From Root Cellars to Larders to Modern Pantries: The Evolution of Food Storage in Appalachian Homesteads

Please welcome guest author Amanda Winstead . Winstead is a writer from the Portland, OR area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Growing up, she spent summers in Maryland with her grandparents, walking sections of the Appalachian Trail or visiting historical sites in the area. More recently, she hiked the trail in full for the first time and fell absolutely in love, especially with its rich history. She was especially taken by the trail’s natural history and the way it links together the American story, from the site of George Washington’s inoculation of troops against smallpox to the last battlegrounds of Shay’s Rebellion. If you want to follow her writing journey you can find her on Twitter.

Food making and preservation are two tasks of utter importance in any household, but the Appalachian environment presents unique challenges in both areas. Scarce access to imported resources and geographic isolation from the 18th to the mid-20th century created a need for well-optimized food storage solutions across the region. 

Food preservation methods in Appalachia have evolved, altering the level of labor necessary to keep homes well-stocked and changing the landscape of the average homestead kitchen. Let’s take a look at how these food storage methods have changed throughout the years and how they exemplify the independent culture of Appalachia.

Food Preservation in Appalachia

Appalachia is a diverse area in many ways, with most residents descending from the region’s early German, Irish, Scottish, and Cherokee settlers. Though food recipes may differ depending on specific cultures, Appalachians usually ate what could be preserved for long lengths of time, especially since the winters in Appalachia could grow harsh and unforgiving. 

Beyond seasonality, the environment in Appalachia is historically inadequate for yielding an abundance of fruits and veggies. Then and now, crop growth has faced severe limitations due to the region’s hard, acidic soil and drought frequency, forcing residents into a diet of hybrid garden foods like corn, peppers, potatoes, beans, and tomatoes. The Appalachian mountain range also noticeably lacks the open range for wide swaths of wheat to grow.

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The lack of refrigeration led to the development of pickling and canning methods for food preservation between the 19th and 20th centuries. Folks would either boil fruits and veggies and place them in a sealed jar with a layer of wax and a metal lid, or they would preserve the items in a jarred vinegar solution. 

Families reduced fruits to jellies, fermented cabbage, and pickled cucumbers seasoned with dill and garlic. Once mason jars were created, these items were typically placed in a hot water bath canner or pressure canner for efficient sealing. Fermented and pickled items weren’t just essential for preservation – they also have valuable immune and gut health benefits that were useful in times of medicinal scarcity. Garlic, for instance, can help fight off viruses by increasing white blood cell counts and reducing inflammation. 

Food Storage Options in Appalachia

The progression of food storage methods in Appalachia was not just a product of convenience. It was also a response to shifts in the things people found to be socially important and relevant, along with developments in architecture and technology.

Preserving these items was one thing, but safely storing them was a whole different issue. People could technically pickle an entire harvest’s worth of food, but there wasn’t always a storage place — especially storage that was dry and secure to keep both fresh and jarred goods safe from the elements. Thus, Appalachian root cellars, larders, and spring houses were born.

Root Cellars

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The concept of a root cellar was not new and had been carried over from 18th-century European transplants. Root cellars were underground rooms outfitted with shelving to organize produce and canned goods while shielding them from excessively dry, cold air and other adverse environmental factors. To ventilate the area, tubing or other small openings were added, allowing for routine circulation of fresh air, which controlled the humidity and kept food at peak freshness.

Larders

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Larders were another cold storage solution that the Appalachians depended on from the 18th to 20th centuries. This room was usually for storing and preserving meats and other perishable goods. Some homes had two different larders with separate humidity levels, with raw meats and veggies stored in the “wet larder” and dried beans, nuts, and other like items stored in the “dry larder”. 

Dry larders only required ice during the warmer months and hot-water circulation during the colder months to keep items at a reasonable temperature, while wet larders typically had an ice box to keep uncooked meats cool. While dry larders kept amenities such as a drain for wastewater, wet larders typically had a table, chopping block, and meat hooks. https://www.geriwalton.com/what-are-kitchens-sculleries-and-larders/ 

By the early 20th century, larders had replaced root cellars as the popular form of cold storage. The average home was experiencing a shift – gas range stoves and water system connections helped the cooking process become easier, more sanitary, and quicker. As kitchens shifted from a room of mere function to one of the central areas of the home, accessible storage became a must. So, instead of trekking underground for your food items, it became much more convenient to have them on the same level as your kitchen.

Spring Houses

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Spring houses were yet another innovative and popular food storage option in Appalachia from the 18th to 19th centuries. Humidity control was a huge issue for people at this time – it was difficult to ensure that one particular area would have the perfect cool temperature for ideal food preservation. Freezing items was also a problem – before ice delivery, there wasn’t a reliable way to keep meat and other perishable items consistently frozen for extended periods.

The Appalachians began building small stone structures over freshwater springs to house meat, dairy, and other items that would tend to spoil quickly. The natural water flow would keep these items at an optimal temperature, preventing people from getting sick or having precious food rotted and wasted. Folks in Appalachia depended heavily on meat and dairy products to make beloved cheeses, soups, and other household staples, so spring houses became a crucial part of maintaining a home.

Modern Pantries, Food Sheds, and Refrigeration

Well into the mid-20th century, Appalachians became privy to modern refrigeration technology, something that yet again changed the way food was stored. Since root cellars and larders were commonly used as a method of cold storage, electric refrigeration units allowed households to bring their produce and canned goods both above ground and into the kitchen. 

Larders tended to be in a room that was furthest away from the sun, which sometimes was a ways from the kitchen. Thanks to electric refrigeration techniques, cabinets in the kitchen became more common, along with the creation of the modern pantry. Canned goods and other dry items were stored in a small room situated between the dining area and the kitchen, or they were kept in a closet space within the kitchen. 

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This setup tends to be what we see in kitchens today – an array of cupboards and a space in or directly next to the kitchen for the storage of non-perishable items overflow. However, many families still choose to stock up on food items they need by using food sheds, especially if frequent and reliable transportation or grocery stores are not widely available. 

If you’re looking to invest in a food shed, it is a good idea to create a shelving system where goods are separated by item type. For example, corn, peas, and green beans can be stored on one shelf, while jams and jellies are kept in another. Powdered items, like flour, should be stored in airtight containers on the same shelf, and starchy veggies can be stored in sacks in a dark area to prevent premature degradation.

Food sheds can be seen as the more evolved form of a spring house or root cellar. You can store months worth of food items in a food shed with proper optimization. Here, you can stay true to your Appalachian roots by keeping your valuable canned goods and other items in a safe place where they can have the longest shelf-life possible, allowing you and your family to cherish and maintain the cultural emphasis on independence.