Is it possible to store,say, dehydrated/freeze-dried food in an uninsulated seacan in Canada? I'd say the temperatures would vary between -40C in winter, to +40C in the summer. How much variation in temperature can, say, canned food take? Like a can of beans, for instance.
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Never let can stuff freeze or get to hot. If by chance there bacterial stuff in it. Odds are will make you sick. I would say 5 Celsius to plus 20. Safe zone.
Freeze-dried food can be stored at temperatures up to 23C safely and is not bothered by freezing. Canned food should be stored in a cool dark location. High acid foods such as canned tomatoes and canned fruit should be used within about 18 months and low acid (most vegetables) are good for 2-5 years. Your uninsulated sea can may not be the best place to store your food supply. A dugout style root cellar would be another choice if you stay below frostline.
"It's better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret"
A root cellar is a good idea, I'll have to find the time to make one. Is there government data on frost lines in Canada, that you are aware of? I've often wondered what the temperatures are, beneath me, as I dig deeper - how deep would you have to dig, in order to keep an earth-sheltered house habitable without an additional source of heat, for instance.
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Thats called thermal heating expensive as hell. Frost linei n canada most time is 4 ft frost line. But depending on whats below you it can be 6 to 8 ft.. goggle the area you live and go to your county page.
I agree with the above. A root cellar is the way to go.
I saw a native made shelter for "bad times" on an island. It was basically a slit trench covered with logs and rubble. With 3 feet of snow on top, winter clothes and body heat you would live. This was in deep bush 50+ air miles from anything.
I've been looking at dugout homes that sound similar to the native shelters you're describing. The idea seems sound, although I would be concerned about the place filling with water as it warmed up. Most of the dugouts I see are built into hillsides, only places lacking hills seem to use a hole.
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Underground or hillsides will get wet in spring, when raining a great deal. Would have hated to be in one this wet summer. Can we say soggy and miserable. I guess if designed with a waterproof roof and walls, with drainage all around and then covered with earth they would work very well on the side of a hill. Face west or south and get added heat.
Note to my previous post. Geared more to a shelter than storage for food. I wouldn’t store food underground unless it was fully dry, cool and rodent free.idealy under or very near home