Getting Back to Basics

I read something recently about the possibility of fruit cellars making a comeback in this new age of frugality. The name is somewhat of a misnomer since fruit cellars were really a place to store just about any kind of food that could be kept edible until the next growing season. The well-stocked fruit cellar had rows of neatly arranged jars showing off not just canned fruit, but vegetables, jams and jellies, and pickles.

There were also bushel baskets and other containers with potatoes, onions, apples, and even cabbages and carrots, if your cellar’s temperature and humidity were suitable for storing them. Harvesting and canning were a large part of the household work, and it didn’t end when everything had been tucked neatly away. Not every apple, carrot or potato was destined to make it through the winter. The frugal housewife went through all the unprocessed fruits and vegetables regularly. First to get used was anything that looked as if it might be starting to go bad. Salvaging the good parts of anything that was starting to rot or shrivel was also part of the work.

There were times when I had a large enough garden for some surplus, and went to farms where you picked your own, for a fee. Farmer’s markets also were sources of produce by the bushel. My fruit cellar never looked anything like the ones that people depended on almost entirely for their food, but there was still a lot of satisfaction in having done my own canning and jelly-making. Another pleasure was knowing that I didn’t haven’t to pay winter prices for food that was shipped in from thousands of miles away.

Another use for the fruit cellar, that wasn’t written about too much, as far as I know, was the production of alcoholic drinks. Just for treating the flu, and keeping warm on cold days, of course. That’s something I learned all about. But that’s another story.

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