Chapter 8: Finally Harvest Time: Early Fall
Chapter 8: Finally Harvest Time: Early Fall
The days you have been waiting for are finally here, and the produce will start piling up. You have put in a lot of hours to earn this reward, and you can officially start dreaming about your winter meals of root cellar treasures. The cellar construction phase is done, and these next few weeks will consist of tinkering with your temperature and humidity levels while you start hauling in the produce. Do not fret during this adjustment period because it takes time to get to know your root cellar. With each day, you will get to know the personality of your root cellar and what works to keep it running smoothly.
Getting the Root Cellar Ready for Produce
You might be done with construction, but there are a few pre-storage checks to do before you get too far along into the storage season. On the outside, give everything one last, thorough inspection. Look over the shingles or roofing, inspect the siding and sealed edges, look over every tiny opening or crack to make sure it is properly sealed. On colder days, feel the air near your exhaust vent for warmth. You should feel at least a little heat escaping from the cellar as it continues to cool down. Look for the ground settling in the areas in which you backfilled around the structure, and fill in any low levels with more soil. Make sure to slope the soil away from your structure. On the inside, inspect walls, shelving, and bins for protrusions, such as loose screws, nails, or splintered wood. Anything protruding from the storage areas could poke or scratch your produce, which would lead to quick decay.
At this point in the growing season, you will probably not be able to get grass to grow on newly laid soil, so cover the refilled areas with straw to keep the ground from eroding. Make sure to keep the straw a few inches away from the roof and walls because straw might attract rodents looking for nesting materials. After the first snowfall or after the ground freezes and erosion is less likely, remove the straw so you do not attract rodents. In the spring, you will have to put down more soil and reseed with grass or ground cover. Your goal now is to keep the ground sloped away from your cellar walls so water cannot seep in during fall rains or spring snowmelt.
Keep track of the outdoor temperature and humidity levels to compare to the root cellar’s ranges. Continue to monitor the temperature and humidity inside the root cellar one or two times per day, and do not be concerned with spikes in these levels as you start filling the cellar with produce. Freshly picked produce will retain some of the heat from outside and might cause levels to fluctuate when first brought into the cellar. The produce will quickly cool down, and your cellar temperature and humidity will naturally adjust. Try to pick crops in the early morning or late afternoon when they are at their coolest temperatures and their best flavor. Do not be tempted to store uncovered produce outside after harvesting because this will attract pests. Also, the produce will not cool down fast enough to retain quality. Veggies must cool down quickly to store properly, and your root cellar is the best place for this to happen. Before bringing in produce, use your ventilation controls to get the temperature and humidity ranges at the desired levels. You can then adjust if the levels go up.
If, early in the storage season, you continue to have issues with high humidity and traditional methods do not work to lower it, you can use a standard dehumidifier for brief periods of time. Like it does in the home, the dehumidifier will quickly pull the moisture out of the air in your root cellar. Be careful when using a dehumidifier because it does not take long for it to lower the humidity to sub-par ranges. Run it for only a few hours, check often, and be sure to empty the water tray frequently.
Early fall ventilation techniques
As fall progresses, the days get shorter and the nights get cooler — and you can take advantage of this to get your cellar to its best levels. If the outdoor daytime temperature is warmer than the temperature of your root cellar, leave the intake vent closed and the exhaust vent partially open. At night, the outside air will cool down, so open the intake vent and pull in this cold air. When the daytime temperatures get progressively cooler, you can leave the intake vent open for longer periods of time as long as the temperature inside the root cellar stays steady. Once you reach the optimal temperature and humidity ranges, leave both vents slightly open to trap this cold air but allow the excess humidity to escape. These are techniques you will need to experiment with every day. Keep a close eye on the temperature and humidity as you make adjustments so you learn what works for your cellar. Your goal is to circulate air, but do not allow airflow to pull moisture out of the produce.
