Our root cellar and how we use it for food preserving and storm protection. #cellar #rootcellar #stormcellar #undergroundhouse ~-~~-~~~-~~-~ Please watch: "SPRING Into Action" • SPRING Into Action ~-~~-~~~-~~-~
A prepper I follow on youtube always fills her empty mason jars with water. Just put a clean, used lid on them with a ring. That way she has extra water, in the space it takes up to store unused mason jars. Then when she's ready to can food, she just pours out the water (preferably on plants) and starts the canning process.
2LadyHomesteaders Hodge super idea filling empty jars with water, thanks. I live in the central part of Tennessee 35 miles north of Nashville. I'd then run the water through a Berkeley filter, if needed for drinking.
We used a composting toilet/bucket for 7 months. We quickly discovered horse bedding pellets were the best to use in the bucket. The pellets soak up liquid better than anything and controlled the smell like nothing else.
I really like the idea of separating your canned goods by year instead of by produce. That way, you always know which one is the oldest and can use that up first.
I LOVE your cellar!! I've been wondering how I can build my own without the blocks or a contractor... I'd love to see a video with more details on how you built and supported your cellar. Keep up the good work!
my grandpa's seller was bigger it had a complete bedroom or two and I think a little bigger it was big enough for three families or more and my grandpa had 15 kids lol
I love watching y'all's videos. You both totally amaze me with all the wonderful things you build and the knowledge you have to be self sufficient. God bless y'all every step you take.
When I'd visit my Grandparents in Mississippi, the pot was underneath the bed. The water was from the roof runoff though there is a natural spring on the property. Really adventurous as a kid. Didn't know you could have a cellar this far south.
You can also put rubber bands around each jar to keep them from ratteling against each other and breaking during an earthquake. Love your channel! Thank you! :)
Great video Danny. You touched on the one factor that most of the prepping videos I've seen never address...earthquake proof your shelving systems guys...all those wonderful glass wares will be toast otherwise. This is a great video for preppers as well as homesteading....although the two are hand in hand :)
Seeing canned food all lined up always makes me so happy..lol Well done on the root cellar..seriously impressive! I hope at some point you will do some canning videos..would love to see that!
What an awesome root cellar! Is it stand-alone, or part of another structure (e.g. basement re-vamp)? A root cellar is on my list for our homestead for sure.
@@DeepSouthHomestead it is very humid here. my soil is basically all read clay. I am however not on a hillside, but my yard never stands in water. I dug an 8 foot deep hole this past weekend, and i never did hit any water. do you think i could just do a french drain around the top of cellar?
I was told 2 years maximum on canned goods and 5 years on pickled. 10 years maximum on properly sealed dehydrated goods & 25 years on freeze dried foods. My mom used the old jars of fruit to make her "SPRING WINE". Quite a tasty mix of fruits made for a wine that was always unique to each year made as you never know what fruits or how much of each would be ready early in the spring. Dad layered shallow boxes with clean, dry sand instead of newspaper. Carrots, beets, rutabega, and other root vegetables were stored the same. Except the onion family as they were braided and hung from the ceiling. 💙🍎🍏🍐🍅🍆🥔🍑🍒🥕🌽🌶️🍓🥝🍇🍉🥒🍄🥜🍾💚 It's nice to know where your food really comes from. We had 250 laying hens, 800 meat chickens butchered each year. 35 for us & the rest to sell for feed and extra $ to buy the fruit we could not grow. 12 ducks & 12 turkeys. We had dairy cows and goats, plus a couple of sows. 🐮🐖🐐🐤🦃🦆 My dad hunted for our red meat and a goose or two. We mushroom hunted, picked wild berries. 🍄🍓So though we were cash poor we had land and never went hungry! If you have the space it is a great investment. Preserve the 'Harvest'! Happy gardening!
Hi Danny, My off-grid cabin property is in the mountains of Oklahoma. I don't get the level of rainfall you do (40 inches/year) but it can be fairly humid. Also, the property is mostly red dirt and the water table is deep. I was thinking of building a concrete 8x12 root cellar that is probably 7 feet tall. I was thinking of putting tar on the outside of the walls and finishing the ceiling similar to your design. The average humidity in my area is 67% but can be as high as 70% in May and June. I would like to know what you think of my thinking. Thank you!
I love the cellar, but here in NE FL we can't have one because the water table is too high (we'd end up with a swimming pool). Your build is impressive. Many Blessings to you & Wanda.
+ Deep South Homestead ~ . Good sir I hope you & your family have completed your securing of your glass jars. I would suggest you get crates & separate each bottle with saw dust or paper for further insulation. If we have 9.0 mega quakes as is predicted your wood front is not going to help the bottle from smashing against each other. I would do everything you are hoping to by August 21st 2017 as the full solar eclipse that crosses America most certainly has the ability to set off quakes of size. Next date to be prepared for is September 23rd 2017 If you have not I suggest you look into this further. God bless & I hope you & your family remain safe & sound, good job on your cellar. Only if everyone was as smart & prepared as you!.
