What is a Deep Pantry / Food Storage, and Do You Have One?

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A deep pantry a good thing to have.

I have updated the post on having a deep pantry to also include food storage since they are pretty much the same thing. I know that some people would rather say they have a deep pantry and that is the way they like to think of it, and some like to say they have food storage. Regardless of what you want to call it it is a very important thing to have. When I say deep pantry/ food storage, I also mean things other than food such as alternative heat sources, cooking sources, and lighting.

How long would you be able to feed you family if for some reason you couldn’t get to the store, or had no money to buy groceries with?

Do you have to stop by the store on your way home and pick up something to fix for dinner? (I worked at a grocery store years ago and every evening the same people would come in picking up something for dinner.)  You get ready to make something do you have to run to the store or the neighbors to get an ingredient that you don’t have? ( Curious George is on right now and even the man with the yellow hat has to run to town to get food for dinner haha)

Most people have one to two weeks’ worth of food in their homes, if even that. So many people eat out, a lot. When they do eat at home most of it is prepackaged foods very little from scratch cooking. Just look at places that are getting ready to get hit by a big storm the grocery shelves are wiped clean. I know if you work outside the home it is harder to make sure you have from scratch dinners but with a little planning you can do it. I will be sharing ideas for that in the near future.

So back to the question how long could you feed your family if you couldn’t get to the store? Wouldn’t it be reassuring to know that if something happened, like a weather event, or a job loss, riots or some unforeseen event that you have enough food to feed your family? We have all kinds of insurance for our homes, car, health and life so why not have food insurance. Just think of the peace of mind you would have. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. You don’t have to get the expensive freeze dried foods in fact you want to store what you eat and eat what you store. In a crises situation the last thing you want to do is introduce unfamiliar foods to your family.

That is where having a deep pantry/ food storage comes in. So what is a deep pantry? Our ancestors relied on deep pantry’s to survive the winters. They grew a big portion of their food and stored it to get through the winters. Some people are trying to return to this, they are seeing the wisdom in doing so. We live in very uncertain times right now, natural disasters, manmade disasters, uncertain weather, The stock market is at an all-time high (what goes up must eventually come down) just like before the great depression. We have whole cities going bankrupt ( like Detroit did a couple years ago, and they cut all the city pensions by 80 %. ), Our national debt is almost 20 trillion dollars, Civil unrest, high unemployment, and underemployment. I feel it is a very important thing to do. It is not a matter of if, but when all this is going to come crashing down and the longer they kick the can down the road the harder it is going to be, so wouldn’t it be nice to know that you have some food and provisions set back just in case. Maybe none of these things will happen (we have to pray, but I am not going to hold my breath) then you could think of it as an investment, the cost of food is going up every day and the packaging is getting smaller. If you had bought food four years ago it would be doubled if not tripled in value today.

Having a deep pantry means you can eat more healthy by not having to just grab something or run by the nearest takeout place. And honestly wouldn’t be a great piece of mind to know that whatever happens you will be able to feed you family.

So how do you start a deep pantry/food storage? One way would be to follow my weekly deep pantry/ food storage challenge that I will share on Saturdays. Another would be to make a list of the foods that you use, and buy when they come on sale, and in bulk. Start with the basics then add to that. Get a weeks’ worth then two weeks and just keep adding to it. If you don’t already, learn to cook from scratch you will need fewer items in your pantry and you will be feeding your family more healthy foods. Plan to grow a garden, get a few chickens if you can have them where you live. Some places don’t let you grow a garden, so grow a garden in containers you can grow quite a bit in containers.

So what if you can’t afford extra food, that is where cooking from scratch comes in handy it is so much cheaper to make your own instead of buying it, buy sales and plan your menus around what is on sale and pick up a couple extras. On my deep pantry/ food storage challenge I have two items each week the first is the bare basics and not to expensive, the second is what would be nice to have to round out your pantry. I will be posting a lot of from scratch recipes in the near future from mixes to dinners hopefully this will help you to be able to get started.

Do you know some people who think deep pantry/ food storage is a waste of time and resources, or people who think it is a good idea but always have an excuse as to why they haven’t started. I would hate to be the one who knew they should do it but never got around to it and then have need of it. I think it would be horrible to have to watch your family go hungry. And you can’t count on the government to help, just look at past examples. So having a deep pantry/ food storage just makes good sense to me.  What about you?
So do you have a deep pantry/food storage? If not would you like to start one?

31 Replies to “What is a Deep Pantry / Food Storage, and Do You Have One?”

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Tabitha,
      It really is a good thing to have, and I would be more then glad to help you get it started.
      Connie

  1. Roseann Hampton

    Great information! I have begun stocking up on things when they go on sale. We can’t have chickens where we live now but have purchased property and plan to have them there!