Harvesting Tips and Techniques
Harvesting produce for root cellar storage is more complicated than digging up potatoes for dinner. Your primary goal when harvesting, buying, and sorting produce for storage is to look for the best quality. Before digging up an entire row of beets, take out just a few and check for ripeness. If in doubt, leave the remaining crop in the ground for another few days and check again. But do not wait too long because overly ripe and large produce will be tough, not flavorful, and not suitable for long-term storage.
If the main part of the plant has gone to seed, you can assume the produce is past its prime. It is suitable for immediate consumption, not for root cellar storage. As a home gardener, you have the luxury of choosing produce at its prime stage of ripeness, and you can wait until it is perfect before you pick it. You can process anything that is not suitable for root cellar storage through canning or freezing because these methods allow you to cut out any damaged parts.
Produce that shows signs of insect damage, such as small holes or black spots, should not be put in long-term storage without additional processing and thorough inspection of the fruit’s flesh. Often, insect damage will extend deep into the meat of the produce and will render it inedible. Unblemished vegetables worthy for the root cellar also must make it through the harvesting process without damages, such as nicks from a shovel or bruises from transfer. These can be eaten or processed, but bruises or cuts will cause the produce to quickly spoil while in storage and might lead to more rapid deterioration of the rest of your stored produce. When digging out root crops, you might also find damage from burrowing animals or just plain spoilage from die-off during the growing process. Spoiled veggies are not suitable for consumption but can be placed on the compost pile or fed to farm animals if you have them.
When and how to harvest
The right time to harvest depends on the types of vegetables you are picking. With the many varieties of vegetables you have to choose from, the best time to pick ranges from early to late fall. Each vegetable gives a different sign it is ready: some will drop their leaves or turn the foliage brown, others will darken in color as they ripen, and some might split open when they are too ripe. Read through your garden books and review the seed package instructions for information on how to tell when your particular variety is ready to pick.
The majority of your crops must be picked in early fall before a hard freeze kills the plant. A few lighter frost events precede a hard freeze. With nighttime protection, your plants will survive a light chill. As you become a seasoned gardener, you will know when the conditions are right for a frost. Frost occurs on clear, cold nights without clouds, but make sure to watch the early evening weather forecast. It will you warn of upcoming frosts or freezes in your area. Crops that are wary of frost include:
Other produce, especially root crops and hardy brassicas, benefit from staying in the ground up until and even past a hard freeze. In some cases, the produce will taste better after a frost because slightly freezing temperatures transform the starches in the produce into more palatable sugars. This is a fine line to walk because you never know when the next frost will be a deep freeze that kills your produce. Produce that grows below ground does not need to be covered during frosts. However, aboveground produce, such as Brussels sprouts, should be temporarily covered with a light sheet. For improved flavor and nutrients, wait until after one or two light frosts to harvest these items:
Some varieties can withstand a more substantial freeze and can even spend the entire winter outside. These veggies include parsnips, beets, and salsify, and their flavor will improve when left out past the first hard frost and beginning freeze. Make sure any crop you leave in the ground past freezing has not made its way out of the ground. If you can see the produce peeking above the ground, mulch it with some straw until you are ready to dig it out so freezing temperatures will not damage the flesh.
Be careful when digging produce
The nature of root crops is that you cannot see where they are until you start digging, and this is when most of the damage to your produce occurs. Be careful when you first start to dig up the rows of produce. Start digging to the side of the row with a garden fork or blunt-tipped shovel, and try to just loosen the soil without touching the vegetable. Once you have loosened the soil around it, you should be able to pull or wedge the produce out by hand. Continue down the row and gently loosen as much as you can by hand. This job will be much easier if the soil is not too wet, and the produce will not have a lot of soil clinging to it. Harvesting your crops after a few days of dry weather is also optimal because the produce will not be plumped up with water. This can lead to faster deterioration in storage because the water is quickly drawn out of the veggies and fruit.
