The Pantry

by Donna Martin 

In these uncertain times, it is best to be prepared for the unexpected. If it is an unplanned visit from friends or family, a power outage, or the loss of a job, a pantry permits for a level of preparedness. By simply picking up a few extra items every time you do your weekly shopping, you can be on your way to having a well-stocked pantr

The concept of a pantry is more than storage. Your pantry should be a place where you have a good supply of basic ingredients and a few less expensive convenience foods. If a preparedness pantry is your objective, begin by deciding how many weeks you would like to have food for, then begin picking up a variety of sale items. This is where a wise shopper can set out to carefully pick out items for her pantry with little expense.

What are the benefits of a pantry?

We live in an era of the corner grocery store, so many women feel there is no longer a necessity to have a well-stocked food pantry. Not so many years ago, food was stored for an entire year. Whatever food a family stored from the harvest would have to last them until the next harvest. Just as the ant stored up his food in Proverbs 6:6, we should also store up in “times of plenty.” (I guess they had to pray a lot, and hope none of their children had a big growth spurt.) My hope is that you will change your mind in this area, because a wise woman “looks well to the ways of her household...” (Prov 31:27a).

There are five reasons why having a pantry makes sense.

Where do I put all this stuff?

Storage space for everyone always seems to be at a minimum, but there are a number of places you can begin to store food for your pantry. If your kitchen can’t handle any more storage or a cabinet to set them in, consider a linen or coat closet, your basement, or indoor storage area. Some people store their food in a box under their bed. Others will install shelves along a wall entering their basement. Our pantry is in our downstairs storage closet on a set of shelves. Remember, not all of this food needs to be readily available, so you can base it’s location on how often you will need to access it.

When you begin to fill your pantry, you can use some of the convenience shelves and lazy susans, which stores offer, for better use of your space. Organize the shelves so that you can find things when you need them...such as: keeping the bottled juices together, canned veggies, canned fruit, paper towels, and so on. 

Now What?

If you decide to keep food items for long-term storage, you must still use your food. All of these items have a shelf life, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the dates and purchase more as you use them.

As you add to your pantry, make sure you have the ingredients for a full meal. If you have several odd items that you aren’t so sure about, find recipes that you can make with that particular item, and be certain you have all the ingredients.

Be sure that you have the ability to cook the foods you have, in the event of a power outage. Are you cooking on a camp stove or your grill? Tailor some of your meals around the method of cooking you plan to use. If you do plan to use your outdoor grill, make sure you have plenty of aluminum foil stocked up. I have read where many people prepare meals in aluminum packets.

Lastly, have a substitution chart available so that you can improvise for any missing ingredients. This is always a handy tool.

What about moisture?

Moisture will reduce the shelf life of your food. If humidity and moisture is a factor, there are moisture absorbing products you can use that will help eliminate the dampness in your pantry area. That is, if the space isn’t too big. If this is ineffective, then you may have to place the perishables in plastic food bags or plastic storage containers. Don’t use garbage bags, because some are treated with insecticides. Keep everything as dry as possible, otherwise the critters will move in and take over.

Conclusion

Enjoy your peace of mind and a practical insurance policy. I have had a pantry for about a year, and I wish now that I had been doing it all along. I have been trying to build our pantry up, and always end up being blessed by it time after time.

God is preparing us, as Christian women, for the time to come. Many of the skills and ideas our mothers and grandmothers used have been lost. My father uses a pantry, and my mother-in-law still has a fairly well stocked freezer and canned goods pantry. Storing up is not fear, or depression era mentality. It is a biblical principle that previous generations learned for which our corner-store generation finds no need.

I'm sorry it has been a little while since I have shared with you all.  A couple weeks ago I began to switch bedrooms with my kiddos as my dh is building me my very own Cottage House for my craft/office/guest space.  Our house is so small with no storage space to speak of so this will be a real blessing!  I am so veryyyyyyyyyyyy excited!  Anywho...I got quite ill in the middle of everything with Upper Respiratory, Sinus infection and Penomonia!  That was on April 25th and my vocal chords are still not back in shape yet and I can barely talk.  UUGGHH!  :-)

This morning I have been able to enjoy all the birdies outside my windo just a singing away, and while I was watching my Blue Jays.......I noticed that my Cheery Tree has finally bloomed!  THANK YOU JESUS!!!  At just that moment........a Doe Deer and her baby walked up our front lawn near the brush and walked right under my cherry tree!  Oh what a beautiful site!  I couldn't get my camera fast enough and they had moved on.  :-( 

Yesterday I made my first batch of sun tea for the season!  :-)  I am just now getting to enjoy a glass.  YUMMY!  I am also needing to bake some bread and figure out what is for dinner.  I am thinking spaghetti, fresh bread, and peaches.  :-)

How about you all?????????? 

Carrie

Well this sure is a very odd spring here in these parts!  :-(  It has been a very longgggggg winter and the most snow we have had here since 2000.  It is almost like "Indian Summer" only it is "Indian Winter".  LOL!  :-)  We had had snow one day and then sun and upper 50's the next.  I am very anxious for the nicer weather so they we can get busy on the first of many Homestead projects we have here.  You all know about those big long "to do" lists right????  LOL!

