>>>I have dozens of 5 gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out. Was wondering if these could be used filled with compost and when ready for harvesting, just lift the buckets.<<<
I don’t see any problems with that at all... The potatoes do better with warmer root zone. I would probably only fill them ½ full with the compost and straw - then as they grow, add more compost and straw as the potatoes grow - this way they will put out roots and potatoes further up the plant. Like they used to do with hilling by pulling dirt up around the plants.
>>>>Have never processed my pickled beets or eggs. Just boiled about a dozen eggs, added vinegar, water and pickling spice and keep in refrig until eaten-a couple weeks.<<<
The key here is that you were refrigerating them till consumed... for long term storage they need to be processed for safety.
>>>I bring sugar, water, vinegar and spices to a rapid boil, add the beets and boil several minutes to assure the beets are boiling hot, then pack in jars that have been kept hot with boiling water. They seal as they cool. Probably not a failproof method but have done them this way fo 60+ years and my mother before me for probably 40+ years .<<<
This method does work fine... there are a couple of cautions though... SMALL BATCHES - that way they can be assured of very hot product and pickling liquid consistently to assure good success. Keep it hot till sealed - If they are delayed in sealing, they tend to cool fast.
I steam my beets 5 gallons at a time and then slip the skins, then cut and pack those using boiling vinegar/water/sugar/spice solution. This way the processing is necessary - as the larger batches are harder to keep all hot enough all the time. Besides, I just feel better doing it that way, particularly with the eggs that I mix in with the beets and the onions I usually add.
>>>My sour pickles are put up in crocks and seem to last til I throw out any remaining pickles in the spring.<<<
I am going to have to do some crock pickles - My mother always kept trying it and only about half the time did they turn out. So, I don’t like failures, so I tend to do what I know works. But, the sauerkraut seems to work, will have to try it this year. Any suggestions for those - successfully...
I was thinking of doing some crock broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and onions - I do them in jars, but have not tried pickling them in the crock.
Forgot to ask about your root cellar. DH has always wanted a root cellar and a smoke house. Years ago, he read about having both dug into a steep hill. (Ithink it was in Mother Earth) Sometimes they make things seem simpler than they actually are. Sounds like more work than we would get out of it. We have an old L.L. Bean small smoker that works well enough for us. We smoke turkeys, partridge, pheasant and mackeral.
My grandparents had a portion of their cellar sectioned off, put sand in it and buried carrots, beets, turnips and etc. I used to love going down and fishing around in the sand to find veggies. They also had an ice house, with hugh chunks of ice packed tightly in sawdust. That was a popular place on a hot summer day armed with an ice pick. That ice came from the river and we chilled our drinks all summer unmindful of any germs. Guess we built up a resistance to germs back then. Grandfather harvested that ice with a team of horses and a sleigh. Cold, wet job.