Finding supplemental produce for your root cellar
By this point in the growing season, you should have a good idea of how much you will be harvesting to store in your root cellar. Assess now whether this will be enough to meet your original storage goals. If it looks like you are going to run short, make a list of what you will need to buy, and start contacting your outside sources. Depending on the amounts you will need, you might have to go to more than one farmer to find enough. Making your calls early in the fall will put you at the top of each supplier’s list for any extra they find they have. They will be happy to sell you a large part of their crop. Just make sure they know your criteria for high-quality produce.
Case Study: Life without a Refrigerator is Cool
Richard Czaplinski
P.O. Box 50
Adamant VT 05640
802-229-4534 or 802-496-3437
Richard Czaplinski grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm where root cellaring was a common part of everyday life. In 1987, Richard retired from his engineering position. He lives on his 11-acre property where he raises enough produce, including potatoes, peppers, cabbage, apples, plums, and pears, to feed himself all year. Richard is a member of Transition Town Montpelier, writes frequent articles on sustainable living, and offers free consultations to other Vermonters interested in building their own root cellars.
Since 1978, I have lived in a small, passive-solar home that I built myself. I do not have a refrigerator. Instead, my root cellar is my refrigeration, and I am able to keep all my food at proper storage temperatures all year. How do I accomplish this? For starters, I was able to position my house on sloping land. I designed the basement with a root cellar in mind from the beginning. After the foundation was laid in, I partitioned off the part of the basement that was on the eastern end and buried deep within the earth. The cool ground does all the work for me now, and I have easy access from the house whenever I need something for supper.
I used stud frame construction for the walls and was careful to install a vapor barrier and enough insulation. I also left bare soil as the floor, which helps with the humidity levels. With monitoring and ventilation adjustments, the temperature stays in the 30- to 45-degree range. During our cold Vermont winters, I did struggle to keep the temperatures above 30 degrees. I connected a small, 12-volt fan to my electric system to draw hot air from the upstairs wood stove into the basement. During the summer, it can warm up to about 55 degrees, but by then, the cellar is mostly empty. Even 55 degrees feels chilly on a hot, summer day. On one the few summer days in Vermont when it was uncomfortably hot, my wife and I took a couple of chairs down into the root cellar and hung out for a while to cool off.
Not every type of produce likes the conditions in a root cellar, so I use additional storage sites in and around my home for produce such as squash, pumpkins, and peppers. My dining room houses the squash and pumpkins during the winter, and I extend a lot of my crops by moving them into the unheated greenhouse attached to my garage. I have been able to dig up fruit-laden pepper plants before the first frost, transplant them in the greenhouse, and continue picking fresh peppers until December. I also use this greenhouse as a way station for a lot of the produce on its way to the root cellar. That helps me spread out the harvesting and preservation I have to do, and I am able to pick the produce at its prime.
My diet consists of whatever I can grow in my garden. I seldom, if ever, buy additional produce, and I just get along without vegetables that are not in season. I have become so accustomed to life with a root cellar I do not notice the routine maintenance. There isn't that much to do. I keep an eye on the temperature and ventilate as needed with the door and window. One of my routines is to regularly check the veggies for spoilage. If some are going by, I pull those out and eat them right away. Anything too far gone to eat gets thrown on the compost pile. I also do find the occasional mouse bite marks on my apples, so I set mousetraps to control them.
Take-Away Tip from Richard:
I use 5-gallon buckets and sawdust to store my root vegetables. At first I used sand but later found sawdust was easier, lighter, and more simple for controlling the moisture content. Sand was either so dry the roots did not stay hydrated or so wet the roots rotted when it warmed up in the spring.
Preparing Produce for Storage
The primary goal during preparation is to handle the produce as little as possible. This means you will pick it, place it in the storage bin, put it on the shelf, and not touch it again until you are ready to use it. If the produce is covered with a lot of soil, you can lightly brush it off, but do not scrub or wash it because this can bruise or scratch the delicate skin. If you must dig produce from wet soil, let the veggies dry a little in the cellar so they will cool down, then take them outside to brush off the excess dirt. Trim any veggies with leafy tops, such as beets or parsnips, because the leaves will not last in storage. Just trim as closely as possible to the base of the leaves. These leafy greens are edible and delicious sautéed or added to stew. Leave roots and bumps intact because removing them will create an opening for bacteria.
