Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Home Pantry: Lessons learned in an ice storm

I have had a pantry/root cellar all my life.  Growing up, we canned our vegetables each summer and made jams, jellies, and pie fillings from the fruits.  We also had 2 freezers, one for meats and the other for fruits and other items that we not canned. 

 Because of the way I cook everything from scratch, we shop at a grocery store about 35 miles from home.  There is a store closer, but it does not carry everything that we need.  We also buy from a health food store that is located 75 miles from home.    Because of the distance the stores are from us, we do the bulk of our shopping once a month.  I drive out to the health food store and buy enough for 2 or more months.  On the way home, I stop at the grocery store and buy everything else we will need for the month. As money is available, I buy extra of the staple items to build up the pantry.

 Each winter that I have been here in Oklahoma, we have had a major ice storm that made travel very difficult for a period of time.  One year, we were unable to get our car out of the drive for 6 weeks.  Thank the Lord, we had a good pantry and neighbors who had 4-wheel drive vehicles that could pick up what we didn’t have on hand when they went to town. For the most part, we were well prepared, but there is always room for improvement.

 I learned a lot during that winter.  Lessons that I now use to be better prepared.  Each spring, I begin the process of building up the pantry for the next winter.  I plan to purchase pantry storage items each shopping trip.  Once we are getting fresh vegetables from the garden, I am able to use that part of my grocery budget also to stock the pantry.  One of the things that I now store is powdered milk.  Not only can I use it in my cooking & baking, it is great to have on hand for our daughter just in case we run out of milk & can’t get to a store.  Likewise, I have extra cans of baby formula for our infant son. 

 It is also wise during the summer months to stock up on things like charcoal for a grill.  During a power outage, if you have an electric stove the charcoal grill may be your only means of cooking.  If your grill is propane, you may want to try and store an extra tank of propane for the grill for emergencies.

 Something that many people never consider when setting up their pantry is to have a section for non-food items.  Unless your family uses the flannel family wipes, you will find storing toilet paper very important if you get snowed in!  Likewise, you will want to store feminine products and extra packages of baby diapers/training pants if you don’t use the cloth versions.  Other non-food items would include soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, deodorant, laundry products, dish soap, candles or oil lamps, oil for the lamps, matches, extra batteries for flashlights, and bleach or water purification tablets.  Aluminum foil is essential if you plan to use a grill as your emergency back-up cooking method.  You can use it not only to line the grill, but for making the foil pouch dinners.  Foil can also be used to make a makeshift solar oven.

 If you have never stocked a pantry, some quick tips to keep in mind.  Only store what you know that you will use.  On the Internet, you can find lots of websites that have food storage calculators that will tell you how many pounds of wheat & other grains you will need per person.  If you don’t cook with the grains, nor have the means to mill them, storing the grains would be a waste of money & storage space.  A very simple way to start your pantry is to save your grocery receipts for 1 month.  Make a list of everything purchased and record the quantity of each item you purchased through the month.  This will give you a starting point.  Many people do not immediately consider their cooking styles when planning their pantry, only to be frustrated when an emergency happens.  If you mill a lot of grain for flour, cracked grain cereals, etc., consider having a small non-electric grain mill that you can use if there is a power outage.  One lesson that I learned the hard way was that while having an electric grain mill was a blessing most of the time, it was useless during a power outage.  Another common mistake that I have often seen made is people who store a lot of store-bought canned goods and only have an electric can opener.

 First aid supplies are vital in any home storage.  If there is a severe storm such as tornado or other natural disaster, the first aid kit will be essential.  One great way to store it is in a large fishing tackle box.  You can use the sections in the box to keep various items in an organized, easy to locate manner.  Be sure that you check the kit every 6 months to note expiration dates and restock anything that has been used from the kit.  If anyone in the family is on prescription medication, you should always have extras in the kit.  Keep a close watch on the expiration dates. 

 If you have family pets that require special feeds, you will want to store up a supply of that also.  While most animals can live on people food for a short time, you don’t want to have them eating it too long.  A medium to large sized dog will eat through your food supply rather quickly, for example.

 One family that we visited when I was a child had a great system for rotating their food storage.  They turned their garage into the storage area.  In the garage, they had metal freestanding shelves that were far enough away from the wall that a person could step behind it.  When they put away new supplies, they brought all the stems on the shelves forward, and then stocked the shelves from the back.  They also had some custom built shelving for the store bought canned goods.  The shelves had just enough space between them to allow 1 inch above the cans when laid down on their side.  The front of the shelving was ½ inch lower than the back and had a small strip of wood across it to prevent the cans from rolling off the shelves.  They stocked these shelves also from the back.  They used labels on the back at each opening to identify what product went in each slot. 

 I find it important to keep a written inventory of the pantry.  List each item you plan to store, the amount you will need for 6 months or a year depending on your intentions, and the amount you currently have on hand.  This makes your shopping list so much easier to plan.  It also helps you in not over or under buying pantry supplies.

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03:38, Monday, June 16, 2008 .. Posted by Isabella

Living through many hurricanes I have learned some valuable lessons. This was a good post because it will get people to think. I have to get some soy milk put up for ds and some more bottled water. I think that is about it. Have a blessed day. I

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04:10, Monday, June 16, 2008 .. Posted by gabbie427

These are some wonderful ideas and tips. I have b een reading all the posts I can about stockpiling and pantry organization. It wasn't until just recently I remembered stocking up on non edible things as well. We stocked up on candles and matches in case the electricity went out. Batteries for the radio. And yes, toliet paper, medicines (Advil, etc.etc.), feminine products if needed, toothpaste, and all the rest too.

Thanks for this wonderful post.

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo