Posted on March 5, 2009 - by Amanda

Stocking Your Pantry

Most American pantries are stocked with food that you thought you would or should eat but in reality won’t unless you are actually and not just figuratively starving to death.

There are two things to consider as you think about stocking your pantry properly. Why are you doing it. And will the food last.

There are several reasons for stocking the pantry. Some are afraid of the Apocalypse, some are concerned about a heavy winter snowstorm and some just want extra food on hand so unexpected guests won’t know they are unexpected.

The first principle to remember is not to buy things just because you think, that you might, maybe, sometime, eat that canned okra. Only buy foods that you will eat without a gun pointed to your head.

The second is to buy food that won’t spoil in the length of time you plan to store it. Canned goods do eventually go bad and they are constantly losing their nutritional value as they sit. Dry food stuffs are much better. As a corollary to this principle, you must have a rotation plan in place, eating the oldest food first thus illustrating the importance of principle one.

How you go about stocking will depend on your financial situation and life circumstances. If you are just starting your own home you will have nothing in there and need to start from scratch. If you have an established home you may need to clean things out. You may want to restock all at once or you may want to add one or two things each time you go to the grocery store.

Be ruthless as you clean out the pantry. Don’t leave the iffy stuff. Get rid of all the food that is out of date and all the food that you wouldn’t want to have tonight for dinner (or snack, or dessert…). Donate anything that is not past it’s expiration to your local food bank.

Now make a list. Make a list like you are going out shopping with a thousand dollars to stock the pantry with everything you think you might need in an emergency like the Apocalypse or sudden job loss. And then if you have that thousand dollars, go buy everything. If not, carry this list with you as you do your normal shopping and gradually buy up everything on it.

STAY ORGANIZED. Really, we can’t emphasize this enough. Check the pantry at least monthly to make sure that things are staying stocked and you are replacing the things you use. Also check and double check to be sure you are not letting food spoil, or go out of date. Wasting money is simply foolish.

Tips and a sample list:

Buy, scrounge or steal airtight containers for things like flour, beans and rice.

Avoid plastic containers and limit metal cans. Jars are to be preferred.

Canned vegetables are essentially nutritionally worthless and flavorless so have no real value.

Aim for no more than a six month to one year supply of anything.

Don’t tell everyone or your house will be where we all come when the Apocalypse arrives…

List:

Flour

Sugar

Salt

Cornmeal

Vanilla extract

Baking powder & baking soda (must be double sealed to avoid picking up odors!)

Oils and shortening

Vinegar

Honey

Dried beans (pinto, red & navy)

Rice (brown, white, wild & pearl)

Pastas (spaghetti, macaroni, fettucini, etc…)

Spaghetti sauce (preferably in jars not cans or plastic)

Dry sauce mixes (ranch seasoning, pesto, etc…)

Popcorn

Tea

Peanut butter/Nutella

Jams and jellies

Evaporated, powdered and sweetened-condensed milks

Oatmeal

Wine

Chocolate chips

Applesauce/other canned fruit

Nuts (They can go rancid so don’t store them in metal. Buy in the shell if possible and do not store chopped or sliced nuts. Store in cool dark place for up to 4 months or 8 months in the freezer.)

…and speaking of the freezer…a four-six month supply of meats, butter and frozen berries and vegetables will work well if your freezer is large enough. You can stretch some things up to a year and beyond in the freezer but be careful of freezer burn and frost spoiling food. Double wrapping helps.

Other than food it is very easy to stock up on cleaners and such. Washing soda, borax and bar soap make laundry detergent. Bleach never spoils. Ditto dish soap and hand soap, shampoo and conditioner.