The Complete Root Cellar Book: Building Plans, Uses and 100 Recipes [Paperback]

A unique cookbook that includes complete instructions on how to plan and build a root cellar -- no matter where you live (condo, townhouse, or even warm climates). Once you've nailed the storage, you'll find delicious recipes to use up your stored bounty. (The Test Kitchen Inc. 20101201)

Whether you grow your own vegetables, buy shares in a local CSA or have a neighbour with an emerald green thumb, preserving the harvest over the winter can be a challenge. If you don't own so much as a single Mason jar, cold storage can be the answer, and The Complete Root Cellar Book: Building Plans, Uses and 100 Recipes by Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie provides everything you need but the lumber. Homeowners, townhouse renters and even apartment dwellers can find a plan to suit their living space. And it doesn't end with the final nail. By the time you put down the hammer, you'll know everything you need about root storage, pest control and even have the essentials on keeping your wine collection happy. To ensure you enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour, MacKenzie, a veteran recipe developer, provides 100 tempting soup, main, dessert and condiment recipes. What makes this book unique: The sheer range of designs and storage ingenuity is impressive. Detailed plans range from a complete do-it-yourself, walk-in root cellar to a less ambitious tune-up of an existing cold room. Got a yard but no basement? Try an old-fashioned root clamp or outdoor cellar pit. For apartment and condo dwellers plans include ways to convert a second refrigerator. (Charmian Christie Canadian Gardening Magazine 201010)

According to authors Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie, the root cellar isn't just for grandma anymore. In The Complete Root Cellar Book, they take a complete look not only at root cellaring, but how to plan and build one, how to make it work, how to select the fruits and vegetables you will store there and--finally--how to cook the delicious vegetables you eventually remove... There's even a section called Root Cellars for Condos, Townhouses and Warm Climates... In all ways, The Complete Root Cellar Book is a very good volume. One that covers every aspect of its topic in a thorough and complete way. According to authors Steve Maxwell and Jennifer MacKenzie, the root cellar isn't just for grandma anymore. In The Complete Root Cellar Book, they take a complete look not only at root cellaring, but how to plan and build one, how to make it work, how to select the fruits and vegetables you will store there and--finally--how to cook the delicious vegetables you eventually remove.... There's even a section called Root Cellars for Condos, Townhouses and Warm Climates... In all ways, The Complete Root Cellar Book is a very good volume. One that covers every aspect of its topic in a thorough and complete way. (Linda L. Richards January Magazine 2010)

Steve Maxwell is a cabinetmaker, builder and award-winning home improvement author. Over the past two decades his articles have frequently appeared across North America.

Jennifer MacKenzie is a professional home economist, author and editor with 15 years' experience in recipe development and testing.