Here's another "farm home convenience" I like, from a USDA Famers' Bulletin, March 1918.
We use a version of this concept for our pantry, involving keeping a window cracked and the door shut, so that the whole room stays quite a bit colder than the rest of the house. Not as ideal as a root cellar, but a good compromise for our house. The idea below would be pretty easy to manage, assuming you have a north-facing window you wouldn't mind giving up for the duration. We're also exploring the old-fashioned cool-cupboard idea, involving vents cut into the wall/floor/ceiling to best allow flow of cooler air through a cupboard or storage area. My house in Seattle had wall cupboards in the kitchen with built-in screened vents. A dandy low-tech way to extend food storage!
We use a version of this concept for our pantry, involving keeping a window cracked and the door shut, so that the whole room stays quite a bit colder than the rest of the house. Not as ideal as a root cellar, but a good compromise for our house. The idea below would be pretty easy to manage, assuming you have a north-facing window you wouldn't mind giving up for the duration. We're also exploring the old-fashioned cool-cupboard idea, involving vents cut into the wall/floor/ceiling to best allow flow of cooler air through a cupboard or storage area. My house in Seattle had wall cupboards in the kitchen with built-in screened vents. A dandy low-tech way to extend food storage!