Closely inspect produce for insects or pests. The conditions in a root cellar are not conducive to insect survival, but insects will be happy to eat their way out if they get stuck inside a storage bin. Remove any pests you find, and make sure the insect has not damaged the produce — any bites or burrows will spoil veggies.
As you place the produce in its storage container, handle it carefully. Do not toss or drop into bins or barrels. Each bruise will lead to decay, so place each item by hand, and you will be much happier with the outcome. Most veggies and fruit can go right into the cellar without any further preparations, but some do require curing to get them ready for storage. Those specifics, listed below, optimize the flavor and storage capacity of each item:
Root cellar storage zones
The temperature and humidity levels vary from floor to ceiling in your root cellar. The area nearest the ceiling has the highest temperature and lowest humidity, and the areas near the floor and intake vent have the coolest temperature and the highest humidity. The spaces in between the ceiling and floor show a gradual transition between the two zones. In a large root cellar, this creates a range of prime storage conditions you can use for a variety of produce. For example, beets prefer 32 degrees and a moist 95 percent humidity while fennel bulb prefers a warmer 35 degrees with 90 percent humidity. So, you would store the beets closer to the floor and the fennel on a middle shelf. As you place produce in your root cellar, try to place it in the zone best suited for its specific needs. Separate or cover produce that releases ethylene so the gas will not affect your other produce. Refer to Appendix A for a Produce Storage Chart that lists the optimal storage conditions for each produce type and notes which items produce ethylene gas.
If you have more produce than storage zones, put as much as you can in the proper zone and mark any overflow bins so you will know to use these first. Once things start to clear out in the cellar, rearrange your bins so each produce is stored in its best zone. This is more a guideline, so all is not lost if your parsnips are not stored in the perfect zone. They will still keep longer and taste better when it comes time to eat them.
Storing Items other than Produce in the Root Cellar
A cool, moist, dark root cellar is perfect for produce and, with a little extra time and attention, can also be used for other food items, garden plants, and even emergency supplies. Some dried goods, such as sugar, flour, grains, coffee, and dried herbs, will not do well in a root cellar. They will absorb moisture and quickly go bad. If you must store them in the cellar, put them inside a sealed plastic bag and then inside a sealed plastic tub, and place them in the location nearest to the ceiling. The same advice applies to canned goods. Anything with a metal lid or ring will quickly spoil in this moist environment. Leave these items in your regular pantry. Some untraditional items do well in the root cellar; it just takes some practice and experimentation to see what works best. Check the many links and books listed in the Resource section in Appendix C for more information on making and storing these items.
Wine
Most wine drinkers know this is a picky beverage that needs consistent storage conditions to age well. Most wines prefer a storage temperature range of 50 to 55 degrees and humidity levels at about 70 percent. Wine can tolerate colder temperatures and higher humidity but will take longer to mature. The levels needed for wine are not optimal for produce, so you might want to consider storing your wine for the long term in a different room. In addition, some of the more odoriferous items stored in a root cellar, such as cabbage or onion, can create an off taste in wine.
Ciders, ales, and juices
Ciders, ales, and juices are more forgiving than wine and can be stored temporarily in the root cellar. Store-bought, shelf-stable beverages that are sealed well can be stored in the root cellar with no problem as long as they do not have metal lids. Homemade, nonfermented fruit and vegetable juices must be handled differently because they do not contain the preservatives needed to make them shelf stable without refrigeration. Depending on the type of beverage you are trying to store, your root cellar might not provide the proper storage temperatures to keep it from spoiling. Refer to your recipe for proper storage temperature, and only keep juice in the root cellar if you know you can consistently maintain its required temperature. With a root cellar lifestyle, you no longer have to make huge batches of juice. Now, you can store the raw ingredients and make the fresh juice as you need it.
