I have always dreamed of the perfect garden, but my busy everyday doesn’t leave for much time for maintaining beyond just the necessary. No matter. I can enjoy the beauty of other’s and still have fresh tomatoes!!!

With autumn just around the corner, I’m reminded how much closer we are to “putting up plenty” for winter. Most of my readers already know how much I love gardening and canning. I love eating food grown from my own little piece of ground, and when we have that Sunday chicken dinner, I promise you it was worked hard for.

I have always chosen a simpler lifestyle, and with prices as they have been, I’m not alone. Unfortunately my small canning room is getting a little crowded and it’s time to consider a better option. How do you save your bounty? I would love to hear from you. Do you prefer freezing over canning. I’m looking into dehydrating some of my favorite herbs next.

Growing up we had a large basement built into the side of hill. You didn’t need air conditioning if you had a basement. (Some of you know what I mean there.) There were seven of us and my mother would put of hundreds of jars a year and it kept well. My grandparents had a root cellar. I don’t know if you know what that is, but let me tell you what a blessing those are. From storing canned food, root crops, to being shelter in a storm, a cellar is a multipurpose blessing. It’s even a great place to keep worms for fishing. My fondest memories growing up was when papaw Bill would let me go fetch the worm box from the cellar.

I imagine our little farm would benefit greatly with a root cellar. With modern refrigeration, root cellars seemed obsolete. However, more and more people are becoming interested in where their food comes from, and interest is growing in gardening and sustainable living. Having a root cellar is like having a six-month supply of quality vegetables on hand and you are not at the mercy of grocery stores. Imagine the money you would save on electric since the ground temperature in a root cellar will keep your food for you.

I have a lot more research to do, such as the best method for our land and area, but I see Steele Oaks Farm having a root cellar soon.