Check out Starry Hilder's page and cellar set up. She's got a real simple fix for earthquakes, lid storage, canning recipes, etc. I think you'd like her homestead page! Also, have you thought abt canning meats? I've just started getting into it. You should do it if you haven't already!
FYI the ground temp is based on the average yearly temp for the area, so it will be cooler in Wisconsin than it is in the deep south. Course now you know that. :)
Nicely done! Suggestion, set up a battery box that is vented to the outside and then get a cheap solar panel and a couple of voltage regulators. One regulator to control the amount of electricity that goes into the battery and a couple for different voltages so you can run 12v car fans or old computer fans and also run the LED tap lights you have. Do not know if you have a dollar tree out there, but they have those 3 LED tap lights for a buck each and they are really handy and if you hardwire them into your cellar, then you have lights and circulation fans all on the cheap. Just be sure to check the acidity of the battery every change of season to make sure the fluid level is up and that the acid is strong enough. You could also run a portable radio off of that bettery to listen to news reports. A similar solar paneled 12v water pump would also keep you in water during power outages. really enjoyed your video, so much so that I am sharing it and also downloaded it to my computer to put on dvd. Stay safe and God bless!
Nice design you have on you cellar. I hope to place one in my homestead here soon. I never considered pressure treated timber. That's one thing to consider.
Just gotta love your setup! Have you thought of using something like bungee cords stretched across the mason jars in case of quakes? Hooked on both ends with screws may give you better accessibility. Just a thought :). BTW, found your channel via DPH, kudos to her too.
Have you had any problems with mice getting in your root cellar? If so, how did you deal with the situation? Vivian Ann on the side of the mountain in NE Tennessee
Danny, did you dig out the side of a hill to build the shelter? Near Baton Rouge, we do not have any hills to dig out like you do in Mississippi. I guess we could build above ground and haul in dirt to cover?
I dearly want a root cellar/storm shelter. My problem is that I can't dig into the ground here where I live. The water table is way too high to think about sinking anything in the ground except a boat. There is ground water less than 3 feet down. So I have no idea how to put in a working cellar. I've tinkered with the idea of burying a cargo trailer on top of the soil but there are so many issues of rust and water infiltration that I just don't know. My land is flat as a pancake. Which is fine but there isn't a hillside to build into. I've even thought of earthbags building and then sounding over it. But with our tropical rains I'm doubting it would stay dryish inside. I know you need humidity but not water infiltration thru the walls. Can you think of an idea I can research to get my dream shelter/cellar?
I have an old root cellar under my house. Home is 130 years old and in Kansas. I've noticed a lot of similarities in construction of these old cellars but I'm not certain if particular elements of the construction have a specific function. Are you aware of any resources that elaborate on why old root cellars are built the way they are?
Deep South , I saw a vent fan that the guy made out of wood & you spun it by handle (man powered) to help bring in more fresh air....thought I'd share that with you
You want a great fan and light ,go look at Ryobi 18 volt lights and fan they run off battery or 110 power. I like this set up I would have tunnel to another area in case of main entrace failure.
Great job; it looks very nice! A tip I saw on a different video is to can water in your empty jars until you need them, so it provides water storage instead of wasted space.
I'm wanting to build a root cellar here in Sand Hollow Idaho and really like your cellar plan. If you have or if you can write a simple build plan on what you ended up with I'd really be interested or if you are selling the plan, let me know how to get the information. I have my own ideas but a successful build is better than a scratch dream. I enjoy your videos and will share them because you are the kind of American that makes things happen. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing, I'm going to have to adopt the yearly set up idea instead of like foods. Just reorganizing my pantry, so perfect timing. In His name, JM
What temp does the cellar keep in summer? Are you in the South? Debating if one in North TX would be worth it since it's not that cold in winter but very hot in summer.
+Liberty Garden We are in MS. about 30 miles from the Gulf Coast. It gets very hot and humid here. The cellar can get warm but we put a dehumidifier in it and that brings the temp down. Main purpose is food storage, but we do have tormadoes and hurricanes here, so it is also a safe haven during those times. Thanks
LOVE this! Our homestead is in western tn and I want a root cellar like this. Now to show the hubby.....would love to see the outside entrance and ventilation area.
what is your elevation and/or water table please? Gulf hurricanes are a different breed than coastal 'canes in duration of impact usually, but are you near any large bodies of water or other wetlands and have to worry about flooding?
+Mickie B Our elevation is about 350 ft above sea level. so we don't worry about flooding. We have a creek 1/2 mi in front and one creek 1/2 mi behind us. It is the highest hill in our county. We are blessed with many fresh water sources around us.
My grandfather who had a homestead , in Washington State, had a root cellar. It's nice you do things old fashion way. He raised three generations of family off the food from that farm. He lived to be 98 years old.
