Based on your (awesome) comments in Part 1…and based on all of the (awesome) emails I’ve received with questions…I believe we’ll begin today by taking a little peek into my pantry. And my freezer. Uh, freezers. And my fridge. Oh, and my cool trunk! You should see my cool trunk!
So come on in to my kitchen with me…and I’ll show you all of the food I typically keep on hand. (And while you’re here…would you mind lending me a hand with the dishes? Thanks.)
Let’s see, what do we have here in the pantry? Canned peaches, pears and tomato sauce that I put up last fall. And also tomato juice. And tomato soup. (I’m slightly embarassed to tell you that I planted 40 tomato plants last year…so that I’d have plenty. And I did. Have plenty.)
( This year I’m planting fewer tomatoes…like maybe only 10-15 plants.) (Because yes…I am crazy.)
Okay, what else is here in the pantry (to eat with the tomato products)?
A few varieties of whole wheat pasta, organic dried beans, organic brown rice, a bottle of Muir Glen Organic Ketchup…
(Do I need to keep saying “organic”? Most of my food is organic…but not all. Just most.)
Olive oil, red wine vinegar, molasses, honey, wheat germ, tuna, peanuts, coconut flakes, sesame seeds, popcorn, raisins, banana chips, dried cranberries…
That’s just the front shelves of the pantry. My very awesome pantry has hinges on the first shelves…that open up to reveal another layer of shelves in the back! (This is DEFINITELY my favorite feature of the entire house!)
So, in the back of the pantry, the shelves are bigger and deeper, so this is where I keep my big buckets of stuff. (And my mop….which is not organic.)
Palm kernel oil, coconut oil, jar of rolled oats, containers of rapadura, wheat berries, wheat that has been ground into flour, container of sea salt, and extra jars of tomato products… ahem.
Now…moving on to my cool trunk.
I order MANY of my dry goods in bulk, so the big opened 25 pound bags of oats, rice, wheat berries and popcorn live in this trunk. Then, to make my life easier (or, so that I don’t have to lift out a 25 pound bag of rice every time I need two cups of rice) I pour or scoop some into big jars…which is what you saw in my pantry.
Hang around here long enough, and you’ll see how much I LOVE jars. Yes, I’ll probably do a complete series here some day about the beauty and delight of jars. Big jars, little jars, tall jars…
(You are really starting to learn more about what a nerd I am, aren’t you? Yeah, well…)
Also in my trunk, you will see a couple boxes of cereal and a bag of potato chips. (gasp!) I found this brand of cereal a couple of months ago, “Mom’s Best Naturals”. It’s not organic, but it’s better than the really bad stuff…it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors or flavors. I don’t consider it a health food by any means…but it does save my sanity on occasional crazy mornings. We maybe eat it once every two weeks.
And the chips? I can’t remember why I bought those…but the bigger bag was cheaper…and sometimes we all just need something crispy, greasy and horrible. (Although I feel pretty strongly that if I’m going to have a chip…it needs to be a Nacho Cheese Dorito…cause if I’m gonna eat garbage…I’m going to really enjoy it.)
Okay…I believe we should probably talk about my freezers and fridge next time…so that this post doesn’t go on forever. I would hate to leave you glassy eyed and disoriented.
I’m sure you now have even more questions…and if this series lasts until “Getting Real With Food, Pt. 3,457…then so be it! Just so you know, I don’t plan to leave you hanging on where I buy all of my food, and how we afford it and all of that. I just wanted to give you a run down to start off with!
Come back for Part 3…in which I open my freezer to show you my cow, lamb and chickens. And frozen fruits and veggies…
And all the JARS of food in my fridge. (You KNOW you want to see my jars, don’t you now?)
You have a great pantry! I love it! But, I did notice that you keep your ground whole wheat flour on the shelf. Do you keep it there for long? Do you know that it starts to go rancid 3 days after grinding it? I wouldn’t want you to have any problems with it after all the effort you take to feed your family so well.
I buy my wheat berries in bulk also. I grind it just before I use it. If I can’t use all the flour up quickly, I store it in the freezer. I hope this helps. I love reading your blog and trying new recipes on your site
Yeah, I wanna see your jars!
I am starting to love them too!
I had coupons for a couple of free Fuze drinks and I saved those pretty bottles and stuffed them with beans and peas!:-)
I LOVE YOUR PANTRY! It looks like it’s in the wall?!?! Super cool! And hey…can there be enough tomatoes?
I can hardly wait to hear where you get all your grub! Especially your meat! Well, and the grains and the fruit to can etc.
I love your bench. I had one like that at my old house that was built into the wall in the middle of shelves. Loved it!
