Saturday, June 30, 2018

Pantries, Root Cellars and Store Rooms


Pantries, Root Cellars and Store Rooms

They say a spell of inclement weather is coming.
Stop and Shop, and Shaw's supermarkets
have long lines as people wheel out full carts.

Until seventy years ago or so,
preserving foods, when bountiful
for when it wasn't, was common.
Some were canned
some were saved in the root cellars,
and some in store rooms.

A huge pot of water with jars
boiled on the stove
and wax was melting along side.
It meant something was being canned.
It could be berries to become jam,
or tomatoes for months in the future,
or string beans, the last one
to be opened on May Day.

In the root cellar winter pears and
apples along with carrots, potatoes,
white and sweet, winter squash, pumpkins
and other hardy produce were preserved in the cool,
dry, dark and vermin proof space.
The root cellar's abundance was drawn from
until the next years harvest.

In the store room bulk needs were stashed.
Flour, dried beans and peas,
dried hard sausage and
other non-perishables each had a spot.

Months of food were always accessible,
no rushing to the store when an
emergency threatened,
all needs were close at hand.
I thought root cellars were a thing of the past, but you can find out how to build one online.

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