Why, Where and How To Have A Pantry ~ by Midge

I am starting to go through the pantries ( we have 3 ) and make lists of what needs to be replaced, and what needs to be used up.  While I only have 2 quarts of Applesauce left, I have way too much apple butter that needs to get used up.

Its fun to go though it all , well except for the bottom of the hall pantry which has been a catch all, working on making a list and getting it all re-stocked before it snows is the goal. Why do I want it all re-stocked before the first snow? Well, after that we cannot come down the driveway and it’s a bit harder to carry stuff to the house. So we try to keep the shopping days smaller, or at least easier to carry down the hill.

Why Have A Pantry

I know you are thinking that…

… the store is just down the street

… my husband can pick up what ever I need on the way home

… pantries are so old fashioned we don’t need them in today’s world

And I am sure there are plenty of other reasons people feel that you don’t need a pantry. Here are my reasons for having a pantry:

1. Getting the most for your dollar- Yes the store is just down the street, but you may not be getting the best price for the item you are buying, plus most people (and yes I am one of them) never seem to leave the store with just what I went in there for. Plus if you buy food in season and store it, it is cheaper.

2. Weather - Out here it is mostly snow in the winter and there are weeks that it might be pay day and therefore shopping day but due to the weather I can’t leave the house safely for a few days. And one year in the summer there was a flood, one that we were not expecting to happen to the level that it did. And it happened the night before shopping day, if I didn’t have a pantry we would have been trouble.

3. To serve others- Yes a pantry helps you to serve others, when the neighbor calls asking for something you can say “Yes, I have that”, when the church calls and asks you to make something for a dinner you can say “Sure, no problem”, when the boy scout comes to the door collecting food for the local pantry you can say “Here you go.”.

4. Illness- You never know when it is going to happen, and if you have a well stocked pantry you can better care for the ill ones, or if mom is ill the family is going to have something to eat. Plus if you find out others are ill, you have on hand the food to make them a meal.

5. Budget- When your husband comes to you and says “Dear, we need to cut the budget somewhere for the next two months”  due to extra bills, car repairs, etc., or if he comes home and says “I’ve been laid off” . You can say “No problem, dear”  and eat mostly out of the pantry for the lean times, restocking in the times of plenty.

Where To Have Your Pantry

The definition of a pantry is :
1.a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept.

And my definition, is a pantry is not necessary the place, but the food stored. A take off of the saying the church is not the building but the people.

So based on the first definition a pantry is a storage area for food, so lets talk about were to have your pantry.

1. A closet, I have taken a coat closet that was never used as more then a dumping ground and had my son build some shelves in there. I have also in the past stored the sheets in the bedrooms and the towels in the bathroom in order to use a hallway linen closet as a pantry.
2. The good old shelves in the basement, not very pretty but it works. For this you just need a not damp basement, and some shelves
3. The kitchen. I find that for my size family and pantry needs I still need a second location.
4. Just about any other place you can think about that doesn’t get to hot or freezing cold. We have used a wall in the laundry room, you could use some shelves in a bedroom and cover the fronts with fabric, a attached garage, just about any spot.

Midge is a stay at home mom of 6 children from 18 to 3.  She enjoys reading, crafts, and making a home for her family. She and  her family live on 7 wonderful acres in the middle of nowhere, and enjoy spending time together as a family. You can find Midge’s Blog here.