Cold Cellars for Year-Round Local Food and Farming January 2009

Mott Estate, Flint, MI Former farm of GM founder C.S. Mott Cold Cellars for Year-round Local Food and Farming

John Biernbaum Department of Horticulture Michigan State University 1 2

Michigan is ready for good ideas, both high and low tech. Michigan Root Cellar ~1921 in Leelanau County. Built with stone from the shore of West Grand Traverse Bay and primarily used to store apples. Interior dimensions 15’ x 20’ and 7’ tall with a double door – 3’ air lock.

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Single

Stone and cement construction - described in later years by the Nearings.

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John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture 1 Cold Cellars for Year-Round Local Food and Farming January 2009

Side by Side Two-Story

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Desired Learning Outcomes Presentation Outline See Handout – Seven C’s

ƒ Individual and family goals. 1. Concepts ƒ Farm and local food system goals. 2. Crops ƒ Available educational resources. 3. Conditions ƒ Suitable crops and conditions necessary. ƒ Methods and costs of construction. 4. Construction ƒ Sources of funding for cold cellars. 5. Considerations ƒ Needs to be either searched out or 6. Containers discovered though research. 7. Combinations

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Why Season Extension and Year-round Farming?

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localharvest.com – growing number MSU-SOF CSA Distribution of small farms and CSA’s in MI January 2009 – sixth year

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Food Processing & New York Times – Nov. 2008 Preservation ƒ Refrigeration and Cooling ƒ Freezing (energy, flavor, nutrition) ƒ Canning (Salsa, Tomato based products, etc) ƒ Dehydration (herbs, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, etc) ƒ Freeze-drying (more commercial or larger scale?) ƒ Salting (osmotic conditions limit microorganisms) ƒ Pickling (vinegar, acidic pH) ƒ Jams and Jellies (sugar) ƒ Pasteurizing (heat; impact on nutrition?) ƒ Fermentation (renewed interest?, improves nutrition?)

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Energy & Global Warming ƒ MSU Forestry class prepared a carbon Planning budget of the Student Organic Farm. ƒ Carbon from uses including electric, for local gasoline for tractors, tillers, mowers, food in our trucks for transportation and employee cities and member miles was 2.4 tons/year. cities ƒ Carbon for refrigeration was 200 tons/yr or 98% of the carbon. ƒ An acre of trees for an offset

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Basement Cold Closet Buried in container or straw

http://www.dragongoose.com/LewHisWinterStorageVeg.html Mother Earth News 19 20

Buried Room or Rooms

http://www.dragongoose.com/LewHisWinterStorageVeg.html21 Mother Earth News 22

Railroad Tie Parthenon Mother Earth News Survivalist Special 23 Survivalist Special 24

John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture 4 Cold Cellars for Year-Round Local Food and Farming January 2009

Root Cellaring Topics The most ƒ Growing the right crops for storage. referenced ƒ Variety selection ƒ Scheduling for late harvest source of ƒ Harvesting high quality produce and preparing it for storage. root cellar ƒ Recommended stage of development and harvest methods. ƒ Pretreatment to insure maturity of squash, onions, potatoes, information. garlic First ƒ Specific crop storage recommendations or uses. ƒ Vegetables published ƒ Fruits (ethylene considerations) ƒ Other: eggs, pickled or fermented foods, mushroom production, 1979 and root media for transplants, revised 1991. ƒ Construction ƒ Small buried containers A good deal ƒ Basement root closets at $15. ƒ Excavated cold cellars ƒ Personal experiences ƒ Recipes 25 26

Warm asparagus rhubarb Cool Season artichoke sunchoke lettuce Season horseradish baby leaf salad mix snap bean spinach Crops and Conditions edamame chard beet 12. Perennials 1. Salad lima bean mustard 11. Beans Greens peas And Peas tatsoi winter pac choi 2. Cooking kale ƒ What Crops? pumpkin Planning: Greens collard summer 10. Squash What to grow? cabbage (diversity/selection) ƒ How Long? cucumber broccoli How much to grow? 3. Cole 9. Cucumbers Crops cauliflower ƒ What Conditions? melon and melons (space/plant & total) When to grow it? kohlrabi watermelon (time and season) Brussels sprouts ƒ Temperature scallions 8. Summer Where to grow it? tomato 4. Onions onions Fruits (grouping & rotation) and Flavor ƒ Humidity pepper garlic leek ƒ Ventilation - ethylene eggplant 5. Root celery ƒ Ventilation - ethylene okra 7. Corn Crops carrot celeriac tomitillo 6. Potatoes beet bulb fennel sweet corn turnip parsnip popcorn radish Leaves, 27 Seeds and sweet potato rutabaga Flowers Fruits Peruvian potato John Biernbaum, MSU, 2009 and Roots

Multiple Environments

Humidity Dry Moist Temperature (<70% RH) (80-90% RH)

Cold Temp onions potatoes (33-40F) garlic cabbage

Cool Temp winter squash cucumbers (50-60F) sweet potato tomato

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John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture 5 Cold Cellars for Year-Round Local Food and Farming January 2009

