Our pantry

Spice drawer

Our pantry at the moment till we move and canning season kicks into high gear... we will need to get a few more shelves for canned items.

I have been working on our family pantry for years trying to get it to the quantity and quality for our families eating habits. It is no secret that I do not like to go to the grocery store so buying in bulk reduces the trips. It is something you have to work your way up to because I don't know to many people who can go buy all the jars and items to fill them all at once. I started with the bagged items from our local bulk store. As we changed our eating habits to a more traditional diet I started to see seasonal eating habits that helped me to figure out quantities of bulk dry items such as rice, beans, lentils and oats. I knew if the recipes changed slightly over the years I would still want to get a certain amount of healthy ingredients into my family of four. Over the years we added pastured meat, raw dairy products, more herbs, more home canned items, etc. Goal for this year is to replace all store bought condiments with homemade ones, start sour dough and more canning of seasonal foods. Also want to add a clipboard with food inventory sheets to the side of the shelves/freezer, make a snack basket with homemade items like bars, fruit leathers, crispy nuts, granola, popcorn, jerky and sesame sticks so we have take along snacks handy for walks/hikes. I also want to laminate my formula cooking recipe cards(I will share in another post in April) and put them on rings so they are easy to find. Don't get me wrong I love my cookbooks but sometimes you need a formula so you can add what you have on hand to make a meal instead of trying to find exact ingredients.

So what exactly is in my pantry...

Grains/Beans
rice(Jasmine, Basmati, wild, etc.)
rolled oats
quinoa(red and regular)
high quality pasta
spelt/rye
dried corn
lentils(different kinds)
beans(cannellini, kidney, black and fava)
slit peas

Nuts/Seeds/Fruit
nuts(walnuts, pecans, hazel, almonds)
seeds(sesame, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin)
dried fruits(cranberries, blueberries, apricots, raisins, apples, coconut flakes and lots of dates)

Oils/Vinegar/Condiments/Sweeteners
Oils(extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, walnut oil and lard)
vinegars(apple cider, balsamic, and rice)
Condiments(ketchup, BBQ sauce, chili paste, tamari, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, mayo, worcestershire sauce, pickles, diced chilies, and artichoke hearts)
sweeteners(honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, raw sugar, stevia and Rapadura)

Other dried and canned items
tomato paste and tomato sauce
broths
canned fish
cocoa powder
jams and nut butters
gelatin
baking soda and powder
dried vegetable mix
tapioca
sprouted flour and gluten free mix

Spices/Seasonings
garlic powder, parsley, sea salt, pepper, cinnamon(powder and sticks), nutmeg, cloves, paprika, celery flakes/seeds, ginger powder, cilantro, cumin, chives, caraway, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, mustard, bay, rosemary, lavender, coriander
Mixes I make up- italian, mexican, chili powder, Herbs de Provence, pickling spice and few others from MaryJane's Farm book Outpost
extracts- vanilla, peppermint and almond

I also keep white vinegar for making homemade cleaning supplies(I will share in another post), some paper towels, toilet paper, batteries, etc.

Freezer
assorted cuts from a 1/4 steer, whole lamb, chickens, venison, 1/2 pig, freezer jam, cream, assorted vegetables and fruit

I keep jars above my sink on a shelf of most frequently used items.

I also keep a supply of medicinal herbs that I use most often in my kitchen. 

Do you have any pantry tips, items you would add or storage ideas? Please share.