+Dena Redford Wow, it would be something to live to be that old. They knew what they were eating back then. It was good food that they raised. That is what we are trying to get back to. Raising what we eat. I think we are about half way there. Thanks
Thank you so much for mentioning your system of storing by the year and not the contents. I have struggled with rotation and just today found about 15 qt. of spaghetti sauce that is needing to be dumped. I believe your system will be the answer to any more waste. Blessings to you and yours.
yall are so smart and i am so envious also. Yall work so hard and accomplish so much. I am a new subscriber and this is a great channel. I have learned a lot from you and would really like to know more about grafting the trees that you showed in another video. I would also like to know how you keep the root cellar from flooding. I live in Louisiana and we flood here too. A root cellar would almost be a necessity in the south for the harsh summer months to keep the food good if you dont have air conditioning. Looking forward to learning more from yall!!
+Cyndi Comeaux We are actually on a very high hill in our county. We don't have flooding issues. The cellar was built with French drain system, so we have a drain system in place to capture the water before it gets into the cellar and reroute it away. The cellar is a great place here for keeping potatoes and our canned goods. Thanks
Very informative about root cellars. I might point out that concrete block is also not good for earthquakes. Your ventilation system is clever. I am a little north of you across the state line.
Thank you for this video, I have an unfinished basement and want to use it as a root cellar, and have shelves for my pressure canned goods. I now have a good idea on how to do it. We are considering a move to an area where there is some earthquake activity, but not an epicenter, so I must research how to build shelves for that too.
NICE I HAVE A CANNING ROOM WITH LOTS OF JAR STORAGE I AM NOW GONNA USE YOUR IDEA OF JAR SAFETY BECAUSE ONE JAR BREAKING IS A LOSS LOTS OF JARS BREAKING IS A CATASTROPHE
Love the videos... A few individuals that I have listened to suggest placing thick rubber bands around each jar so they don't bump into each other during an earthquake. Just a thought. I live in CA, great for quakes, so I'm going to give it a try. Can't hurt.
as root cellar,,,good job,,,, but if a NBC situation happens,,,,we knew you when ! if miss has so many requirements what do they do,, come and inspect ??
hi Danny, i am currently starting some much need maintenance on the root cellar in the basement of my home in western ny. we purchased the home about a year ago and were in love with the idea of having and using a root cellar. it is clear that the space has not been used for food storage in many many years( the home was built in the 1860s). i am first looking at installing a ventilation system and was impressed with the setup you have and your tips on how to prevent condensation from forming. i am trying to figure out the correct diameter of pvc pipe to use but am having a hard time finding any formulas to figure out how many cubic in of air i need to move. i was wondering if you would have any knowledge to pass on to help me get the ball rolling. my root cellar is roughly 15 x 6 ft. any info would be much appreciated, love the videos and keep up the hard work.
Sir you have a lovely root cellar and canning cellar there. I have a beneficial suggestion for all your nice jars of food. If you want to protect them from earth quake then you will need to not only put that board so your jars do not fall out but also wrap each jar with packing foam or anything soft at least a quarter inch thick. I would make little socks for each jar out of foam and duck tape the circles. The jars will smash by each other hitting themselves so best is foam and if you can bungee them that would be best so they can not bounce against each other and accumulate kinetic energy.
Your cellar is awesome!!..I saw a video where someone used an earthbag method in Alaska..it was very small..I am looking @solar generators for my elderly parents that are easy to operate inside the house when power goes out..thankyou🙏
Wow Danny, there's so much information here, I'll need to take notes. Thanks for posting. I remember talking to my dad when mom turned up the sound on the TV. They needed to get below ground, they had a class 5 tornado headed right for them. Have wondered how to build a root cellar, great way to store canned goods and root crops. Thanks for sharing.
I would love to talk to u about it root cellar. I live in Louisiana and need all the help I can get please! I've been doing my research but I'm still unsure how Todo it right.
Very smart organization and nice set up for just in case! Great tip about condensation from the vent pipe, too! The price of battery operated fans has come down a lot and "O2Cool" brand (under $30, runs on D batteries) puts out good air ... wished we had them in 2004 when multiple hurricanes ran over us. Where did you find good pressure treated lumber (the stuff sold here is terrible)? Also, is your cellar built under a building or if it is standalone - how do you keep water from creeping in the top? Sorry for so many questions!
+fannygitchyurgun spiritwind Thanks for the questions we hope to add a battery powered fan in the future.The pressure treated lumber is never good research shows that if you put 4 mil plastic on the inside of the studs it limits the amount of chemicals leaching in its a stand alone under a concrete slab which i now regrett.Due to the excessive heat here.The concrete gets so hot it heats the ground up underneath it. Making it harder to keep the cellar cool.The whole cellar is wrapped in 2 layers of 4 mil black plastic to help prevent water seepage from the top.It sits 3 ft below the top of the ground so it will serve as a bunker also.
