So... this is really interesting to think about. But it poses some questions. I was hoping to get some feedback on this.
So first, I noticed there were similarities between cleats and clamps in storing food outside. Particularly Ireland, they used to store potatoes in 'clamps'. It was basically a type of earth mound where they put it all in there with hay and dirt over the top. And covered them to store them through the cold weather, winter. To preserve them. Then they'd go out and get them when needed, etc. Supposedly they worked pretty well.
And this is a factor because right now when you try to get potatoes from the store the plastic bags basically compact and compress the moisture around them which makes them sweat and rot. They start rotting sometimes even before you get them home from the store. So it would be a good idea for people to do clamps again. Or cellars.
Anyway... I recently stumbled on the idea of cleats also as a food storage method. And that they worked. And it was a ghaelic culture thing in northern scotland, in the islands. I also noticed there's similarities between the word, cleat, and clamp. Makes you wonder?
Anyway, the idea with a clamp was, these outer islands in Scotland, the outer Hebrides' islands they would call it a cleat. But it was slightly different, but similar. The cleat would be a hollow cave like small structure made out of stacked rocks, and with a roof over the top. But it wasn't very big. Not big enough for people to be in, but they'd store dried meat in there, like sea birds that they'd hunted. And this was to preserve the meat in a sort of hollow rock mound. The cleats weren't open at the top, but covered with rock stuff. Moisture wasn't allowed in. You'd access it from the side. (A lot of information about these was rediscovered through sites like St. Kilda island).
So... in comparing the 2 my question is, would it work better to have a roof over the top of the potato clamp storing mounds, like how the cleats are roofed over? When we have winters here there's snow and ice. So it seems like it could have problems if you put the clamp for potatoes open on the top, no?
(Also; in the above cleat example, they didn't have roaming dogs. It wouldn't have worked to do that method with storing meat with dogs running around.)
What do you think? Thanks.
So first, I noticed there were similarities between cleats and clamps in storing food outside. Particularly Ireland, they used to store potatoes in 'clamps'. It was basically a type of earth mound where they put it all in there with hay and dirt over the top. And covered them to store them through the cold weather, winter. To preserve them. Then they'd go out and get them when needed, etc. Supposedly they worked pretty well.
And this is a factor because right now when you try to get potatoes from the store the plastic bags basically compact and compress the moisture around them which makes them sweat and rot. They start rotting sometimes even before you get them home from the store. So it would be a good idea for people to do clamps again. Or cellars.
Anyway... I recently stumbled on the idea of cleats also as a food storage method. And that they worked. And it was a ghaelic culture thing in northern scotland, in the islands. I also noticed there's similarities between the word, cleat, and clamp. Makes you wonder?
Anyway, the idea with a clamp was, these outer islands in Scotland, the outer Hebrides' islands they would call it a cleat. But it was slightly different, but similar. The cleat would be a hollow cave like small structure made out of stacked rocks, and with a roof over the top. But it wasn't very big. Not big enough for people to be in, but they'd store dried meat in there, like sea birds that they'd hunted. And this was to preserve the meat in a sort of hollow rock mound. The cleats weren't open at the top, but covered with rock stuff. Moisture wasn't allowed in. You'd access it from the side. (A lot of information about these was rediscovered through sites like St. Kilda island).
So... in comparing the 2 my question is, would it work better to have a roof over the top of the potato clamp storing mounds, like how the cleats are roofed over? When we have winters here there's snow and ice. So it seems like it could have problems if you put the clamp for potatoes open on the top, no?
(Also; in the above cleat example, they didn't have roaming dogs. It wouldn't have worked to do that method with storing meat with dogs running around.)
What do you think? Thanks.
