Hot-tub root cellar
I live in Virginia on 1 acre of land. Wanted to dig a root cellar but due to rocky ground and limited space could not. I have an old hot tub that no longer works. Was wondering if that could be converted into a root cellar above ground? If so any suggestions on how to do this would be GREATLY appreciated.
Teresa Campbell
Covesville, Virginia
I don’t think that a used hot tub would make a real good root cellar. It wouldn’t hold a lot of food and would be hard to bury/insulate. A lot of folks have built an above-ground root cellar, roofed it strongly, then insulated it well and covered it with soil; sort of a pre-built hill. If you have a hillside, you can hire a backhoe and dig a cellar into the hillside, shore it with timbers, then roof it over. Covering the wood roof with heavy gauge plastic will prevent rotting. A friend of ours roofed his over with logs and wood over them, with poly sheeting over that, covered by soil. Without knowing your situation and the siting of your buildings I can’t give more specifics, but I’m sure you can come up with something that will work well for you. — Jackie
Mushy pickles
I’m a first time canner this year. So far I’ve only done water bath items. I have followed the recipes and boiling times PRECISELY yet I’ve ended up with MUSH. I’ve only done small batch canning so it’s not like I’ve wasted a lot of food, but still … it’s very frustrating. So far I’ve tried dill pickles, pickled green tomatoes and pickled banana peppers. All have been total mush. They taste good, but the texture is way off. Friends tell me I need to use “pickle crisp” or alum. Any suggestions?
Rhonda Jurgenson
Jeffersontown, Kentucky
Try using pickling alum or “pickle crisp.” I don’t know what recipes you’re using, so I can’t help you there. But generally, the longer you cook a pickle, the softer it will become, so choose recipes that require less boiling time, including water bathing. — Jackie
Laundry soap
I enjoyed your article about doing laundry (July/August 2001, Issue #130) and decided to try your recipe for homemade laundry detergent. I followed your instructions to the letter and I have to say, the laundry soap cleans and makes the clothes smell so fresh. But, my end product ended up being very thick and gel-like. Is it supposed to be liquid? And what do you think I might have done wrong?
Nancy Saucier
Picayune, Mississippi
No, it isn’t supposed to be liquid. I don’t think you did a thing wrong. Just add it to very hot water in your washer, and enjoy. Water from different sources may cause this soap to set up harder. In this case, I just grate it up and use it that way. — Jackie
