The Last of the Potatoes

This is the last little clutch of potatoes from last year's garden, stored through the winter in our root cellar. We grew the potatoes in grow bags, a step up from our 'dumpster potatoes' grown in 45-gallon trash barrels. Still – not a thoroughly satisfying harvest: maybe 15 pounds of little potatoes from 6 grow bags. This year we're giving up some real estate to in-ground potatoes and hoping for a higher yield.

Still, it's rewarding to just wander across the driveway to do my grocery shopping. We've kept garlic, onions, carrots, beets, and parsnips, along with celery plants growing in dirt and a potted rosemary bush through this, our first winter using the cellar (completed last fall). Definitely a learning curve, and it needs some tweaking. One, it's much too damp – close to 70% humidity, when we'd like it to be closer to 55%. And the air exchange isn't up to scratch, which lets the humidity build up to the point of condensation and, eventually, some mold. The humidity may just be a result of its being a new 'cave', but I intend to run our bigass dehumidifier in there for a few days to see if I can dry it out with some permanence. TJ wants to increase the diameter of the exhaust stack to 6 or even 8 inches from its current 4.

Through the summer, it should be an ideal spot for storing our homebrews – beer and hard cider and whatever else I come up with (looking forward to trying dandelion wine) – at a perfect drinking temperature.

It looks sort of like a hobbit house, doesn't it? TJ wants to tear down the stone work on the sides (thrown up in a hurry when his friend with the excavator made us his final visit before selling off his equipment); as a dry stone waller, he intends something tidier, with more fill added at the same time. And I'd like to plant something or other around it (there's currently a carpet of sod over the top and some good loose soil all around.

This evening's dinner was almost entirely from food put by last fall – a chicken and homegrown English peas from the downstairs freezer, with the root cellar's offering of potatoes. I roasted the chicken with a lemon, an onion, and some garlic and thyme sprigs stuffed in the cavity. The potatoes were cut up into little chunks and blanched in salted water, then sautéed in duck fat (rendered from a pile of ducks I procured in December from a local farm) and finished in the oven with slivered garlic. The peas were simply simmered in a little salted water and dressed up with sweet butter.

I'm about to put peas in the dirt outside, and have an upcoming post planned on starting peas indoors. Stay tuned.

Comments

[Anna Dibble]

But I like the stones the way they are! Wonderful building. Maybe grow grass on top?
Where did you find the ducks??! Always looking for good local ducks. Love cooking with duck fat too.

[GG Mora]

It does have grass on top. TJ had some sod left over from a job – just enough to cover the top and down the sides a little. Waiting to see how it handled the winter.

I got the ducks from Someday Farm. I don't know if they have them year-round. Want some duck fat? I have more than I can reasonably use. Bring a container by, I'll give you a couple of cups!

[Anna Dibble]

Would love some! When's a good time to stop by? Thinking Friday early afternoon?

Nice about the grass roof. I love a grass roof.

[GG Mora]

Sounds good. Come by @ 1, & if you want, bring the dogs and we can take a walk out to Paradise.

[James Murdock]

This is Great. Cynthia has been talking about a root cellar for years, on the list. I would think a bigger pipe would help with ventilation, you can always close it down during dry spells. I once built some Yurts, one of them we covered with sod,at times we had to water it without the benefit of running water. The only time I ever watered a roof! Lucky you to have a Stone Mason that's affordable!