Page 179 - The Lost Ways

For one thing, your cans will rust, and it’s never a good idea to keep dry food in humid
conditions. For this reason, it’s also a bad idea to store your dried beans and grains in your
root cellar unless they are in airtight containers.

You can buy packs of silica online to absorb the moisture in these containers, or you can
just find a cool, dry space in your house for them instead.

However, produce is far from the only thing that does well in the specific conditions of
your root cellar. Think of how nice it would be to have a rack of wine bottles aging in
50
there as well. Beers, ciders, and other bottled drinks do equally well in the cool dark.

Cured and smoked meats will last ages in a root cellar as long as the temperature stays
below 40°. In fact, when it’s that cool, you can store milk, cheeses, and other dairy in
there too, with great success.

Proper Storage

Don’t go tossing your green treasures on the shelf all willy-nilly. You worked hard to grow
them and worked smart to get your root cellar together. Be sure that you do everything
possible to ensure your harvest stays delicious for the cold season.

50 "Tin Top Antique Shop" by: Brandi Sims, (CC BY 2.0)

178