Cured meats
Cured meats, such as ham, bacon, and smoked fish or meat, are also items that could do well in a root cellar if you take extreme care monitoring their conditions, especially temperature. These meats must be kept at 40 degrees or cooler to maintain their freshness. The odors of smoked meats can affect some of the tastes of your produce and, conversely, strong odors from onions or cabbage can change the taste of your stored meats. Take care when storing these items separately.
Dairy and eggs
Hard cheeses, butter, and yogurts store well in a root cellar with a consistent temperature of 40 degrees or lower. One day of higher temperatures can cause nearly instant spoilage. However, these items must also be kept unfrozen because this will also change their tastes and textures.
The root cellar can also be a place to keep fresh eggs as long as they have not been washed. Freshly laid eggs are protected with a coating called bloom, and once this is removed, the shell becomes susceptible to bacteria infiltration. With the bloom intact, eggs can be kept for up to four months in covered containers. Storage conditions for eggs must be temperatures between 33 and 40 degrees and humidity at 70 percent. Before storing, place eggs in cold water and discard any that float to the top because these might have hairline cracks that will cause spoilage.
Dried beans, nuts, and seeds
From dried kidney beans to walnuts to sunflower seeds, pantry staples are a fibrous and protein-rich addition to any diet. They do take up a lot of room in the pantry, and you might be tempted to store them in your root cellar. Adequate storage conditions are difficult to find in a traditional root cellar, but beans and seeds can be stored with a little extra care. For the best results, keep each item separately in a tightly sealed container in the driest section of your root cellar. Be sure beans and seeds are completely dry before placing them in storage; a small amount of moisture will cause the entire container to rot. If possible, leave nuts in the shell until you are ready to eat them. Shells will provide an extra layer of protection from the elements.
Plants and bulbs
If you keep flower gardens, the end of the season means the end of those pretty plants. But with the aid of your root cellar, you might be able to overwinter some of the plants you throw away every fall. Hardier annual plants, such as geraniums, will survive the winter if placed inside your root cellar before a killing frost. To save these plants, cut the foliage back, and dig the plant up while leaving the roots intact. Place the plant in a black plastic bag, and put it in the warmest section of your root cellar. Plants can also be left in their pots if you have grown them in containers all season. Just cut back their foliage, do not water, and cover with a bag in your root cellar. When early spring comes, remove the plant from the bag and look for buds or sprouts. If you see any signs of growth, plant in a small pot, water, and place in a sunny window or underneath grow lights. If the plant starts to show green, it will survive, and you can plant it in your outdoor beds as soon as it warms up. You might be surprised by how many annuals you can grow from year to year with this approach, and even with a low success rate you will save a money. Refer to your favorite gardening book for more information on and tricks for overwintering annuals.
TIP! You can also save indoor flowering plants, such as poinsettias, from year to year by using this same bagging method.
Flowers that grow from bulbs or tubers, such as gladiolus, canna lily and iris, can also be stored in the root cellar from year to year. Just dig up the bulb after the leaves have died back, gently separate new bulbs that are growing, leave them to dry in the sun for a few days, and place them in a mesh bag. Hang the bag from a rafter in your root cellar, and replant in the spring. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, and other bulbs that flower in the spring can be left in the ground because they can survive the freezing winter temperatures. You can force bulbs to grow indoors, too. Instructions for that will be covered in Chapter 10.
Emergency preparedness kit
A root cellar can also double as a storm shelter and a place to store your emergency kit. Out of the way but accessible, a well-stocked kit and root cellar can carry you through storms or emergencies during which water, electricity, or outside assistance are not readily available. No matter where you live, you have probably experienced a power outage due to storms. Imagine this lasting for days. What you store in your kit depends on your family’s needs, but in general, you will want to cover the basics of food, shelter, and water. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has put together a website at www.ready.gov that covers emergency planning for all events. It recommends storing enough supplies to last for three days. These are the basics suggested for a family emergency kit:
Additional items might include:
Once you have assembled the necessary items, store them in sealed plastic bags inside a lidded container. The high humidity in your root cellar can damage most of these items, so take extra care to seal them properly. Check the contents at least once per month, and replace items that expire, such as batteries or medications.
