For farmers in Alaska, storing crops through the long, cold winter isn’t just a matter of preference—it’s essential. Meet Sam Knapp, a small-scale grower living in Fairbanks, who has spent over a decade refining his storage techniques to keep crops fresh through the harshest winters. His latest venture is sharing his vast wealth of knowledge accumulated over the years with other farmers through a book dedicated to cold storage for small farms.
From his early days of farming in Sweden, then later in Michigan, Sam got his start working on other people’s small farms and teaching himself extensively along the way.
“Farms I worked for were using CoolBots, just in small cooler situations for summer veggies. I started using it myself for winter storage, cooling the space before switching to using outside air,” he says. Now in Alaska, Sam runs Offbeet Farm, specializing in storage crops like carrots, winter squash, and cabbages. He’s using the CoolBot system to overcome the region’s unique storage challenges, where winter cold and summer heat vary wildly.
From Problem-Solving to Publishing
Sam’s journey to authoring a book began out of necessity. “There just wasn’t a book on storage for small-scale farms,” he says. Most resources available either focused on root cellars, which don’t fit the needs of larger harvests, or commercial-scale storage far beyond what small farms can afford. Sam realized he could fill that gap by documenting his own approach to crop storage.
Sam’s current cold storage set up is powered by two large AC units, each controlled by their own CoolBot, creating a simple, affordable setup that can cool even large quantities of produce. In the fall, he uses the CoolBot to chill the storage room to refrigeration temperatures before switching to outside air. “CoolBot bridges that gap in fall, when I have to store crops before outside air gets cold enough,” he explains.
Solving Alaska’s Unique Storage Challenges
Fairbanks’ climate is unique. For example, its long summer days cause onions to mature faster than they do in other climates, while extreme winter lows demand careful temperature control for winter produce storage. “It’s a short, intense growing season, and then it freezes quickly,” Sam says. This means farmers have to hustle to harvest and store before frost sets in.
He’s made his techniques work, even in a region where “about 95% of Alaskans’ food comes from outside the state.” And in Fairbanks, that number is even higher, “maybe 97-98%,” Sam approximates. That makes locally grown produce all the more valuable. And it’s why Sam’s storage methods, detailed thoroughly in his book, have resonated with other growers.
Farmer Turned Author Q&A: Beyond the Root Cellar Book
Sam’s book Beyond the Root Cellar is a practical guide packed with science-backed techniques and affordable solutions designed for farms that need more than a root cellar, but aren’t ready for the scale of commercial warehouses.Â
“I wanted a guide that would actually be useful to the average grower who doesn’t have tens of thousands of dollars to invest,” Sam explains.
Written for fellow small-scale farmers, the book covers essential topics: how to insulate your storage area, use affordable cooling solutions like the CoolBot, and navigate the unique challenges of small-scale storage. Sam explains how to adapt techniques depending on climate and the types of crops being stored, making it versatile for growers from Alaska to the lower 48.
Q: How did you come to write this 200+ page book on cold storage?
Sam: When I started my own storage farm back in Michigan, I’d never worked for anyone who did much storage. And, because so many farmers are learning from one another, I got most of my original info (on storage) from books geared towards home gardeners and homesteaders, which tend to lean more heavily on passive cooling and more traditional information. This presented a big learning curve when I was just starting out. Which was scary, because putting down a few thousand dollars as a grad student is a big deal!
I was able to piece together info from the USDA’s really technical handbook on vegetable storage, but it lacked the hands-on, practical info. I found that where there was more practical info available, it was all very regionally anecdotal or was somebody doing it on a home scale.
Given that there’s a lot of books for all these other farming techniques, I realized there should be something on (commercial scale root cellar storage).
I was just coming out of grad school and had done a bunch of research, so I was feeling confident about reading and distilling lots of info. I was feeling confident at the time that this would be useful for future people like me.
Q: Who’s Beyond the Root Cellar for?
Sam: I was focusing on people like me: small scale commercial growers. As I got into my writing process and after chatting with the publisher, it became obvious that even home gardeners and homesteaders could benefit from learning this hands-on info that’s backed up by science and actual literature — and not just anecdotes.
Then when CoolBot comes in, you start to see where it makes the difference between a passive root cellar versus mechanical cooling, and in what context would a CoolBot even work if you’ve got a passive root cellar. You’re fighting a losing battle against ground heat, so (the book) gets into that info. Also, if you want to mechanically cool a space, what is your best chance for successful storage and how to make a space amenable to that.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Sam: It took about three years, mostly writing during the winter months.Â
Q: Why doesn’t this book already exist?Â
Sam: I answered this for myself while writing it: a farmer who does winter storage is still busy in the winter, with all the sales and marketing. The past two to three years have been pretty hectic writing and running the business. Meeting deadlines when you’ve got a business to run is stressful.
Epilogue: CoolBot Solutions Detailed In Beyond The Root Cellar
In his book, Sam credits the Coolbot as an affordable solution that’s made it possible to grow and store food sustainably in Alaska. “Without it, I wouldn’t be able to hold produce from the fall harvest through the winter,” he says. In a region where produce prices are high and long-distance shipping is the norm, the ability to store local, fresh crops is a big advantage.
“The hardest part of building a CoolBot Cooler in Alaska is finding the air conditioner,” Sam laughs.
Whether you’re a new farmer looking to stretch your season or an experienced grower in a challenging climate, Sam’s book aims to provide valuable, accessible techniques for cold storage success.
Sam’s book Beyond the Root Cellar is available now. You can purchase it directly from the publisher here.