Multiple Environments Multiple Environments

Humidity Dry Moist Humidity Dry Moist Temperature (<70% RH) (80-90% RH) Temperature (<70% RH) (80-90% RH)

Cold Temp onions potatoes Cold Temp onions potatoes (33-40F) garlic cabbage (33-40F) garlic cabbage (first choice) Cool Temp winter squash cucumbers Cool Temp winter squash cucumbers (50-60F) sweet potato tomato (50-60F) sweet potato tomato (second choice) 31 32

Example Crop Categories Ventilation is important

ƒ Low temp (32F) low humid (<60%) ƒ Produce is alive and “breathing” – using ƒ onions and garlic oxygen and producing carbon dioxide. ƒ Low temp (32F) high humid (90%) ƒ Ventilation is important to bring in fresh air, for ƒ carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, leeks cooling and for humidity control. ƒ Cold Temp (35-45F) high humid (90%) ƒ When moisture is to high, fresh dry air is ƒ potato, cabbage, brought into the cellar. ƒ Cool temp (50-60F) low humid (<60%) ƒ Can be on a timer or managed with a thermostat. ƒ winter squash, sweet potato ƒ Cool temp (50-60F) and high humidity(90%+) ƒ Outside air temperature must also be taken ƒ Cool temp (50-60F) and high humidity(90%+) into condideration. ƒ Cucumber, summer squash, tomato, pepper, eggplant

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Basement Cold Closet Construction Options

ƒ Buried direct or in container ƒ Insulated room in basement or building ƒ Buried Room or Rooms ƒ Would not recommend wood? ƒ Stone or block cemented together ƒ Formed and poured cement walls ƒ Precast sections assembled ƒ Precast vaults or culverts

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http://www.stonestructures.org/html/root_cellars.html#NewLondon built ~ 1918

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http://www.stonestructures.org/html/root_cellars.html#NewLondon http://www.stonestructures.org/html/root_cellars.html#NewLondon

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Stone and cement construction - described in later years by the Nearings. Michigan Root Cellar ~1921 in Leelanau County. Built with stone from the shore of West Grand Traverse Bay and primarily used to store apples. Interior dimensions 15’ x 20’ and 7’ tall with a double door – 3’ air lock.

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John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture 7 Cold Cellars for Year-Round Local Food and Farming January 2009

Black Star Farms Can drive in forklift

Root Cellar for Cold Storage New York State, Stone Barns Center 43 Root Cellar for Cold Storage 44

Root Cellar Started: Concrete Blocks A big hole in the ground

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Root Cellar Constructed Steps and Roof

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Root Cellar Landscaped Root Cellar Finished Root Cellar Landscaped

Basic Costs about $3000 total Hole excavation- $200 Cement for footer - $200 Block $1 each - $600 Block $2 each – $1200

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Formed Cement

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Precast Precast Panels Products or Pieces

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Considerations and Containers ƒ Temperature ƒ Rate of cooling in fall ƒ Addition of refrigeration? ƒ Humidity ƒ Reduce by ventilation ƒ Increase by wetting floor or walls ƒ Ventilation- Ethylene

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MSU-SOF 40F Cooler Beets in Wood Shavings

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Cabbage that got too wet? Celeriac or Celery Root

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Potatoes in Bulb Crates

Harvesting and Storage Containers

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Bulk Bins – wood or Second Cooler – plastic Warmer and Dryer

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Butternut Squash Dehumidifier

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Refrigeration – Refrigeration Unit How does it work?

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Heat Exchanger Outside Compressors

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Heat Exchanger in Cooler New Frontier: Winter Markets

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THANKSGIVING HIGHEST SALES! November Don’t fit inside! 73 74

NOVEMBER Another winter market 7 within one hour

NOVEMBER 22ND 37 DIFFERENT ITEMS FOR SALE! 75 76

Plan for the Future •Free Barns •Central Placement •Slate Roofs Potting Shed-Insulated •Root Cellar Attached Greenhouse

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Think Efficiency

ROOT CELLAR 20 FEET BY 30 FEET UNDER BARN $10,000 refrigeration system—Value paid in one year.

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ROOT CELLAR 24 tons Combinations Carrots Potatoes ƒ Foundation for a building above Beets ƒ Foundation for a building above Cabbage ƒ Mushrooms Turnips ƒ Fermentation Radishes ƒ Geothermal heat for hoophouses Leeks ƒ Seed germination medium Rutabagas Brussels Sprouts

Celeriac ++++++ 81 82

Presentation Outline Integral Agriculture See Handout – Seven C’s

1. Concepts Friends and Families 2. Crops Using Facts and Feelings to 3. Conditions Faithfully, Physically and Fearlessly Farm 4. Construction Front-yards, Forests, and Fields For Food, 5. Considerations Feed, Fodder, Fiber, Fuel, Flowers, Fertility, 6. Containers Fun, Freedom, Fairness and the Future 7. Combinations John Biernbaum 83 84

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