The Under-The-Floor Ferment Station/Root Cellar
Last week I posted the above picture and asked if anyone could guess what it was that Stewart was putting under our new kitchen area. There were some great guesses and he was, indeed, pouring diatomaceous earth in the photo above, as one reader had guessed.
Also in the photo was a whole bunch of earth packed around a hole he had fitted.
He made a space just big enough for one of the ways in which we try to keep food without refrigeration…
A cooler! In the summer it’s quite difficult to keep anything below 90 degrees most days, including produce and ferments. We’ve used ice – both purchased in town and made in small quantities over several days in our solar freezer – to keep the cooler… um… cool.
But we’ve been kicking around ideas for super-insulated coolers for things that just need a little bit of protection from the brutal temperatures here. These items would stay at 80 or below, preferably in the 50-70 degree range. Specifically, I’d like a place to keep vegetable ferments in the summer until we have a root cellar built.
So, when Stewart was getting ready to lay the floor in what will be our kitchen area, he asked if I wanted something I could access right in the kitchen by simply opening a small trap door. Um, yes, please! He packed earth around for extra insulation, sprinkled in a bunch of diatomaceous earth to keep away the bugs, and sunk it down in. Now that the floor is down we have a mysterious trap door that will house ferments and fresh vegetables.
I’m keen to see how it holds up in the heat… and also wondering if I could crawl in there myself on those 100 degree days. Probably not.
P.S. Thank you all for your comments and emails in regard to my previous post. I am grateful to be able to share this journey with you.
Shannon, this looks like a good idea; until you get a root cellar dug. Stewart always has his “thinking cap” on and does good work. Keep up the good stuff.
Hi, Shannon — Very cool (no pun intended!) idea! Having grown up in the Louisiana heat, I can hardly imagine trying to keep food in Texas without refrigeration. This is really a clever idea — I’ll be interested to hear next summer how you’re finding it works! Lots of fun to watch as you guys come up with ideas and solutions!
shannon, how fabulous! we homestead in brasil and don´t have a rootcellar or a refrigerator, and this seems like a great solution. i have to watch my ferments and kefir really well, because in this heat, things get out of control really quickly. by the way, i don´t always comment because my time is stretched, but i really enjoy reading your posts. thank you for sharing! love and light, nicole
Hi Shannon. I’m a wife and mama from Montana and a faithful reader of your blog. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your life!
I know you are on board with feeding your family traditional, nourishing foods. I purchased “Nourishing Traditions” about a year ago, and am trying more and more to implement the principles it puts forth.
My brother has raised beef cattle on a very small scale, and he recently gave me all the soup bones, organs and fat from two steer that he slaughtered this fall. I’ve finally processed the bones…we got 9 gallons of stock!
I know that you’ve written about the benefits of lard, and I’m familiar with how to render it…we raised pigs a couple years ago. Anyhow, I’m curious if I can also render the beef fat and use it the same way as the lard. Do you know the answer to this? Or could you perhaps recommend a resource that I could reference for more information on the topic? Thank you, and God bless you and your family as you continue pursuing your homesteading dreams!
Curious why you didn’t add any further insulation, such as a layer of foam board around the inside of the hole. Space considerations? Ethical/ecological concerns about foam?