The Home of Tom & Dee Crandall

 

 

Interesting question sent by Allen - Why was it called the Fruit Room?

I'm sure it goes back to the days before refrigeration when people had a root cellar - a dug-out cave in the yard with a door. They stayed at a fairly constant temperature year round. Root crops such as potatoes and turnips were typically stored in them - hence the name.

A more modern room was called a fruit cellar - typically a room in the basement. The following link explains further:

http://books.google.com/books?id=pBwCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA389&lpg=PA389&dq=fruit+room&source=web&ots=FjLxKd2TbD&sig=SILGNdoJyUS2BszUBVXKUph6J0s&hl=en

 

Thanks for asking! I just never thought about the name. Certainly the folks included it in their home design as Mom early on did lots of canning and the shelves were full of canned tomatoes, beans and jams from our garden. Ah those were the good ole days.

There were some years when we had canned food and water stored there - it was our "fallout shelter". There was a radio and flashlight also. We even discussed having sand bags outside ready to cover the basement windows.

In more recent years it probably should have been called the junk room (hee hee).

So, there you have it - The Fruit Room