I love your pantry…can’t get over how neat it looks and what do you put in those hanging bags on the doors?
Another thing I would like to know about you is HOW ON EARTH DO YOU DO ALL THIS STUFF?
The pics you take, everything looks clean and tidy and in order. You’ve spoke of being gone to ball games and I think being in charge of Homeschool activities, babysitting, teaching the boys to cook, making everything from scratch, I assume the boys are all schooled by you, writing ebooks, making cool downloads, and look at the pantry?!?! all neat and tidy…..How do you find the time? Bet you don’t sleep more than Mother Teresa! (4hours)Come on, tell us your secrets! Do you have elves or fairies?;-)
I love your pantry. I wish I had a pantry that big. Where do you order your dry goods from? I have checked into it but it seems really expensive. I am just curious where you get yours and if it is a good deal. Also, have you ever had trouble with bugs in your trunk of food? Maybe I am just worry about bugs I keep most of my rice and dry stuff in the freezer to keep the bugs out.
You know I’m loving this, too – thanks, Laura! You rock! :>) I’ll add a question, too – where do you get your jars?
Oh my, my jaw is hanging open. Your pantry is spectacular and YES I want to see your jars in your fridge! I’m completely fascinated by it all. Love, love, love the trunk idea, you are so clever!
Laura-
What an awesome pantry! I have to admit I am a bit, okay a lot jealous! I cannot wait until I have a home with a pantry! Until then I will make do, but you have given me so many ideas, just from one post!
Thanks!
Toni
Hi Laura,
Looks like I’m not alone in enying your pantry!
This is looking like it’s going to be a great series. Thanks for letting us into your home.
OOOO This is sounding like a great series! Did you guys custome make your pantry or was it already in the house when you purchased your house?
I’m so glad you all like my pantry as much as I do! The family who owned the house before we did designed and built the pantry. I think he’s a genius. I’ve always loved pantries, but never had one before this house. I LOVE it.
Laura, I love this post! Thanks so much for all the awesome pictures. I agree with everyone else, your pantry is just AWESOME! I think I would have to put a chair in front of that pantry just so that I got look at it all day long!
This series is so wonderful already. I’m very excited to read all 3,457 posts. I’ll be here for them all because I have so much to learn from you and so many things I want to implent into my kitchen from yours.
Um no, I think I may be the nerd, you just have to know how much of a kick I get out of seeing your pantry and what’s in it! And jars are very cool! When your a Mama the definition of “cool” changes dramatically, ya know?!….waiting to see more a how you do it…!
Where do you get your big containers for storing flour and such? I’ve learned that flour and such need to be stored in tightly sealed containers to avoid getting worms and moths. (They love to eat all that nutritious healthy stuff!) But where can we find large containers for storing flour (etc) without spending a fortune?? I don’t have a large pantry because we live in a city apartment, but I’ve tried to get large containers to store all my baking goods. They are expensive (in my opinion, anyway).
I can tell I`m going to really like it here!!I love your articals on nutrition!!I also started reading Nourishing Traditions a few months ago.I love your pantry,and trunk!What a great idea!!I will be adding you to my blogs I read list!Have a great night!!~~~Toni
Laura, I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks now & I must say, I’ve become quite a fan! I LOVE your Pantry, and I share your love for jars! A friend from work just gave me all his mom’s old canning supplies & WOW! What a blessing & a treat! Some of the jars were old & different, shaped a bit round or the designs are just not ones I’ve seen! it’s SO cool!
Anyhoo, I was very frustrated that the large jars are so expensive (eBay) & was SO pleased to find the 2 Qt & the Gallon size from Azure! (and reasonably priced! I’m anxiously awaiting my first order next week! ;)
More comments to come from me… thanks for all your hard work – your blog is very informative, entertaining & I LOVE the recipe ideas & am SO glad to have found you!
Thanks for inviting us into your home – what a fun kitchen!
would be nice if you linked to the next article in the series as the bottom of all of these.
Your pantry is beautiful. I am rapt with admiration for the organization and symetry. And yes, I am a nerd myself, and would not deny a charge of OCD. Denial would be futile, as anyone who visits sees the orderly row of nails in my haybarn with hay twine hanging from each nail sorted by color.
The trunk is brilliant! I have been using 5-gallon buckets (with lids) to store opened 25 pound bags of rice, grains and beans from Azure Standard, but there’s much wasted space with that method, as once the bag begins to deplete, that whole 5-gallon bucket is being wasted on an ever-dwindling supply of whatever was in the bag. With the trunk, as bags shrink over time, there is more room to fit in a fresh bag of something else. Beautiful!
I was recommending Azure Standard to a friend in another state, and found your blog searching the web for info to help her know how easy it is. Great blog!