should have added how grateful I am for this simple solution. I kept thinking without the structure that is yet to be built I can't store up provision. I have a barn just as you do...and even if you do have an actual root cellar a back up to the back up is a fabulous plan and all should utilize it. Thanks again!

I think there are better ways if you are in a rental. You would need to have the dirt really thick to hold the cool temps inside.

You're so welcome. Glad our videos can help. Texas has been very good us.

You're welcome

Yes, high water table areas won't allow this type of cellar. Good luck finding a solution.

I also live in Florida. I wonder is we could dig down a foot or so, lay flat stepping stones as a floor, cinder blocks as walls and build up a few feet high. Then haul dirt in to cover it. Still thinking if this could work, how to make an entrance to it and how to insulate it. Fire ants and carpenter ants are a problem around my property and those dang palmetto bugs.

I'm in southern Missouri and I just cant see this not filling with water here either.

It should. Just give an ample amount of insulation on the top (straw, etc.)

You’re welcome

You’re welcome

Crazy! I grew up in MI with 4ft but 8 is super deep.

Sure is.

Awesome!

I learned it from my dad. It's a cool method.

I don’t.

I was wondering that too. Seems too you should layer repeated selections so you don’t need to dig to the bottom if you happen to want a potato!

i think a great solution to this would be designing some kind of vegetable steamer-like contraption and then lowering that cage into the trash can, tie strings to both handles of the cage, then it would be rather simple to just pull the entire cage (holding all the preserved food) out.

Maybe you could double up your trash cans. Put a slightly larger rubber/plastic trash can in the hole, then set your smaller galvanized steel trash can with in it. Everything will stay dry.

@@jgjg3848 That could work! I'd have to dig the hole in the hottest driest part of the summer but it would be worth a try. I've been trying to figure out how to get a root cellar without inadvertently digging a well! 😂

I’d be afraid that when the water table came back up your can would float out of the ground.

@@francessilta7892 sigh, logic... 😂

My issue too. But JG JG had a great idea to double up metal with plastic cans.

You are so welcome!

You're welcome

Cool! Welcome to the channel. I mix different veg together. I usually have carrots and potatoes in different layers. As for how long it lasts, it varies on your outside temps and humidity. I have had them last for 4 months to 6 months. After a few months, they start to lose moisture and shrivel a bit though.

@@CountryLivingExperience Thanks for taking the time to answer, i just ordered a few steel bins, frost depth here in middle England as a foot and a half. Have you noticed more visitors to your channel due to these challenging times, and the real probability of coming food shortages due to weather and covid ?

You're welcome. I have noticed increased traffic to my channel because of fear basically.

@@CountryLivingExperience Yes, not a good reason to have extra traffic for is it :( I think the governments around the world have overreacted.

They have overreacted to a great degree but that is how they gain more power for themselves. Keep people in fear and then further enslave them. Sad.

Nothing has gotten in so far. I think it is below the depth that bugs usually burrow sans ants. I have had the occasional spider get through the top but only about 3.

I was going to ask the same question because we have cutter ants here in my part of Texas. They strip vegetables and leaves of many trees and shrubs. Thanks for the video and the question! :)

Could you add a layer of mesh/screen product to prevent insects from getting in but still allowing the moisture to drain?

@@barbaramaasch9499 You can add a layer of screen if you like. Nothing really gets in there except the occasional spider.

Pretty deep for insects

You’re welcome

You're welcome

That can work too but a pain to dig the veggies out.

You're welcome. Thank you for watching. I am not really sure what you question is here. This is a link to some basic canning guidelines.....www.freshpreserving.com/canning-101

Dairy and fats can't be canned. There is some pretty good information on homesteading family's KZfaq channel.

You’re welcome

Lol. It took me 2 hours.

giancolabird - LOLOL

You’re welcome

Thank you

House water pipes used to be galvanized. Water is ok but you can get some destabilization of the zinc coating if storing water. In the case of the root cellar, the food is never touching the sides of the can. It always insulated by a layer of straw, sawdust, etc. so no worries.

@@CountryLivingExperience cool thanks!

It is not that difficult to get them out. I suppose you could make a multi-tiered basket that fits down inside if you like.

@@CountryLivingExperience or make dividers in a pie shape and insert it in the can. Have a grab it tool close by when you get close to the bottom.

Glad it was helpful

You can absolutely do that. You are essentially talking about a homemade geothermal cooling system.

Put mosquito screen over the ends!

Works well. Although in the dead of summer when it is 100+ for 30 days strait, it doesn't perform as well.

@@CountryLivingExperience Yeah, I'm out here in Central Texas. Wondering how in the world to store food if our antiquated grid craps out in the summer. Temps over 100 for about 3 months straight this year.

You're welcome. Glad it helped.

You're welcome