Imagine sitting down to a fresh apple in winter, or to a rich stew made with homegrown potatoes and carrots. Thanks to root cellaring, your backyard homesteading harvest will stay fresh and tasty long after the growing season has ended.
First, let’s define a root cellar. Imagine a quiet, restful place underground where vegetables can slumber until dinner time. More than just a hole in the ground, it’s a food-preservation superweapon.
Why bother with a root cellar? Modern refrigeration is remarkable but limited. Your refrigerator could soon become worthless if the power goes out. Who wants to pay fat electric bills to chill potatoes? Root cellars are green and low-tech.
Let’s build one. Though not Bob Vila-like, it requires some basic knowledge and elbow grease.
Choose the right orientation: A north-facing slope is preferable because it cools longer. No slope? That is quite all right! Use well-draining soil—nobody wants to find their produce drowned in mud.
Digging follows. Most climates take advantage of 10 feet of depth. This keeps the sweet region between 32°F and 40°F. Too hot or cold rots or freezes things.
Ventilation matters, too. Install two vents—one high to release warm air and one low to draw cool air—to avoid moldy vegetables. Imagine your cellar breathing.
Gravel‘s great for drainage, while wood slats can add some rustic beauty on a budget.
Once your structure is set, the shelving becomes very important. Solid hardwood shelves are very attractive yet serviceable.
Complete construction! Stock up on this bad boy.
Like kids at a buffet, vegetables have varied needs. Potatoes prefer darkness but dislike humidity; apples like lower temps but need airflow to avoid sentimentality.
Only combine apples with other produce if you want applesauce! They give off ethylene gas which will speed up the ripening process.
Straw or sawdust in the layers regulates moisture and buffers against sudden temperature change.
Dampness prevents drying but favours mold growth. The majority of the roots like carrots and beets require 85-95 % of relative humidity while onions and garlic require less.
Another enemy is temperature fluctuations; installment of an old-school thermometer lets you monitor this without exhausting batteries or wallets.
Have you ever heard of “curing“? It is the practice of drying out onions while they are still hanging in bunches, or spreading potatoes on newspaper under shade before storage to harden their skin against rot.
Pests: Well, mice adore root cellars just about as much as people do! Easy traps or chicken wire mesh along the walls and floors keep the unwanted guests from crashing your veggie party!
A regular weekly check would find these rogue rots/molds before they spread into the cache and save one from disappointments when beautiful parsnips were expected and rotten mounds were found. Rosemary and lavender growing among your stores will repel pests and waft their sweet scent with each visit, reminding you why building and building up your piece of underground farm heaven was so totally worth it.
Drying and Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables in Backyard Homesteading
Picture this: you’re sipping something cool on your patio, with the sun warm on your face, and those enticingly colored dried fruits and vegetables before you. Not exactly a dream, if this is backyard homesteading.
Now, for why you want to dry or dehydrate your produce: fruits and veggies are great, but they spoil. Drying extends their lives and brings out flavors. Think about those tasty apple snacks or salty, dried tomatoes that just make your taste buds dance.
So where to start? There are many ways to start, each with advantages and disadvantages.
Drying in the sun
Most traditional among them: sun-drying. As simple as that sounds, drying slices of fruits and vegetables in the sun means hot days, low humidity. Mold shouldn’t ruin your works.
An old-timer taught me how to sun-dry tomatoes: he thinly sliced them, sprinkled salt to draw out moisture, and laid them on a brick-supported screen for airflow. Cheesecloth kept the bugs away. Simple yet effective!
Oven-drying In cloudy or humid climates, the oven is your friend. Set the lowest temperature—usually 140°F (60°C)—and set slices out on parchment-lined baking pans.
Leave the oven door slightly ajar to release moisture; I learned the hard way, as my first batch became mush instead of crispy treats.
If you’re going to dry often, a dehydrator is a good investment. These devices have many trays and temperature adjustments for the ultimate even drying of your foods.
I can still remember my very first dehydrator: a small countertop thingy that rattled away all night long turning apples into chewy rings.
Tips for Preparation
Whichever one you do, it’s all about preparation:
Clean well: Hygiene is very important.
Slices of Uniform Size: Grant uniform drying.
Wrapping: Blanching carrots and green beans retain the color and texture.
Season lightly so that the salt and spices don’t overpower.
Let us focus on some ideal fruits and vegetables for drying: Apples are great after having lost water as they remain sweet. Core them—an apple corer does a great job—and slice uniformly—about 1/8 inch thick. Adventurous? Sprinkle with cinnamon. Line the apples in the oven or dehydrator in pans, and voilà — delicious apple chips ready at any time for a snack!
Drying tomatoes actually juices up their umami flavor—make them flavor bombs for salads or pasta! Slice cherry tomatoes in half or quarters before drying, cut-side up. Pro Tip: Store these beauties firm in olive oil with rosemary and thyme for longer storage with more flavor! Herbs, while neither fruits nor vegetables, dehydrate well, too: simply tie into small bunches and hang upside-down in some dark place to dry until crumbly when finger-crushed. Store jars away from sunlight to preserve potency over time, should there ever be some sort of freak usage requirement. Lush sun-dried tomatoes—but keep the bugs out. Cover it with cheesecloth for good airflow.
Oven: An oven can help hurry matters along a bit. Prop the oven door open, put it at its lowest temperature setting and lay thinly sliced produce on baking sheets. Patience, dear reader, patience. A dehydrator changed everything: ideal for large volumes, consistent results. Just slice up your produce all the same, lay it out on the trays, and let the machine do its thing.
My first dehydrator turned apples into chewy, sugary rings overnight—pure delight.
Preparation counts: clean and slice all uniformly, blanch the tougher veggies to retain color, season lightly to accent flavors rather than overpower the natural taste. Apples cored and cut into thin slices are healthy and wonderful snacks. Tomatoes cut and dried provide flavor in meals to come. Small bunches of herbs can be dried by hanging upside down in a cool, dark location.
