Page 44 - Fall2020

Modern can quickly eat. A root cellar gives you a place You will have to decide on the balance that you
preservation to store the bounty for use when those items go wish to strike between preparedness, nutrition
out of season and are no longer locally avail-
and the stability and accessibility of your food
techniques able. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, supply when choosing among the various ways
generally carrots and apples are some of the vegetables to preserve and put up food.
reduce the and fruits that root-cellar well, and there are
many others. As an added bonus, root cellaring CONNECT WITH
nutritional preserves far more nutritional value than food LOCAL FOOD SUPPLIERS
value of foods preservation methods such as canning. In our Few of us can grow all our own food, but all
(or certain experience, root cellars also involve consider- of us can obtain more of our food from local and
ably less work than canning. Root Cellaring by regional suppliers outside the mainstream food
nutrients) Mike and Nancy Bubel is a great book to have if system. As a silver lining to this year’s events,
but are more you want to learn the skills needed to store more the options for supporting local and regional

foolproof food without expensive modern equipment. 7 foods are increasing, at least in some areas.
Some options include farmers markets, food
in terms of PRESERVE FOOD buying clubs and other cooperative efforts. In
success and Traditional cultures mainly used dehydra- addition, changes in technology now allow local

long-term tion, fermentation or curing to preserve foods. farmers to sell directly to communities in ways
These methods generally kept—or sometimes that were impossible or cost-prohibitive just a
shelf stability. improved—the food’s nutritional value but also decade ago. As a result, we are witnessing a
had some significant drawbacks. For instance, surge in local farmers doing drops and deliver-
dehydration (before vacuum sealing) meant that ies, offering choices such as meat and vegetable
foods had to be rendered very, very dry. Cur- CSAs and weekly, bimonthly or monthly de-
ing often used so much salt that meat needed liveries. Remember, though, that farmers need
repeated washings before cooking to remove the consumers not only to make the switch but to
excess salt. And even with these methods, the commit to these options on a long-term basis.
historical literature is replete with discussions
of food loss and stories about how bad years USE A GRAIN MILL
or failed storage led to significant problems or Modern store-bought bread is usually a
even catastrophes for communities, regions or bane to one’s health, but for home bakers who
countries. rely on flour and yeast, current shortages have
Modern preservation techniques generally made baking harder to undertake. However,
reduce the nutritional value of foods (or certain while flour remains hard to come by in some
nutrients) but are more foolproof in terms of stores and through some distributors, at no time
success and long-term shelf stability. Canned during the past three months have whole grains
foods, for example, can keep for years—but at been hard to get. Now is a good time, therefore,
the cost of lost nutrition. Freezing makes you to consider the many advantages of using a grain
grid-dependent and also causes the loss of key mill to grind your own grain into flour. Having a
nutrients in certain food groups (such as folate grain mill will separate you from the 95 percent
in vegetables). Canning and vacuum sealing (or more) of the population who know how to
expose our food (and therefore us) to plastics bake with only already-processed flour.
and the chemicals used in their production. Grinding your own grain saves you money

CHEST FREEZERS: AN EASY WAY TO STORE MORE FOOD
For meat and similar items, there is no better option than a chest freezer, given the trade-offs between cost, nutri-
tion and other factors. We prefer chest freezers to upright freezers for two reasons. First, they are far less expensive to
run, clocking in at about one-third to one-half of the expense of an upright freezer per month. Second, if the door is left
slightly ajar, it is almost always just an inconvenience rather than a catastrophe—a big consideration if you have many
kids getting things from them! Also, if the power goes out, chest freezers stay colder far longer than uprights, so when
things go wrong, they cause far less stress.
42 Wise Traditions FALL 2020