Root Cellaring

I have been learning about root cellaring lately and recently read this book by Mike and Nancy Bubel.  It gave me ideas about how to better store my fall produce in our basement, and what options we have for building in the future.  I would love to have my own root cellar and be able to fill it with our own produce to last through the winter. Imagine not having to rely on the grocery store at all for fruits and vegetables...

I hadn't thought much about root cellaring until I saw this book and started contemplating why this method of storing fruits and vegetables might be important.  One answer is obvious: If the electricity went out for any length of time, all the fruits and vegetables I have in my freezer (which is mostly what I have in there) would need to be used quickly or go bad.  The other answer is that, while home canning is an important skill to know and use, and that is a great way to build up food storage, it also takes a lot of energy (physically and electrically) to put up food that way--so it's not actually the most environmentally friendly option.  Besides that, eating your produce fresh (or fresh-cooked) is more nutritious than eating bottled goods anyway.

Do any of you have a cellar or had one growing up?  Memories? Do any of you have aspirations, like I do, to build one?