A deep pantry a good thing to have.
Remember having a deep pantry isn’t just about having extra food on hand. It is also about having the means to survive in an emergency situation, having all the extra food isn’t going to do you much good if you can’t cook it when the power is out. If you are having a hard time trying to afford filling a deep pantry read my post on Having a Deep Pantry on a tight budget.
Don’t forget to share what you were able to do this past week to have a deep pantry/food storage. Let’s encourage each other. And if you have a question feel free to ask or if you have the answer to a question feel free to answer. If you have a tip or idea you can share that also. As I said let’s make this a place where we can share and encourage others to get that deep pantry.
25 Pounds Sugar / Tomato products
25 pounds sugar or 5 pounds of honey which ever you choose to use. Even if you use honey for everything it would be a good idea to have a little sugar on hand. You can use raw sugar if you don’t want the processed. I keep some of my sugar in 5 gallon buckets and some of them I just leave in the bags (Don’t leave in the bags if bugs or rodents can get to them). My honey is in quart jars. I buy my honey once a year from a local bee keeper, you bring your own containers and they will fill, I usually just bring quart jars since they are more easier to handle than 5 gallon buckets.
Tomato products, paste, sauce, whole, crushed, rotel and whatever else you use. I can most all my tomato stuff with the exception of sauce, I never seem to have enough tomatoes for that. Even if you can all your own tomatoes it is a good idea to have extra on hand just in case your garden doesn’t do well one year. You can buy the # 10 size can and recan into smaller containers also, just make sure it is cheaper than buying the smaller sizes.
How is the cooking from scratch coming along? If you already cook from scratch you might look into making your own mixes and spice blends if you don’t already do this.
Are you finding any alternative lighting? Remember solar lighting is a great and inexpensive lighting alternative. Put the solar lights out during the day, then you can bring in at night. I have put a couple in a vase and used in various rooms at night.
Be sure and have some extra batteries for flashlights and lanterns.
Put back some more water. Store bought or containers that you fill yourself.
Add more money to your money stash. Even if a small amount it all adds up.
What did I get done this week?
I got the 64 pounds of strawberry put in the freezer, (wish I would have gotten more to dry), the pattern for the underwear came in. I started taking an online serger class (I have had my serger for a year and a half and haven’t used it because I am not sure how), bought a hundred pounds of wheat. I think that is about it, not much hopefully next week I can get a little more done.
What were you able to get done this week?
Managed to beat the birds to our cherry trees and picked a half gallon of those babies. First time in years!! Cherry Jam is going to be a nice treat. Am still picking strawberries between rains too. I also picked some lettuces, arugula, dandelion leaf and spinach and made more pesto for the freezer. I don’t put cheese in my pesto and that enables me to eat it on and in just about anything and it is so good for you!
I have plenty of homemade laundry detergent made up, along with more ingredients on standby, but bought another box of Soap Nuts this week to stash away. I just love those things!!
Took a round steak and spread pesto over it, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast, rolled it up, tied it, sprinkled more nutritional yeast on top, put it in a covered pan with some water and roasted on 350 until cooked through – and oh my goodness!!
Also bought more coffee to stash away and if I can ever find the time am planning on making dandelion root coffee.
I’m not a prepper, but I am a big believer in keeping a well-stocked pantry for easy meals without going to the store and to save money by stocking up when the price is right! One issue I’ve had to resolve through experience is how to make sure the food gets eaten in a timely manner. Using open-backed shelves is helpful for us because we can put new items at the back so we use the older ones first.
Becca,
I love the idea of open backed shelves. A well stocked pantry can defiantly save time and money.
Have a great day,
Connie
Strawberries are the best! I’m impressed you were able to get so many. I’d love to grow them, but we haven’t yet. Thanks for sharing on the Waste Less Wednesday. How do you use the honey in place of sugar?
I’ve been super busy. The only thing I did was buy a 25 lb. of sugar and flour. I use a lot of flour making my sour dough bread. I was getting low. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
I love getting fresh honey from our local beekeeper, it always tastes so much better than the store bought stuff! Thanks for the great tips and thanks for linking up with #TuneInThursday this week. See you next time!