Saturday, June 11, 2011

Pantry Update

Several days ago, Leigh posted her fantastically rearranged and inventoried Pantry.  Since then, Mama Pea and Erin have followed suit.  Has anyone else taken the challenge?  If so, I'd be happy to list you as well!

I don't keep a running inventory; however, throughout the year I have rearranged it several times.  As various jars get eaten up I will scoot things around and make mental note of what is dwindling and what is just looking dusty.  When it was time to order seed I took a closer look, but nothing formal still.
From the front.  It's not huge, just enough room to twirl your skirt and get what you need.
My goals are to plant and preserve enough to get us thru not just one season but hopefully two.  I have had people look in my pantry and say things like, "Oh wow, you have more than enough -insert whatever-."  Or maybe they look at my garden and say, "You don't need a bigger garden, it's just the two of you."  No lie, I have heard them both!  I admit it has irritated me a time or two even.  But I'm good at turning the other cheek.  Of my butt and smacking it at them that is.

Now to accomplish two seasons is proving to be a challenge.  You know my seed sorrows.  :-(  I am now faced with the decision of replanting for a third time and hoping for the best or devising some other plan altogether that doesn't include commercial product.  All the more reinforcing why I want at least two seasons on my shelf!

Knowing these things may have a huge, negative impact on my pantry shelves is very bothersome.  If I don't have a "Win" pretty darn soon, I am not going to meet my goal ... or even come close!  I had hoped to rotate some crops on an every other year basis even.  Ha!  Take beets for example, we don't eat that many, so I could get by without replanting them.  But carrots?  No way!

I am still not sure how to proceed.  Any thoughts or ideas from you folks would be appreciated.  Replant?  Throw in the Towel?  Cover crop?  Other crop?  McDonald's?  Aye...

So onto the pantry inventory:

Now keep in mind, this gal was gone three months out of the year.  Had I been home, these totals would have gone down even more.

I did not inventory the dry goods.  Bulking up on them is something I have been working on this year.  As you can see, I am starting a nice little cache to the right in this photo:
Lots of beans, rices, pasta, baking soda, salts, thickeners etc.

Since the addition of my super-duper Grain Mill, I will actually work on using up some of the flours on hand and beefing up the whole grains instead.  I am off to a decent start there as well.  So far, I have 5 lbs bags of organic Spelt, Hulled Barley, Rye, Soft Winter Wheat and Hard Red Wheat.  And I have an awesome 25 lbs bucket o Golden Wheat too!
I tried to get an around the corner shot as best I could.
One thing I vowed to get better at and still have not done nearly enough of - canning up soups, meals, meats etc.  Of those I tried my hand at this past year, they're all gone!  So I know I can do it!  And let me tell ya....SUPER HANDY!  As a matter of fact my favorite additions this year were:  Ham & Beans, Sloppy Joe and Baked Beans.  Easy, Awesome and not that far out of your comfort zone!

All you need is a pressure canner and you can do just about anything!  ;o)

So that's the Pantry folks!  I just have to share this next thing with you...you may have to enlarge.  Here is what we got in the mail today:

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!  Hey, no worries though, money fixes everything.  Not.

Finally, I can't wait till tomorrow to show you all what "Sprouted"!!!  :o}

14 comments:

  1. I vote for you to replant and when you harvest host a give away, which I will pray I win. Even though I may not have eaten about half of the things on your canning list in my life, everything sounds so good that my mouth is watering. Like I really want to come to your house for dinner. And I am also trying to figure out what you did with 137 pounds of honey in a year! Whoa baby!!! I am serious that everything sounds great and I envy it all.

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  2. Kelly, lots of hungry mouths down there? Ha! Well ya know you don't live that far away! As to the honey, we have had to tell people we can't part with any more of it for now. Once we harvest this year there will be much more to go around. So, nope, we didn't eat it all ourselves.

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  3. Your so organized! Spreadsheet and all. Impressive. And some of us get killed by the surrounding corporations for free! At least you get $50.

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  4. That pantry looks good girl, proud of yas. Keep up the good work. Replant what got washed out by all means. A late crop with some produce is better than a washed out crop and nothing to can. That is one of hte big drawbacks to gardening. Trust me even ones who have done it for years sometimes have to reseed.
    Dang, $50, well now ya can stock up on more things for that pantry.

