Day 5 - Storing Vegetables in a "Root Cellar"

31 Days of Homestead Living!

We extend our season of eating fresh fruits and vegetables by storing them in our home in a cool dark place.  We don't really have a root cellar, but we do have a basement.  In our basement, I have stored whole pumpkins and watermelons.  They will store for a few months before getting soft or going bad.  We store sweet potatoes and white potatoes in barrels or tubs.  These need to be checked regularly.  Currently I have several butternut squash in a basket with newspaper placed between them.  This was our first year to grow this type of squash, and it grew great here.  We are enjoying having the option of eating these items for a longer season.

Strings of pepper hanging to dry

I have strings of peppers drying downstairs.  And garlic hanging to harden.  Most of the time I have herbs hanging to dry.  A friend of ours buys apples from the local orchard every year.  He wraps several in newspaper, puts them in a brown paper grocery bag, and he has fresh apples to eat for Christmas dinner.
Another friend tells me that one year his family picked tons of pears.  The wife loves pears. They, too wrapped them in newspaper.  But then placed the pears in a cardboard box and put it in a dark closet.  They say that winter, they ate fresh pears till spring! 

Green tomatoes waiting to ripen, and garlic hanging to harden

I think other vegetables like carrots, turnips, or onions could be stored this way, too.  One year I had baskets of pecans and walnuts sitting everywhere till they could be shelled.  I bet you have a cool dark place you could store some fresh food!  Honey