It is so hard to believe that 2 years ago we had just moved out here and then 3 weeks later had our house fire!  Time has gone so quickly.  It is just so hard to believe.  I know like so many others, we are very anxious for warmer weather and plenty of SUNSHINE!  :-)  We also lovvvvve, love, love to camp so we can not wait to get a weekend away as a family and do just that!  LOL!  :-)

Well I am off to get so much need things done here.  Have a great day you all!    HUGS!  Carrie 

Yesterday I took Dakota to the Dr. and we were there for almost 2.5 hours between the blood tests and XRAY of his tummy at the hospital (across the street from there).  All I know at this point is that he has diagnosed Dakota with "Cronic Constipation" as well as "Encopresis".  I am waiting on the Chrones Disease, Lead poisoning, and wheat test results.  The XRAY showed his colon is completley filled with P---P!  UUGGHH!  My poor baby.  I have to start him on a regiment of Miralax and Milk of Magnesia two times a day of each.  The Dr said it will take a good 3-4 months to get him good and cleared up.  (sigh)  He also said that once the medicine starts that the pain will increase and get steady until he is cleaned out.  Woohoo...................NOT!!!!  I am just thankful there was no talk of surgery at this time.  :-)  From there I got home in enough time to prepare for my Girl Scout Troop meeting, the girls had a good time and we set some good goals and activity plans.  I got home around 9:00pm and was ready to crash in bed!

 My son and the girls came out also for a little while so Grandma was able to show them all her critters!  LOL!  We also had them jump on the trampoline and play on the swing set a bit.  They just weren't here long enough.  :-(  After they left we finished up with the  barn stall and picked up junk around the yard that the snow had hid all winter.  When we were ready to call it a night, we went over to the next town and got footlong Subway sw as they are on special right now for only $5.00 and we were just starving!  They sure were good too.LOL!

 Saturday I went into town with a friend and did some errands, and got feed and groceries.  It was a nice time with her.  We had a good talk and great time.  I couldn't believe the how much cat food at Walmart had gone up in just the past week or so.  It went from $8.67 to $10.22!  Ouch!  We will be doing alot more table scraps for them and cutting abck on the cat feed.  When I got home my stepdaughter, her bf and all their kids were here.  She had brought back Jackson my Yorkie as she cut his hair for me.  Jackson was wayyyy overdue!  :-)  I also picked hima new doggy pillow as he other just stunk horibly!  Icky pooey!  I forgot to get bird seed for my feeders though but it will have to wait until next payday.  

 Well that was pretty much our weekend.  Today I am going to be working alot of homestead paperwork, researching  some things, menu planning for the week and some cleaning.  

Blessings to you All!

Carrie

Well after taking a more then anticipated break from blogging.....I'm back!  :-)

Today was an absolute busy day and it feels good to be HOME!  :-)  I started my day by sleeping in to long and then had to take my daughter to schol as the buses were oly running on hard surface roads.  UUGGHH!  It has been like over 2 weeks now and gettinf quite ridiculous.  They expect us moms to drive the kids in when the roads are not good enough for the buses???????  Well anyway, after I dropped Jessi off I then had to run Dakota to Preschool.  I then came right back home to get freshened up for my outing at the Jr./Sr. High for a Girl Scout Info. table.  The area Volunteer Rep and I both went to try and interst some girls for the troop I am starting here in our Rural area.  I know it is hard to get the "older" girls interested in GS, but I have  3 all signed up so far and 6 more saying they will join.  I am very excited about this!  :-) 

While up at the school over the lunch hour, I was absolutely shocked by they way many of the girls dress, what they let "hang out" and the amount of make up they put on!  Oh I so wish I could HS my daughter.  I can't wait to homeschool my son.  Ok, so perhaps you are wondering why I can't HS my daughter, well I am remaried as of 8 yrs ago and my daughters Father would never allow it.  :-(  My son however is mine and my dear husbands so I will be HS hime.  Thankfully by the time he is ready to start with HS, my daughter will only have one year of public school left.

After I was done at the school I had to come and make some much needed phone calls and do some paperwork, start supper and then head to town for church.  All in all it was an ok day, just busy! :-)

Praise the Lord..................Halleluiah............AMEN!  :-)  

We are all done at the old house!  I think we have broke the record for the world's longest move.  It only took 22months!  :-(  It has been very rough past two days.  Every muscle in my body aches, I got soaken wet, and I'm froze!   WE got up and left by 7:30am yesterday morning to try and be the storm that was coming by 9:00am and we were done and back home by 12:45pm.  We were to have rain, then freezing rain, and snow...........up to 8in.  The freezing rain started in, just as soon as we got everything loaded and went to leave the old house and head to the storage garage. 

Then the storage garage had water coming in like crazy!  I am so upset about that.  So we put everything that was not plastic up on top of the plastic tubs that we could to help protect them.  I will be having to look for a new storage garage.  Woohoo!  NOT!  :-(  I don't ever want to have to move again.  My DH and I are both wet, frozen and soar!

We are just very thankful that sue to the temps being warmer then they thought.....we didn't get all the snow they thought we were going to have!  We are so ready for spring, to plant our garden, flower beds and begin construction on my office cottage, new chicken coop and goat shelters.