Candied Sweet Potatoes, Mrs. E.W. Humphreys

“The root cellar, when properly made, will always be found one of the best paying out-buildings upon the farm.” – The Baltimore Sun, 1861

It was unpleasantly cold this past week. The warmth of family members crammed into small spaces cooking and eating comforting meals is a quickly fading memory. It’s been replaced by drafts, piles of blankets, and cold lunches at work. 

Luckily I had some White Haymans down in the fridge. I bought them around Thanksgiving and never got around to using them. They’ve been patiently standing by as a rotating cast of collards, lettuce and beans have come and gone from the crisper. Sweet potatoes, even haphazardly stored as mine were, will hold up a pretty long time. As discussed here before, that makes them pretty important.

If you need something a little more long-term, you can join the ranks of people who use a root-cellar. According to the New York Times, at least as of 2008, this 40,000-year-old storage method is/was making a comeback.

Root Cellar, Spring Grove Hospital, Catonsville, MD Historical Trust

Most 19th century cook-books make at least some mention of cellar use. “Fifty Years in a Maryland Kitchen” and “Queen of the Kitchen” do not offer explicit cellar guidelines, but do make many references to storing various preserved items, and wines, in the root cellar.  

Unsurprisingly, the thrifty and practical Elizabeth Ellicott Lea has the most to offer on this front.

“Beets, parsnips, carrots and salsify should be dug up before the frost
is severe; those wanted for use in the winter should be put in barrels,
and covered with sand; what you do not want till spring should be buried
in the garden, with sods on the top. Celery may be dug in November, and
set in a large box covered with sand, in the cellar, with the roots
down; it will keep till the frost is out of the ground. Or it may be
left in the ground all winter, and dug as you want it for use.” – Domestic Cookery, Elizabeth Ellicott Lea

She also offers up advice for storing eggs in grease or lime water. During the summer she recommends using the root cellar for meat and other items that might spoil in the heat.

Roulette Farm, Root Cellar, Sharpsburg, Washington County. loc.gov

There is some science to the storage. According to the New York times, apples can’t be stored near carrots because the gas they give off will make the carrots bitter.

Lea laid out a lot of rules for the spring cleaning of cellars – emptying out unused vegetables, sprinkling lime over the floors, washing and draining storage barrels.

She also offers cautionary tales of people being killed by rat poison that was used too close to stored food.

“The eastern halves of America and Canada contain thousands of old root cellars, and the small Newfoundland town of Elliston actually claims the title of “Root Cellar Capital of the World,” and boasts of over 135 root cellars, some dating back 200 years.” – Rick Gush, Hobby Farms

Although the Maryland Historical Trust documents on Lea’s former homes do not mention surviving root cellars, there are many historic sites with a root cellar, and at least one historic site that IS a root cellar. The Spring Grove Hospital root cellar in Baltimore County was built in 1930 as a part of the hospital’s farm program. Like many old cellars, it has been repurposed for storage.

Humphrey Humphreys house, Salisbury, MD Historical Trust

This candied sweet potato recipe was contributed to “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland” by a Mrs. E.W. Humphreys of Wicomico County. Born Mary Josephine Tarr, she married Eugene Humphreys, a doctor from a prominent Salisbury family, in 1869. The family resided in downtown Salisbury in a Greek revival home with Eugene’s medical practice operating out of the front of the house.

Towards the rear was a “large cooking fireplace,” and Mrs. Humphrey’s own root cellar was no doubt in one of the two outbuildings adjacent to the kitchen.
Family documents including correspondence, photographs and recipes are kept at Salisbury University.

This recipe might not be the best use for White Haymans. They turned out rather ugly. Even so, with a cup of cocoa they brought a little warmth into a bitter January day when my whole house felt like a dang root cellar.

Recipe:

• 6 sweet potatoes
• salt
• .5 Cup water
• 1 Cup brown sugar
• piece of butter the size of an egg

Peel six sweet potatoes and peel cook until nearly done in boiling salted water. Drain, cut in pieces, and put in an oven dish. Combine one-half cup water, one cup brown sugar and lump of butter to make a syrup. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Cover potatoes with the syrup, put back in oven and bake at 350° until done, basting occasionally if necessary.

Recipe adapted from “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland”