50 or 60 degree refrigeration

Quote:

Originally Posted by pengyou I have looked at several charts showing the shelf life of LTS foods. A lot of foods will hang on for 10 years if kept 60 degrees or below, but jump down to less than 5 if the temp goes up to 80 or above. Freezing things is one option, but it is costly in terms of purchasing the freezer and providing the electricity needed. Basement storage can address this, but what if you don't have a basement? What about building a "cold closet", a well insulated small room or cabinet that is kept cool via a small air conditioner, powered by a few solar panels?

You could.

What I did was to build an above ground root cellar.

Its 12x12', half of one wall is earth sheltered. Floor is 6" concrete, half wall is concrete block, they rest is 2x8 framed and insulated with 2x10 roof and insulation. Door is 8" thick and insulated. Stucco finish.

In the winter it stays just above freezing, in the summer it runs about 30º below whatever ambient is....which means most of the time it's in the 60's.

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50 or 60 degree refrigeration