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Roseann,
      Thanks for stopping by, It really does make it easier to to stock up if you can buy on sale.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  2. Anna of stuffedveggies

    Wow- I was completely unaware of “Deep Pantry” as an expression! When I read “Deep Pantry organization” I see a Pantry (like mine) with deep shelves, which can be sometimes difficult to see & access everything at the back of the shelf. Long Term Food storage is the term I’m familiar with.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Anna,
      Thanks for stopping by, Sometimes it is hard when you have real deep shelves to get to the stuff in the back. It does help if you have a line of the same things from the front to the back at least you know what is at the back although getting to it may not be that easy lol. Another option might be to get short clear plastic totes to put things in so you can pull the totes out to get the stuff in the back.
      Have a great day
      Connie

  3. Johanna

    My family lived for 10 years with a huge pantry until we moved to a much smaller house, and for 6 years we were unable to have any food storage more than a 4′ by 4′ closet. It was horrible. We are now living somewhere where we can finally stock up again. My mother and I are SO excited. We are beginning the process of canning, and saving, and organizing. It feels good to know you can still feed your family if worst comes to worst.

    Have a blessed day!

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Johanna,
      Thanks for stopping by,I bet you were excited to be a larger place so you can have a stockpile, It really is hard when in a small place to find room to put everything. Defiantly a good feeling knowing you can feed your family no matter what happens.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  4. Amanda

    I am so happy I found your site through the Monday Musings Link Up! I am kind of somewhat (super) obsessed with deep pantries, canning and storing food right now. I feel like a squirrel in fall! I am so glad I found your challenge for filling the pantry. But I have two questions:

    1. Where do you buy bulk food storage containers? For 50lbs of things.
    2. Do you have a printable of your challenge?

    I can’t wait to look around some more! Love it!!!

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Amanda,
      Thank you. I think there are a lot of people who are feeling the urge to get stocked up right now. I use a lot of 5 gallon plastic buckets, Walmart carries them or you can ask some bakeries for their used ones ( just be sure to wash out real well) Look for food grade if you are going to just pour straight into the bucket. If in bags or mylar it isn’t as important to be food grade. I have in the past gotten plastic totes from Wal Mart to put boxes or packages in and they have worked fine.
      I don’t have a printable of the challenge yet I have been thinking of doing it though..
      Hope this helps, just let me know if you have any more questions.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  5. Janet Vinyard

    Hi Connie, Great post with great ideas! I think it’s becoming increasingly important to have food storage. I look forward to reading your future posts & thanks for sharing this information! Blessings, Janet

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Janet,
      Thanks for stopping by.I agree it is very important to have a food storage in todays times.
      have a great day
      Connie

  6. Rhonda

    I love this idea. I’ve started freezing some foods, and making my own sauce to use during the winter. Looking forward to your challenges.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Rhonda,
      Thanks for stopping by, It is so nice to be able to go to the freezer and just pull something out when in a hurry.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  7. JES

    Oh yes, I have a deep pantry and like the sound of it (as I have always just called it a pantry!)… You bring up good points — I look forward to more of your ideas and as I am working on the same thing. Thank you of sharing with us on the Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth! 🙂

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Jes,
      Thanks for stooping by, Something I think everybody needs to be working on in todays uncertain world.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  8. Jessica

    Our new house doesn’t have a large pantry, but I am thinking of building one in the garage or using one of our closets for extra food storage space. Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Jessica,
      It is hard to find extra room to store everything, I have canned goods all over my house lol. My oldest just moved out and I am using part of her room to make a pantry, so excited to have one place to put everything.
      Have a great day
      Connie

  9. Katy SkipTheBag

    This is a good reminder that we need to stock up our pantry better. And we should do it now rather than just during hurricane season! Thanks for sharing on the Waste Less Wednesday Blog Hop!

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Katy,
      Always a good idea to have a well stocked pantry, you never know what could happen.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  10. Jann Olson

    We are encouraged by our church leaders to have a one year supply. I have plenty of canned goods and we always buy a half of beef and pork, but I would be hurting with the fresh fruit and veggie category unless it was summer. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Jann,
      Thanks for stopping by. I would too, I wish I had a green house but that is out of the question now. guess I would just have to learn to eat in season 🙂
      Have a great day
      Connie

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Nancy,
      Thank you, I look forward to seeing it and all the other wonderful things.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  11. Antionette

    We don’t have a deep pantry but we do have more than enough in it as well as the freezers so we should be fine for a couple of weeks. I am a “Walking Dead Head” so I think about this often – weird huh? #Alittlebitofeverything

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Antionette,
      Defiantly not weird lol, With the way things are in the world right now I think you would be weird to not be thinking about this.
      Have a great day,
      Connie

  12. Lucile

    Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.

    1. watkinsranches@yahoo.com Post author

      Lucile,
      Thanks. I was noticing that yesterday and wondering if it was for everyone, I think when I switched websites and brought my old content from the old site the pictures didn’t transfer. Trying to figure out what to do about it.
      Thanks again for letting me know,
      Have a great day,
      Connie

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