Raiding the Pantry

"Tom!" That's how it begins.

Old Aunt Polly is looking for her rascal of a nephew, Tom Sawyer, but he 

               can't be found.  She looks inside and out before finding him snooping around 

               in the closet. He's caught red-hand, uh, red-mouthed. 

               He's been stealing jam from the pantry. 

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 

Why a pantry?

 People from the beginning of time have stored food in caches in caves or underground, dried food in a smokehouse, or stored it down in a root cellar.  

This is nothing new. 

And it is always smart. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints counsels all their members that

 "Having a supply of essential foods, clothing, fuel, and water will help us during times of personal and natural disasters. We must be prepared for calamities that may come our way" 

  and "“prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others. We encourage Church members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings."  

All is Safely Gathered In   lds.org 

I have always had a pantry for several different reasons:

1. Emergency.   If you have a tornado (I live in tornado alley) and your pantry is not harmed, you will have food and water.   
2. To Share.  If your community has an emergency, you will be able to share.  If someone has a death in the family, you will have food to share.  If someone has a baby or illness in the family, you will have food to share.   
3. Your own grocery store.  I ask my adult children what they want for Christmas and they reply the same thing every year.  A food box.  I pack salad dressings, tooth paste, crackers, cake mixes, veggies, canned meats, etc for each of them.  They appreciate this because it is something they can really use and it saves them money.  I don't know how many times one of my kids have called "um Mama, do you have any baking soda?  I'm out"   They come over and raid my pantry.
4. Buy in Bulk.  Sometimes buying in bulk saves money and you can break the bulk down into individual sizes.  I do this for flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and more. 
5. Distance.  Our farm was 30 minutes from any town.  I never worried about having to run to the grocery store  because I had food stored in my pantry. 
6. Garden produce.  You can store your own garden produce by canning.  You will notice a lot of Mason jars on my shelves.  One reason I can what I grow in my garden.  The other reason is I protect the sugar and other foods from mice or bugs.    Hey!  We lived on a farm.  
7. Lack of Funds  Ever lost your job due to a layoff?  Between paychecks?  Don't worry, you have your food pantry to supply your table.
8. Peace of Mind.  I don't have to stress, I know I will be able to feed my family and those in need. I have stored food for the winter just like those smart squirrels.

I do recommend buying only food for your family that they will eat.  Buying a case of beets if nobody cares for beets would be a waste.  

I do recommend rotating your cans and foods.  Food has a shelf life and you must be aware of expiration dates.  

Organize your pantry.  Do it better than I have here in the pictures!  I put all my fruits together, flour together, etc. 

I do recommend reading the Provident Living section on lds.org and the LDS booklet called "All is Safely Gathered In".  They contain some valuable information for anyone of any religion.  They also have a food storage calculator showing you how much food your family would need to last a year.

My pantry is not only food.  I store spices, toilet paper, paper towels, home cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids and medicines.

I don't have any babies at home but I have grandchildren so I still have an emergency sealed package of cloth diapers and pins.  What if someone visits and forgets their diaper bag?  That has happened.  I was able to smile and go to my pantry.  

I buy things on sale a little at a time.  It is not wise to go overboard

 and spend too much at once.  I also use my coupons.  See my coupon posts.

Don't forget snacks!   I also keep jars of candy.  All my grandchildren also know this!  Studies have show that chocolate or sweets help to calm people down in a emergency situation.  

Don't forget other emergency and useful items.  I keep batteries, flashlights, candles, matches, first aid items together.  I always know where everything is.

I store dry milk in Mason jars.  If you are ever out of milk and need some, there you go!  I also use dry milk to make my granola and white bread.

Food storage is like laundry.  It's never finished.  You must keep your pantry clean and dusted.  I showed some foods in the pictures but most of my cake mixes and dry foods are put in Mason jars or the older and heavy weight Tupperware.  You can find most of this Tupperware and some Mason jars at garage sales.  Who cares if the Tupperware is a Harvest Gold color?  It's put away in your pantry!