When it gets to be this time of year, people who know about these sorts of things start talking about root cellars -- which always leaves us feeling a little clueless. Having been born and raised in Southern California, the words "root cellar" carry little meaning. We've never even seen one!

However, thanks to Crunchy Chicken, we now know how to dig our own.

In this helpful little tutorial, Crunchy Chicken shows you how you can save all those awesome fall fruits and vegetables -- apples, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips -- even if you don't have a root cellar.

Essentially, you'll be digging a small (or large, depending on how much you have to store) hole in your yard, dropping in a cooler or other airtight storage container, and insulating it with newspaper or straw. It sounds a little wacky, but we trust Crunchy Chicken.

Have any of you tried this sort of DIY root cellar setup before? We're curious to know how it worked for you.

Get all the instructions here.