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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 22:27 - Edited by: MtnDon
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We have a three season road access property in the NM mountains. We would like to snowshoe in every other weekend. We do not like lugging in heavy foods on snowshoe. Foods that can be stored without concern about freezing give a limited diet choice. We've used freeze dried and find even the best to be unexciting to put it kindly. We usually eat fresh or frozen produce and meats. For a use such as this winter thing, there are a wide variety of acceptable canned foods available. But they can not be left to freeze for the most part. I do like hiking and snowshoeing; I simply don't like being a packhorse.
I was wondering what others who use their cabin once in a while in the frozen winter do. I assume that most folks, like me, do not consider leaving propane heat on all winter to avoid the freezing problem.
I do have a solution I hope will be a success. It involves digging a deep hole and insulating the top. Here's a photo of the upper end.
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 22:40
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I think you are on to a great idea here. At our hunting camp we try not to leave anything water-based in the place over the winter. We've even had bottles of dishwashing detergent freeze, break, then leave a real mess after the spring thaw. I would think digging a hole at or below the frost line, and insulating it, would do the trick nicely.
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Steve961
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 22:56 - Edited by: Steve961
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Take a look at the concepts behind Frost Protected Shallow Foundations in the link below. You should be able to create a much shallower frost free storage area with the judicious use of extruded polystyrene foam insulation.
Frost Protected Shallow Foundation
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 23:39
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It could be made to work, I believe it might be more work though. The FPSF design for an unheated building requires much more foam insulation both in thickness and the horizontal plane. I think it might be best suited to a building on a slab or full perimeter foundation, where a chamber could be built under the floor. My case situation is that I already have a pier and beam foundation building; not suitable.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 13 Sep 2011 23:47
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Quoting: PA_Bound We've even had bottles of dishwashing detergent freeze, break, then leave a real mess after the spring thaw.
I've found that some things like that survive when in a bottle no more than half full. But we leave them in a tray just in case Ditto for the following... things like cooking oil simply turns too thick to pour but if in plastic bottles is otherwise okay. Maple syrup survives in the plastic jug type bottles. Milk in the aseptic boxes survives. Ketchup in a plastic bottle is okay.
Plastic water jugs (the grocery store variety) have been okay as long as the jugs were only 3/4 full. Just in case they are stored in the shower pan. The shower does not have a trap to freeze; it simply empties into a buried, pumice filled barrel with a screen on the outlet.
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Just
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 09:15
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i have been looking for info on this myself ,, that is y I first joined the forum . my problem is' groung water' getting into the cold cellar!!I am thinking of trying a 12 volt automatic bilge pump to keep things dry. The other advantage is it keeps things cool in summer, save on icebox space !!
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:29
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The key is to dig well below the frost line, and yes, insulate the top.
My grandparents had a large full height storage room under unheated small building / garage. They kept all their supply there over the winter, without freezing - potatoes, beets, apples, canned foods, barrel-pickled vegetables, etc.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 14 Sep 2011 10:30
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I don't have the water problem. Ground water is several hundred feet down and the pumice drains very well.
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Brenn
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2011 07:54
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I found so many useful tip on how to store foods in a dwelling over winter - thank you a lot for this! I am actually planning to retire to my dwelling in the mountains for two or three months. Thus I collect anything useful related to this. I liked the idea best, to dig a hole and put your reserves into it (and many more).
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2011 13:41 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Get those galvanized metal trash cans and store you dried foods in there. They come in many sizes. No varmits getting in, secure the lid and you are good to go. As a Toyota tech, we have customers who store dog food in their garages and it brings in varmits and they end up chewing on the engine room wires or even under the dash. (spendy repairs sometimes) and I recommend they get the metal pails. Also other things that bring in mice is bird feeders, one of the worst things you can have. In addition, leaving pet food on the rear porch in the bowl for the dogs/cats, nut trees, even if its just maple trees, old dog bones in the yard, rawhide bones and tall vegitation for hiding all items to make rhodent life easier. Remove as many of those as you can.
I have left food at my place, but all dried stuff, ie oatmeal, spices, nothing that needs refridgeration etc.
Heads up, dont leave LCD TV's if its get too cold in your cabin, it ruins the screen.
