The Root Cellar

This is a root cellar at the Thomas Lincoln Log Cabin in Illinois. Dug into a hillside, this cellar has some carrots, cabbages and dried spices. It doesn't look very appetizing, does it? In pioneer days, preserving foods was an important job. In the past, there were no refrigerators or freezers (except the weather), tin cans, freeze-dried foods or neighborhood supermarkets. People ate what they could grow, hunt or gather. Some surplus foods needed to be protected from both weather too hot or too cold. Fresh peas were strung on threads and hung inside until they dried rock-hard. These dried peas were a Quebecois staple, used in pea soup as well as stews. Cabbage was preserved by cutting it into slaw and pickling it in vinegar. Some cuts of meat and fish were salted, pickled, sun dried, cured, or smoked. Some fruits and vegetables (like apples, carrots and turnips) could be stored in cold cellars. Fruits could be made into preserves. Wheat and other grains would be ground into flour at the local mill. Surplus milk could be made into cheese. Preserving foods was a big job in pioneer days. . . but necessary to survival!