Putting-Up Secrets?

[chubbyalaskagriz]

I'm currently reading "See You in a Hundred Years" a very interesting book that recounts the tale of a family that abandons their NYC life in 2001 for a year at a farm in Virginia- living as in 1900 w/ no electricity, no car, nor other modern conveniences.

Among the many important daily duties are gardening and putting-up food for winter.

Many things the family learn thru trial & error are: While apples can be stored in the cellar- pumpkins must be stored in the attic to prevent rotting. And though carrots can also be stored in the cellar- never ever store them alongside apples (lest the apples become terribly bitter-tasting!)

My question for all you avid putter-uppers is, what hints and secrets have YOU learned over the years that the rest of us might be surprised to know?

 

[KYHeirloomer]

Books could be written (and have been) about root cellering, Kevin.

Most of us grew up with a romanticized idea of what cellering was all about. But, in fact, there are lots of nuances involved. Some fruits/veggies can just be stood in the celler in boxes and baskets, for instance. Some need to be buried in sand. And some cannot withstand the humidity levels required---thus your store pumpkins in the attic.

For the same reason---i.e., high humidity---canned goods were not stored in the root celler.

Traditionally, sweet potatoes were stored in boxes under the bed. Bet you didn't know that one.

In most of the country, carrots didn't have to go in the celler. They were just left in the ground, mulched heavily, and dug up as needed.

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

I have never had a cellar, as I always lived in the deep south and there was way too much moisture, the cellar would be full of water in no time, and everything would rot! I would probably starve with-out electric. Of-course I could make beef jerky if need be.

I only canned and froze veggies. I prefer my veggies canned as the flavor was so much better. I only froze okra (for frying), and yellow squash, pumpkin pulp,and very few other items. To me freezing makes things tough! Like for instance blueberries get a tough thick skin that I find unpleasant, green beans are in my opinion unfit for human consumption after being frozen. And canning is just my preferred method. I store my canned goods in a pantry.

 

[KYHeirloomer]

Anthropologically speaking, both canning and freezing are relatively new preservation methods. Canning only goes back to 1813. And freezing, as we know it, dates to Clarance Birdseye's experiments in the early-to-mid 20th century.

Drying is thought to be the oldest form of form preservation. Smoking--which is only a more sophisticated form of drying---followed soon after that.

Salting (i.e., brining) and fermentation rank second and third. Which came first depends on authority cited. But the best evidence is that they were contemporaneous, and sprang up independently in many parts of the world more or liess simultaneously.

"Fermentation" means a lot of things. Among them: cheese is a method of preserving milk & cream; wine is a method of preserving grapes; and lactic acid pickling is a way of preserving all sorts of fruits and veggies.

Refrigeration is an interesting case. It's been known since neolithic times that cold helped preserve food. But it was a localized effect. Those in the north could take advantage of this to a greater degree. For instance, a celler dug in the permafrost made a perfect food-preservation chamber, and is still used that way in Scandanavia. But otherwise, things like spring houses were used to prolong the useful life of foodstuffs, particularly dairy.

Root cellering also goes back into antiquity, but little is known about it's origins. The basic concept is simple: If you create an artificial cave by digging deep into the earth, you create a steady-state environment that's on the cool, moist side. This environment is favored my many fruits and veggies, and prolongs their useful lifespan by many orders of magnitude.

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

A wealth of interesting and useful info, Brook. Thanks!