Olden Days: The Cave

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Back in the “Olden Days” when I was a kid, most farm homes had a cave. It was conveniently located not far behind the house for quick access from the kitchen. It was a real necessity, since there was no electricity in most rural homes, and, of course, no refrigerator. We didn’t even have an ice box to keep things cool. Likewise, few farm homes had a basement for storing fruits and vegetables. Our cave was probably about 8 feet wide, perhaps 15 feet long and dug into the ground about 6 feet deep. It had a cement floor and the interior was brick with an arched roof, also neatly built of brick. There were a couple feet of dirt mound over the outside, so everything was reasonably cool all summer long. Being underground it also was warm enough in the winter so that nothing ever froze. Our mother had that cave loaded with 600 or more brightly filled jars of fruits, vegetables and meats by the time fall rolled around each year. With a large family of four boys and three girls most of the jars were half gallon size rather than quarts. Very few pint jars were used except for jams, jellies and preserves. All the garden vegetables, from beans, tomatoes and carrots to beets and pickles were prepared on the big old black wood fired range in the summer. The same with a large variety of fruits, from strawberries and plums to peaches, apricots and freshly picked mulberries. Temperature in the kitchen on an already hot summer day would hit 120 degrees or more. Canning was a laborious, hot and sweaty job for Mom and the older kids. Fresh vegetables such as potatoes and carrots were stored in bins on the floor and at the back of the cave. Then, add bushels of apples, individually wrapped in newspaper and our cave was bursting at the seams by the time frost was on the pumpkin. Fresh milk and cream were also kept cool in our cave during the summer months. The cave also served as a convenient storm cellar. Mom was deathly afraid of lightning and thunder. I can vividly remember being herded down into the cave during heavy summer storms, where we waited patiently by the kerosene lamp light for things to blow over. Dad was never quite as concerned and spent his time in the barn, keeping the horses and the cattle quiet. We always had a great time running up and down the great big “hump” made by the cave in our back yard. It also was fun to zoom to the top and down the other side while riding our trikes and bicycles. Lying on the big slanted wooden cave door was a nice pasttime during the spring, in particular, soaking up the warm sunlight. We could also run over and shout down the big wooden rain barrel at the back of our house, which caught nice soft water from the sky for baths and to wash our hair. Our well water was terribly hard. Our cave was used year round. By spring there would be hundreds of empty jars just waiting to be filled again with ripe, luscious strawberries, red and black raspberries and mulberries, which we shook out of the large trees over at Fred Joyce’s farm. White and black ones mixed together in the same jars always looks so nice. We all appreciated our convenient, useful farm cave.