Healing Appalachia: Sustainable Living through Appropriate Technology

7. Food Preservation

As we move toward growing and preserving our own food, we’ve found micro-climates inside our house to meet a variety of vegetable storage needs. Potatoes, carrots, and cabbages store well in our root cellar; herbs can dry on a suspended window screen in our vented attic; and onions, as we’ve lately discovered , do best in our unheated back room on an open rack mounted just high enough on the wall to keep from freezing. We learn something every year, and we find ourselves gradually abandoning the ubiquitous supermarket, where so little is asked of us. In preserving our own food, we are leaving a commercial barge for something more like a sailboat that lacks complete predictability, but offers us a more rhythmically complex and delightful life. Mark Schimmoeller and Jennifer Lindberg, homesteaders and appropriate technologists, Franklin County, Kentucky American gardeners are skilled in growing bountiful crops of nutritious produce, but so often plenty comes all at once in late summer or early autumn. The bounty means giveaways to neighbors, relatives, and the needy—and still there are extra beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, or another crop that was overplanted . Some growers are tempted to follow the example of pragmatic ancestors and squirrel away goodies for winter when fresh produce is scarce. These forebears dried, stored in the ground or root cellars, or preserved foods through smoking, canning , or pickling. In hindsight, we discover that their goals were CHAPTER 7 Food Preservation more than survival; they preserved variety, flavor, and quality for both festivals and ordinary occasions. They developed sophisticated ways to preserve the quality and quantity of their precious produce. We can reacquaint ourselves with their skills and use them together with such modern conveniences as the deep freeze, an appliance they never even dreamed about. ROOT CELLARS Root cellars of various designs have been used for centuries and provide convenient, economical storage of unprocessed root crops (potatoes, turnips, carrots), fruit (apples, pears), squash, pumpkins, and leafy vegetables (cabbages, celery). Beyond initial construction, the root cellar is far less resource intensive than canning and freezing methods and does not demand lengthy and often intensive food preparation for storage. The secret of successful root cellar food preservation is a cool, relatively moist, dark place. The most important factor is climate control. Root cellar temperatures should ideally be between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but from 43- to 50degree short-term storage may be acceptable as well. To insulate the root cellar while providing some ventilation requires an ideal partial submersion using soil as a low-priced insulator. Ideal humidity falls within the range of 80 to 90 percent. Lower humidity causes stored produce to shrivel, and higher humidity results in molding and rotting. Drops in temperature will result in condensation, so insulation (ideally from surrounding earth) is important to maintain constant humidity. Gravel floors are good for maintaining proper humidity. Concrete- and stone- floored cellars may require pans of water to increase humidity, but that is not a major problem in humid Appalachia. Packing root crops in sawdust and sand helps maintain humidity levels as well. Underground, semiburied, or well-bermed aboveground storage areas can be suitable for food storage. However, the more 90 ❖ Healing Appalachia Food Preservation ❖ 91 underground the better. Siting is important for convenience and maximum use of earth; the ideal location is on the north side of a hill. When possible, appropriate technologists use recycled and salvaged materials. They strive to put root cellar footers below the frost line and allow for drainage of excess moisture both from around the walls and from within the floor area to the outside , with exits screened to keep out varmints. They omit cellar windows, for darkness is essential, though the cellar may have an electric light. Some problems can arise with respect to the roof. The roof may be poured concrete reinforced with rebar, or it can be made from sturdy, rot-resistant (black locust or cedar) poles laid close together. Over the roof is placed an 18-inch layer of soil topped with sod, which must be anticipated in the design as a heavy load. Moving air can be used to adjust temperature and humidity conditions, as well as remove odors and ethylene oxide given off by some ripening produce. Lower-positioned intake and higherplaced exhaust vents are ideal, though they are difficult to build in submerged cellars except at the entrance aperture. Vents...