@Sourdough most cellar dont work? dude you been in alaska to long...lol..theres 1,000's of cellars working all over the globe.just because alaska has very unique features doesnt mean the broad statement you said is correct.
So.......Why would someone build "TWO" cellars......unless they performed different functions...??? In the 1940's and 50's I was raised in deep rural Pennsylvania, on dairy farms. We lived in houses built in the late 1800's. They had a basement/cellar under the house (Generally only under half of the house, not a full basement/cellar). But they also had a "root cellar" that was a totally different structure. WHY would they have two.......unless the "root cellar" served a different application.....???
if you take time to read the book i posted about you would understand that all crops dont store together.i cant recall which ones as i have to go back to book for references. but basics is you need a minimum of 2 rooms because certain gases from stored goods cause other crops to ripen or rot faster. one is apples. another reason they had one in house and another away from house..often out by barn is in 1800's and into early parts of 1900 root crops were grown and stored as livestock feed. pumpkins and sugar beets and potatoes and more. i see that still being done in russia today in vids from there. i dont know if i can find it or not but theres a very old home of stone on youtube and it has a huge cellar under it...but the barn has an even larger one where the above mentioned items were stored for the livestock.
also often times people built what they could afford at the time and as funds came available as well as labor and needs grew they added on to their infrastructure.
one huge mistake folks make is canning jars in cellar where moisture is needed to keep root crops from shrinking. moisture is the last thing you want on metal lids.they will rust and eventually fail at some point if not used. also canning jars were not used or even around way back in the day they are more modern times. they used crocks. often crocks were items close by kitchen so the wife/mother could access these fast and easy. growing up my grandmother had a rot cellar outside but basement..it wasnt a dedicated cellar was crocks of items like pickles and sauerkraut. she went down stars filled a serving dish with pickles for our meal and then returned uneaten ones after meal was over. if sauerkraut was on menu she brought up a big bowl of it for the evening meal. etc. etc. etc.
this is why i say that book is so valuable as it tells exactly what can and can not be stored together. what certain items need as a humidity. my cellar is going to have a 12volt fan in vent system so i can such air in faster and easier as need be.you can get by with less but if you monitor just a bit and adjust air flow to each room you can get much longer shelf life out of goods. in poland they go so far as sucking all oxygen out of rooms where stored apples are at.the doors are marked as this can be dangerous to people. i think theres a market for plastic drum where is has locking lid and all air can be removed to keep apples for a very long time.
theres more to it..i am still learning and doing myself..the road is long as you well known.
YES.........But my point is that throughout this thread I have maintained there is a distinction. And others have maintained that they "Basement/Cellar" is the same as "Root Cellar". Why need two if they are the same.
a cellar can function for any crop be it roots or wine..its how much you as owner adjust humidity and temps that distinct in between a root cellar or a wine cellar. you dont want wine bottles where high humidity is..come on man...you just wanting to be ornery and argue today or what?
I did a lot of research on this several decades ago. What they were concluding consistently, was "YES".......there are a some places/locations in America where you can dig a "root cellar" and it will work most of the year. But many places you are going to need heat or cooling or humidity control, or it simply does not work. Think Florida or southern Arizona or Michigan, they will all need more then "Passive Ventilation" to function properly.
Curious...Show me a Cellar or a Root Cellar in Fairbanks, Alaska with "JARS" of can food, and bags of Potatoes, and onions................BUT ZERO HEAT Assistance. Hell a cellar in Fairbanks, with heat, is no different then a cellar in Ohio with heat.
Curious...
How deep is your frost line?
It is about 18" here in SW PA.
Ben
same reason you build a shed on your property and have a garage. . garage was not enough roomSo.......Why would someone build "TWO" cellars......unless they performed different functions...??? In the 1940's and 50's I was raised in deep rural Pennsylvania, on dairy farms. We lived in houses built in the late 1800's. They had a basement/cellar under the house (Generally only under half of the house, not a full basement/cellar). But they also had a "root cellar" that was a totally different structure. WHY would they have two.......unless the "root cellar" served a different application.....???
Show me a Cellar or a Root Cellar in Fairbanks, Alaska with "JARS" of can food, and bags of Potatoes, and onions................BUT ZERO HEAT Assistance. Hell a cellar in Fairbanks, with heat, is no different then a cellar in Ohio with heat.
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