Additional Preservation Methods and the Root Cellar
The range of preservation methods available to the gardener is astounding. Canning, dehydrating, pickling, freezing, and salting are some. If you can eat it, you can find a way to preserve it and extend your healthy meal choices throughout the year. These preservation methods require explanation and expertise, and there is not enough room in this book to fully explain the methods. Improperly preserved food could appear safe to eat but harbor botulism or other bacteria causing serious illness or even death. Learning the proper methods of preservation, especially when it relates to canning and pickling, are essential to ensuring the food will be safe for your family.
Numerous books and websites are available to help you learn the art of preservation, and it is not a difficult skill to acquire. With instructions and a little practice, anyone can become a skilled food preservationist. For more information, visit your local library or the website of the National Center for Home Food Preservation at www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html. The USDA's “Complete Guide to Home Canning” contains thorough instructions on how to can produce, meats, and more. It will also give you information on how to determine whether your canned goods are safe to eat and how to recognize items that might be spoiled. Please refer to the “Resource” section in Appendix C for a list of books and websites related to food preservation.
Once you have mastered these additional preservation techniques, you can assess whether the root cellar is the best place to store these items. Cured meats, fermented juices, and pickled items can keep well in the root cellar. However, anything canned using metal lids or rings should not be left in the cellar for long because the high humidity can rust the metal components, and the food safety will be compromised. Once you start storing produce in the root cellar, your main pantry will have more room for canned goods.
What’s Going On in the Garden?
This time of year is busy for the gardener but mostly because he or she is removing things from the garden. There is not other garden work to be done other than harvest and cleanup. As you clean out the garden, keep your journal handy to record final thoughts on how your garden grew and what you would like to see next year. Inspect the plants for damage, and record any pest, insect, or disease damage. As you work each day, keep notes on the success — or failure — of your gardening. Did the timing work out so the crops became ready when the root cellar cooled down? Did you plant enough to stock your root cellar, or did you run short? Examine the spacing and placement you used, and assess how well this worked. Double-check your actual garden plantings against the map you made in the spring. Make sure you know where everything was planted so you can properly rotate your crops next year. All these details will help you pinpoint problems and adjust your gardening next year to avoid them.
Saving seeds for next year’s garden
Many gardeners use their end-of-season plants as supply for next year’s garden. This saves money because you do not have to buy seeds in the spring, and it is also a way to propagate the produce you were most happy with. Seed selection in catalogs is often narrow. By saving your own seeds, you can be sure you will find the type of produce you most want. Saving seeds was briefly covered in Chapter 7 in the “What’s Going On in the Garden” section. The seed-saving procedure differs between plants. It is best to refer to your favorite gardening website or book for more information on the best way to save seeds from your specific type of plant.
One suggestion, no matter which type of seed you are saving, is to gather seeds from a variety classified as heirloom or open pollinated and not a hybrid or F1 variety of plant. Hybrids are created from crossing parent plants to select for one specific plant trait, such as shape or color of produce. Subsequent seeds from these mature plants can be sterile or might grow produce with different traits from the parent plant. Heirloom plants will consistently produce fruit true to the parent. Be sure the seeds are dry before storing them, and refer to the previous section for information on how to store seeds in your root cellar.
TIP! Some plants can cross-pollinate and produce a different seed than you expected. Be sure to choose seeds from the healthiest, most desirable piece of produce you can find.
Fall is also a time to stock up on your gardener’s gear. Most garden supply stores and home improvement centers are selling their winter products, and any leftover gardening supplies are quickly marked down to make room for the new items. Go through your tools and supplies, and make a list of everything you needed or wished you had this season. Next time you are in the store, browse through the garden aisle, and you might find some good bargains.