[lesley]

Hi Everybody,
I am a researcher studying the ways in which we preserve food that we have grown ourselves.  The posts are very interesting and helpful to me, but I would really like to hear from anybody who did this sort of thing during World War II.
If you did, or know anybody who did please contact me via the forum.
thanks,
Lesley

[muntjac]

we had a hole in the hill filled with ice from  pond llo.used to be a great den

[lesley]

where was this?  did the ice eventually melt as it warmed up and what did you keep in there?  

[muntjac]

it was a cave made of brick in louth and in the olden days they cut ice and took it in there with the foods etc and just closed a big door when it was done .12 by 12 ft and 7ft high i think ( i was a lotttt younger then_. stayed all year to summer. meat /fish etc kiled pigs in autumn n kept it there til Christmas unsmoked  etc

[WG.]

You can see the largest Ice House in the country on http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/speybay/speybay/index.html

[Trillium]

My grandparents, in Europe, didn't even have electricity, so whatever could be dried (beans, corn, some apples, cherries, pears, etc) was dried. Cukes and such were pickled in crocks, 2 big wooden barrels of kraut were filled every fall. Cabbage would keep in the cold cellar but kraut was more of a mainstay. Grandfather built a meat smoking chamber into the masonry stove chimney so grandmother could easily access it to smoke sausages, hams, etc. Don't know what wood she used, but it was enough to preserve it without any coverings for the whole, cold winter in the attic. She'd just slice off what she needed. No one butchered animals in winter. Chickens were kept live during winter in the barn with the cattle (who keep barns warmer) and slaughtered only as needed or if they didn't lay.
The root cellar was the biggest item, dug into the ground with dirt steps. Inside, there was a ceiling vent to the outside that had to be adjusted daily according to the outside weather. The stairway, in winter, was kept covered with boards topped with a sheet and straw to keep heavy cold air out of the cellar. And the roof was topped with straw. Apparently they had fresh as just picked beets, onions, leeks, potatoes, carrots and apples (yes, in the same room) well into spring - as long as the ceiling vent was properly adjusted all the time, and many dairy products. The cow was milked daily and butter was made - by my mother sloshing away on the up and down wooden butter churn, and my grandmother cooking cheeses on the stove. What wasn't traded for salt, etc. was stored in the cold cellar.
Grains were kept in safe storage, not sure where, and made into bread or flour a bag at a time as needed. Kasha was an important source of vitamins and was added to blood pudding and instead of rice (a luxury) in cabbage rolls. Lettuce was grown, but young beet tops were more prized for salads. A neighbour had a giant walnut tree, which he promised a share of to all local neighbours if they didn't touch it until ready, so everyone obliged. Another had a giant pear tree with the same proviso. People respected the requests and got their shares. Thieves would be found out and dealt with harshly.
Hope this offered some help.