What is a Root Cellar?
A root cellar can be described as a structure that was built in the days before electricity in order to keep vegetables from freezing in the winter months and to keep it contents cool during the warm summer months. Elliston first received electrical power in the main part of town in the 1920’s, but the Maberly area did not have this service until the 1960’s. However, even after people began using electric refrigerators, the root cellars were still used by some families.
A root cellar is a structure which is designed to keep vegetables and some fruits at a stable, cool temperature which will prevent them from rotting or otherwise going bad. Root cellars were once a necessary fixture in any home where people wanted to be able to eat vegetables and fruits during the winter, and they are often present in older homes built through the early 20th century. In addition to being used to store fruit and vegetables, a root cellar can also be a useful place to store dairy products, grains, and a variety of other foodstuffs. Root cellars take advantage of the earth as a natural source of insulation and coolness. A typical root cellar can either be dug as a pit independent of a house or another structure, or it may be built under a home, barn, or similar structure. Since deep holes are naturally cooler than the area around the surface of the earth, a root cellar will be cooler than the ambient air temperature by design, and several features can make a root cellar e
