food storage Root Cellars

[Bughunter66]

With refrigerators running out of power, and gas being a limited resource, I agree we need more ways of keeping our food in good condition besides jarring it, as they are super rare currently.

 

Root Cellars are what people used before refrigeration to keep vegetables and such from going bad (Meats were salt cured, dried, or smoked.). A root cellar is basically an underground storage area that is kept cool and well circulated. By digging deep (Usually 3 meters or 10 feet), the temperature is stable, and food can be stored.

 

If you guys need some more information on root cellars, you can google it, or visit this page from the Farmer's Almanac

 

This suggestion was inspired by Immortal Zed's little suggestion (question?), which is located here.

[MePhone4S]

Sounds like a good idea, but it should require reading some sort of survival guide.

[Bughunter66]

19 minutes ago, MePhone4S said:

Sounds like a good idea, but it should require reading some sort of survival guide.

That or the Farmer occupation. Would probably also need some carpentry skill or something as well.

[ElFtador]

The effort deposed on digging is going to be costly, that`s clear. We can`t just give it away as an easy alternative.  Also you will need a ladder or some stairs, and something to cover it up, because I don`t think you would like to eat your bolognese side by side with some zombies. It might take a couple days to do that, because besides digging the room you need to ventilate it, maybe make the walls stronger ( most probably concrete ), so you will need a lot of materials and time. Good ideea as an end game improvement.

[Bughunter66]

5 hours ago, ElFtador said:

The effort deposed on digging is going to be costly, that`s clear. We can`t just give it away as an easy alternative.  Also you will need a ladder or some stairs, and something to cover it up, because I don`t think you would like to eat your bolognese side by side with some zombies. It might take a couple days to do that, because besides digging the room you need to ventilate it, maybe make the walls stronger ( most probably concrete ), so you will need a lot of materials and time. Good ideea as an end game improvement.

Exactly. Digging an entire room that is 10 feet/3m under the ground is definitely a tough task. The stairs/ladder and other stuff is why I suggested carpentry as an additional skill. The construction of the cellar would be no easy thing to do, and take a lot of time, making fridges more efficient in the early game, but cellars needed in the late game. They would take weeks/a month depending on the time you spent on them.

 

 

[CaptKaspar]

We're told we're getting basements or cellars. I think they are more traditional basements for buildings and not root cellars, but they might end up being cooler.

[Bughunter66]

2 hours ago, CaptKaspar said:

We're told we're getting basements or cellars. I think they are more traditional basements for buildings and not root cellars, but they might end up being cooler.

Yes but you can't really just leave food in your basement.

[EnigmaGrey]

4 minutes ago, Bughunter66 said:

Yes but you can't really just leave food in your basement.

If unheated (and insulted from the rest of the house), that's really all root cellars are.

[TheWraithPlayer]

2 hours ago, CaptKaspar said:

We're told we're getting basements or cellars. I think they are more traditional basements for buildings and not root cellars, but they might end up being cooler.

 

5 minutes ago, Bughunter66 said:

Yes but you can't really just leave food in your basement.

You're right, even canned goods would be at risk of bacterial and fungal poisoning.

[TheWraithPlayer]

1 minute ago, EnigmaGrey said:

If unheated (and insulted from the rest of the house), that's really all root cellars are.

Yeah, but it also depends on moisture content.

[Bughunter66]

38 minutes ago, EnigmaGrey said:

If unheated (and insulted from the rest of the house), that's really all root cellars are.

Moisture and air circulation control are important for root cellars. A home basement is usually quite damp and humid, and finished basements might as well be a part of the actual home. I know for a fact I can't keep food in my basement, if I did, it would go bad pretty fast.