Almost everyone has a concept of a root cellar – be it one they saw in a movie, read about in a book or something they witnessed from someone they know.

Growing up in southern New Jersey, a friend of mine had a root cellar on his parent's farm's property, but the only time I ever saw it used was when we kids were playing in it.

In the Midwest and South, root cellars commonly doubled as tornado shelters, but the basic purpose was to allow for the storage of food in a cool, consistent and damp environment.

The old root cellars were elaborate affairs, mainly because they were the only real way to store vegetables over the winter months – sort of a “refrigerator” before every house had one.

In a survival situation, a root cellar can serve the same vital purpose and on the next page we show you several alternatives for having your own root cellar.

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