Geothermal Pantries And Food Storage
The GeoThermal Pantry: A Root Cellar
Not all that long ago farmers used root cellars to store vegetables, fruits, and preserves. It was most often built in a bank with wood or some waste material used to reinforce the walls and ceiling, even old tires were used. A practical location was near the garden and/or back door of the farmhouse. In some situations, it would be in the corner of a basement.
Maintenance was little but the preparation was wiping off produce versus washing. Canning jar lids should be monitored for any signs of rust, and produce checked for any “bad apples”. Fresh straw often made soft padding, or even a bed of clean sand to “plant” root vegetables was common.
A sustainable root cellar uses the most basic design principles.
Humidity level maintained in the vicinity of 80 - 95%
Temperature around 35 to 40 degrees
Darkness. any kind of light can induce sprouting. Light exposure even brief can cause potatoes to go green use burlap to protect more sensitive areas of storage
Non-chemically treated wood for shelves and containers. Refrain from the less expensive softwoods as they will decay quickly and metals will rust.
Insulation of earth is better than concrete to keep humidity levels high.
Ventilation. It is important to exhaust gases from fruits and vegetables and stale air. A clean air vent to exhaust warm air out at the top.
The versatility of being able to connect to an adjoining safe room or have it part of a safe room
A key element of a good root cellar design is to not make it complicated.
If you are considering one for tornado or similar storm protection see the below links as there might be some funding.
FEMA: State Hazard Mitigation Officers
For those that are considering a root cellar take a look at a great article here by Morning Chores:
Other useful ways to use geothermal is for wine cellars, and cheese caves, which all like similar cooling principles. In fact, using the earth for temperature purposes is as old as, well the earth itself. The term Geothermal is not new even though it is in today’s green conversations. It is all good, whether it is called a thermal battery, heat pump, ground source, or GeoExchanged. There are systems designed using closed-loop, open-loop, verticle, and Hybrids. Here is another article to read up on how fancy we have made the age-old principle of working with nature.
Getting back to basics is good for everyone including the environment. I think we all probably would agree it is also good to keep green terms simpler to understand.
With In Green Living, Joni Keefe shares nature-based design choices for urban greenspaces and Interior Design. Her interests follow sustainable agriculture, eco-friendly building products, and the latest trends in green design. She is a published writer with horticultural design work featured in national publications.