I probably wasn’t aware, when we bought the house 40 years ago next year, how important the cold cellar under the house would be. It is largely unimproved since we moved here. It has allowed us to be self-sufficient in all our own fresh vegetables, root crops and fruit with minimal pre-processing. There are 4 full size rooms in the cellar which are kept dark (there are small windows which are kept covered) and without heating. Even though it is relatively early in the winter, it is at the moment just about as cold as it ever gets down there thanks to the freezing temperatures since the end of October. First are some pictures of the stairs and doors. Below is another album of pictures of the vegetables in storage; explanation with the pictures!
Steep stairs down to the cellar from inside the house
There’s an outside door in the only outside wall that is exposed to the air, leading to the first room being coldest, sometimes down to slightly below zero
The first room from the outside can freeze (just) ad is currently about 1C
The first iDoor to the middle room at the bottom of the stairsnside room to the left when you go in from the outside door is a plant and veg storage room behind this door). Currently about 2C
Door to the middle room at the bottom of the stairs
The door from the middle room into the warmest room where the previous owners stored potatoes. Currently +3C
Swiss chard (mangold)
Swiss chard (mangold) and pots with turnips and swedes, stored in slightly damp leaves
Onions (kepaløk) Allium cepa
Potatoes stored in sacks
Large amounts of apples – Aroma
Apples – Aroma with one of the old turnip varieties which will be grown on for seed next year.
Swiss chard (mangold)
Various less hardy edimentals
Various less hardy edimentals
Chicory (sikori)
Carrots in leaves and leeks (purre) behind
Turnips in leaves for eating
Various beetroot (rødbete og hvitbete) varieties …usually these would be stored in damp leaves
Burdock (borre) roots stored in leaves
Chicory (sikori) and dandelion (løvetann) ready to force for greens
Dandelion (løvetann) ready to force for greens; this one was moved up to the kitchen to bring on the greens as it’s too cold in the cellar
With a series of -4C nights forecast, I’m harvesting and moving the last vegetables into the house and cellar. There are still many Worcesterberries (Ribes divaricatum) in perfect condition, eating with apples with muesli every morning. Harvested another load this morning as I expect that they will freeze and drop to the ground. I also harvested the last celery from the garden this morning, replanted in pots in the depths of the cellar where they will sleep until spring as cellary, ready to harvest whenever I need them. A couple of plants were also moved from the balcony, grown in pots for ease of access, to the kitchen for even easier access, one of them attractiv edimental “Red Stem” celery…
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden
I also harvested the last celery from the garden this morning, replanted in pots in the depths of the cellar where they will sleep until spring as cellary, ready to harvest whenever I need them. A couple of plants were also moved from the balcony, grown in pots for ease of access, to the kitchen for even easier access, one of them attractiv edimental “Red Stem” celery…