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Erins#1Mom
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2011 14:27
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Here in Northeast Tennessee, we have "root cellars" or cold cellars. Growing up in an old farm house with only a fireplace and wood kitchen stove for heat, we had a dirt cellar under part of the house. It was app. 5 ft deep and about 12 x 12. We stored canned goods we had canned from the garden and root vegetables, green tomatoes we would wrap in newspaper and they would ripen over the winter. Never had any thing to freeze. We also dug a hole app. 4 ft deep, buried our cabbages and covered with dirt.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2011 22:32
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I use metal trash cans from Home Depot to store all of my bedding,boots and clothing due to mice.
Feeding the birds will also attract bears as well as a dirty bbq grill.
I leave sugar,flour,oats etc..in mason jars. Spices and dried foods in a metal cabinet. Anything that will freeze goes home at the end of the cabin season.
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nicalisa
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2011 22:52
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:) I think that we are pretty lucky as we don't really freeze too often out on the coast, but for storage we keep everything in plastic. We carry our bedding out for a wash and dry in the spring and fall....(put it in the wash tub and on the line in the summer) but store everything in space bags to protect it from the little 4 and 8 legged critters!
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 18 Jan 2012 23:42
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UPDATE: This has worked well for us. The lows had hit just below zero F and the temp in the tube was running at 40+ F (low forties)
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beulahfarkward
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# Posted: 12 Mar 2012 20:01
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I leave everything in glass or metal containers. And I never leave anything that won't freeze well. Okay almost never. Did you know coke cans explode/ Creates a huge mess with frozen coke "froth" everywhere. I wonder if the mouse that got in the mess got a caffeine high?
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sparky1
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2012 12:08
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MtnDon;
Thanks for the story of the Yellow tube & food storage--this is a wonderful Idea, & for preppers as well. your knowledge and effort Help many on here.
thanks again.
sparky1
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Seto
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# Posted: 19 Mar 2012 12:44
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I live year round in my cabin, I heat with a cast iron wood stove and let it freeze when i am not there. to avoid freezing foods i keep only dry food, but that does not mean i am limited in choices. a food dryer, or a solar food dehydrator are great investments. just about any food can be dried, I keep just about anything from tomatoes to green beans this way, apples are easy to dry and can be eaten dry, or hyddrated for apple crisp, pies, etc. salsa and tomato sauce can be dried in sheets to make a fruit leather then added to boiling water to reconstitute. its not quite the same texture, but it does keep for a long time and will not freeze. i keep everything in half gallon size mason jars
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storage
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# Posted: 3 Mar 2013 14:37
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Sugars, flours, baking mixes, pastas, rice store in 5 gallon plastic containers from home improvement store with bay leaf to keep out bugs. Bay leaves around camp to keep out ants.
Bedding, linens, extra cloths, shoes in totes or even plastic outdoor storage boxes for cushions, sealed truck tool box, zip bag you buy linins in.
Kitchen ware in any type of plastic or sealed containers. Rice in salt and spices to keep out moisture. Pet food and dishes in totes.
Recycle plastic containers you get food in to use for storage to save money. (plastic pretzel containers, peanut butter jars) put in metal or garage plastic cupboards to keep out mice, bat box outside to keep down bugs, spread insect lawn care product that includes flea and tick, scicken wire or screening around base of camp or any where animals could crawl in. NEVER LEAVE ANYTING LAY AROUND
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Paul
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# Posted: 3 Mar 2013 17:31
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Quoting: MtnDon I do have a solution
Thank you for posting this. This is genius! I was looking for something just like this.
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littlesalmon4
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# Posted: 4 Mar 2013 12:39 - Edited by: littlesalmon4
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We leave all sorts of canned foods in our cabin all winter. Some things do not react well to freezing, like canned beans. They turn to mush. Other things like soup just need to be mixed up a bit more because freezing causes them to seperate a bit but makes no difference on the taste.
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adevil
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# Posted: 4 Mar 2013 14:58
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Good idea is to clean out the cupboards at Thanksgiving when we are shutting things down and take a box of food to the local food bank. They can really use it.
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Anonymous
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# Posted: 4 Mar 2013 15:37
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Quoting: littlesalmon4 We leave all sorts of canned foods in our cabin all winter.
I hesitate to recommend just leaving canned goods. I've seen cans freeze and crack a seam and then things can turn nasty and dangerous to boot.
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skootamattaschmidty
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# Posted: 4 Mar 2013 18:02
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We have a crawl space inside the cottage that is approximately five feet deep. We insulated the lid and the upper three feet. We keep our 100 gallon water tanks down there and the 12 volt pump system. We have had no problems with freezing and it does get to -20 c or colder outside. We have stored some food down there without incident as well.
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