Creating a functional, well stocked farmhouse pantry that supports you as you care for your family is a beneficial use of your time and resources.
Create a Functional Farmhouse Pantry
Moving to the country and distancing yourself from grocery stores is a change that is wise to prepare for. In my experience, the easiest thing to do is to become your own “store” where you keep one or two extra of each item in your pantry or freezer, waiting to be used next and replenish them in a back-to-front fashion so everything is rotated.
Why it Saves Time
Grocery shopping is a three hour chore for me. This includes driving to the store, shopping for the next ten days, driving home, unloading bags of groceries and putting my purchases away. The less often I have to run this gauntlet, the more time I have to work in my home office and accomplish small projects around the homestead.
It Also Saves Gas
For us, buying property took a large portion of our budget. Weekly gas-guzzling trips to the store that put miles on our vehicles needed to be kept to a minimum. The easiest way to do this was to utilize the food storage space I had at home and be as efficient as possible when it came time to run errands. This is how keeping a well-stocked pantry and freezer helps out our finances every day of the week.
Insurance Against Unforeseen Events
In our area a heavy rain can cause the trickling creeks that surround us to become gushing torrents. Our two main entrance and exit roads both have low spots where flood waters often rush over the road, halting traffic for hours. It can happen any time thunder heads roll in, trapping us until it subsides. A pantry that is regularly stocked ensures I don’t have to get out in bad weather. If you live in an area prone to ice, snow, blizzards, tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes or other inclement weather, consider your pantry a type of storm insurance.
You convinced me! So now what?
Prepare the Space
Select a space you will use and organize it. Invest in good quality, airtight storage containers, which will prolong the life of the food you store and save you money in the long run. Pests cannot get into them and if a food becomes contaminated with weevils or another nuisance, the problem is contained and does not spread. I prefer transparent storage that lets me see when I need to replenish.
Make it Attractive
If you experience the satisfaction of seeing a clean, organized pantry every time you open the door, you will be more likely to maintain it. Don’t skip this step! Your pantry is an asset so devote a little money to its functionality. Use whatever type of baskets or organizers appeal to you.
Stock Up & Rotate Goods
Begin to fill your pantry with extras of the items you use the most. The easiest rotation system I implemented was to create one row for each item I wanted to store in multiples. I grab whatever is in front to use when I’m in a hurry cooking dinner. Once I get home from the grocery store, I scoot the entire row of items forward and then place the newly purchased item in the very back. This guarantees my family is always eating fresh food and none of it expires.
Consider Dried Foods
Keeping some freeze dried and dehydrated vegetables in my pantry helps me waste less produce but guarantees I always have what I need. I keep dehydrated onions and carrots, plus freeze dried celery and peas, which I purchase from Honeyville.com. (There are no multi-level marketing gimmicks with Honeyville, which I love. That is not an affiliate link; I just like them.)
Enjoy Your Functional Farmhouse Pantry!
Enjoy the sense of accomplishment in a task well done as you admire your functional farmhouse pantry! Keeping everything clean, stocked and rotated will be a simpler task from now on.
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