Back to our roots

By DEIRDRE FULTON | February 13, 2013

• According to VegetableGardener.com, a shovel, some straw, a trash can, and a tarp can be employed to fashion a mini-root-cellar of sorts: choose a dry spot in your backyard; dig a hole deep enough for the can; fill the can with roots such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips, kohlrabi, turnips, rutabagas and beets; cap it; cover with straw and tarp; and voila! MotherEarthNews.com notes that barrels and clay drainpipes could serve similar purposes.

Right around now, when the ground is hard as rock and abundant harvests exist only in the realm of imagination, you might be cursing your lack of root-cellaring foresight. Never fear, there's always next season. In the meantime, read up. These books are particularly comprehensive:

• Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables, by Mike and Nancy Bubel (Storey Publishing, 1991)

• Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman (Chelsea Green Publishing, 1999)

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ARTICLES BY DEIRDRE FULTON

MAINE WOMEN’S FUND AWARDEES ARE BUILDING A NEW WORLD | May 16, 2013
On the surface, they have little in common: An unassuming entrepreneur in her late 50s, an accomplished 38-year-old photojournalist, and a trio of energetic teenagers. But these women do exhibit several shared traits. They are plucky and passionate, clever and unpretentious. They are Mainers. And all five will be honored next Thursday, May 23, at the Maine Women's Fund's annual Leadership Luncheon, which honors those who are making life better for women and girls in this state and beyond.

UNION BATTLES CONTINUE | May 16, 2013
An update on the state employees' union's dispute with the governor, plus union organizers' plans for medical-marijuana workers.

LET IT GROW | May 09, 2013
In addition to its ecological value, the abundant marine resource is also worth money — millions of pounds of rockweed are harvested every year.

LEGISLATURE WADES THROUGH HUNDREDS OF PROPOSALS | May 09, 2013
Want to know what your elected officials are mulling over? Here is a subjective selection of bills that piqued our interest.

LABORERS MAY HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE | May 03, 2013
Even as the organized-labor movement continues to falter on the national level, union leaders here in Maine are optimistic about a potential resurgence — or if not that, at least a stanching of the bleeding and an opportunity to prove that pro-union policies are best for local workers and communities.