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  5. Your pantry looks so good! I've loved others doing this. Not sure what's so interesting about peeking into other folks' pantries, but it is. I like the way you organized your chart and also your goals. I had to laugh to your response to the visitors comments. At least they aren't telling you they'll move in when times get tough!

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  6. Not bad $50.00 walmart check. wow 12 jars of spaghetti sauce and 15 stewed tomatoes---mm-good but I go through 4 jars every time I make spaghetti at least once a week- I change it up a bit each time- meatballs one day Italian sausage the next-a lot of turkey meat instead of hamb. tho-its getting to spendy love the pantry---OK I am gonna have a hissy fit "I want a pantry" oh I HAVE THAT ARMOUR IN MY BEDROOM -I FORGOT, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOUR THO,I BUT YESTERDAY I BARELY HAD TIME TO THROW ON A CLEAN SHIRT AFTER THE BABY SPIT UP ALL OVER ME-BUT HE DOES THAT EVERY 10 MIN. SINCE GRAMMA CAN'T RESIST BOUNCING HIM-WHATS BETTER THAN A BOUNCING BABY BOY?

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  7. I can't believe they sent you a $50 card because the power went out. THAT is amazing!!!!

    Your pantry, and organizational skills, make me jealous. You rock. :)

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  8. Fantastic post! I agree that 2 years is not too much to put by, things come up, things happen. We will all have garden years like you are experiencing this year, or like Mama Pea will have another project that comes up or a family issue or illness to deal with, at least that pantry is prepared for such events. I am so jealous, I have no pantry whatsoever! I'm already planning on one of those stainless shelving units (where to put it?) and thinking about making a dark quilted cover to keep light out :)

    I am stunned at the WalMart gift card - were they at fault or something? Did the chemical plant that was on fire belong to them? Amazing, $50 is a nice gesture, even if it's WalMart LOL!

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  9. Jane, last season, I kept a notebook in my kitchen and every time I put something up, I wrote it down. I also tracked frozen and dehydrated but not so closely. Then on one of those boring winter-type nights, I did a spreadsheet. So when everyone did their pantry posts, I was half way there! I'll share my spreadsheet if you want! And oh yes, they generally kill us for free. There were too many of us to ingnore this time!

    Stella, I suppose you are right about that! Something is better than nothing! That $50 could go toward more seeds! Thanks for the compliment...coming from my "Canning Queen", that is very rewarding :o)

    Leigh, thanks for the kick in the pants to get it done! Just what I needed! And oh sure they most certainly say they are coming here when lightening strikes! Oh wait, that already happened to us...humm.

    Judy, I have been crying about Spaghetti Sauce for months now. I knew I didn't even come close to making enough. But Pig Pen HIMSELF said he thought I'd made enough. Boy did he find out!

    MamaTea, I can send that spreadsheet to you too ma'am! Then you can rock on too!!

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  10. Erin, yes, we need to find you somewhere to put more shelves. But you are the Master at space use, so I know you will come up with something!!

    Yup, remember when everyone got chased away from Greek Easter? It's THAT chemical plant. But don't tell my Dad, he wanted in on the "Lawsuit".

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  11. LOL of course there's a "W@lmart twist" to the deal, if you cash the gift card, you are releasing them from responsibility, right? There's always a deal to be made somewhere :) Tell your dad "Happy Father's Day" from Virginia!

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  12. well, duh, I guess it's next week, oops, but tell him anyway!

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  13. Erin, oh well Poop! I hadn't thought it might be a "release"! Ha! But you could be right!

    And for a minute there you gave me a panic attack thinking I had miscalculated which weekend Father's Day falls on. Whew! I'm awake now! Heheee

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  14. Gorgeous pantry! It may be small but you can (and do!) get a lot of stuff in there!

    It sounds as if all of us are kinda sorta shooting for a two year's supply of everything. In a perfect (gardening) world we could plan this out and have it happen. But as we've seen already by this year's crazy weather, it won't always happen that way. Guess we just have to try our durndest and be willing to roll with the punches . . . or squash bugs. ;o}

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