All of my grandparents were farmers, and the generations before them lived a simple life. They were frugal, worked hard, and wasted nothing.
My entire childhood, I saw my grandmother cheerfully pack full meals to take to the boys in the field. I didn’t know it then, but her ways resounded in my soul. She was highly valued in my eyes and I was drawn in by her love for her family.
As far back as I can remember, I dreamt of a life that was filled with all the joys that came with quiet living. I wanted a life of practicality and a life of service in some way. So here I am decades later, building upon my love of farming, and living a life I am so grateful for.
All because of the countenance of one woman, God used her to spark a dream that has become my reality.
If you come visit me today, you will probably notice my working pantry. I get asked a lot of questions about this part of my life, and for this reason I am sharing here a little about what that looks like in our home.
There isn’t anything special or unique about a working pantry. I just simply love having good food on hand for my family, and this lifestyle is something I envisioned a lot of as a young girl.
I don’t mind saying I have worked really hard to reach these particular goals, and God gets every bit of the credit!
I am of Generation X, and most of us did not grow up homesteading or farming. Some of you either have very little knowledge of how to, or don’t have an interest in that lifestyle because Betty Crocker, Little Debbie, and Oscar Mayer were who we knew best.
For many of us, home economics was not offered in our high school. Perhaps your parents emphasized sports or academics over basic living skills.
However, with the increase in technology and information, we have a wealth of resources at our fingertips about homesteading, simple living, gardening, medicinal herbs, sewing, and countless other skills necessary to human survival. No other time in human history have we had such access to this information, and we really should take advantage of this opportunity whether we consider ourselves a “homesteader” or not.
I have my own testimony of that learning curve, so I want to mention a few things about balance.
Sometimes when we grow up in a particular culture that may have had a negative impact on us during our childhood, we have a tendency to reject those experiences.
I have a friend who grew up with cold hot dogs and ding-dongs most of her childhood, and today feeds her kids 99% organic foods. As a consequence from eating poorly early on, she has an auto-immune disease. She bends over backwards keeping heathy food on the table for her family, but is completely exhausted with worry she may not be doing enough.
On the other hand, a neighbor of mine gives little care over what to serve her family for dinner. She was born into wealth, was taught very few life skills, and academia ruled her life. Everything was handed to her at her request. Today, she complains about not knowing how to cook, and will run to Taco Bell or KFC’s drive-thru while her toddler is shoving McD’s french-fries in his mouth while strapped in his car seat.
When we feel the effects of not learning basic skills, you can understand why some have the propensity to swing the opposite direction of their upbringing. I am hoping that if you find yourself frustrated or even in an ungrateful place, don’t reject the positive things you have learned already. It’s important to be thankful in all things, no matter how small.
And as I examine some of the everyday choices I make in my role as the lady of our home, my prayer is asking God to help me fulfill the desires of my heart, build upon the strengths that He has given me, and allow the pendulum to rest somewhere in the middle for that balance.
As a young mother, finding that balance was certainly a learning curve for me. I probably went to both extremes trying to find what worked, and what didn’t.
For this reason, I want to be an encouragement to anyone who desires a simpler, slower-paced life. I love teaching others the simplicity in what so many other cultures have done for thousands of years before the days of grocery stores. I also want to inspire you to think outside the box, and be confident in your efforts as a wife and mother.
Being raised by several grandparents that experienced the depression era, their mentality had an impact on me. The positives that I learned were how to be frugal, how to manage my time well, and a reminder to pass on to my children the importance of working hard in whatever they do in this lifetime. It’s easy to take away the mentality of a depression-era generation as they have the ability to be very cynical, but because I understand where they came from, I can give them that grace. Grumbling doesn’t help anyone though, so I had to choose to find what I could learn from it instead.
You may see now that this is why I see a well-stocked pantry like it’s money in the bank. And with each new baby we add to our home, I have discovered that having basic supplies on hand is essential to my ever-changing schedule. A balanced view makes a lot of sense to me and having order is a beautiful place to live.
Our grandmothers and mothers may have not taught us the basics such as gardening, cooking, sewing, canning, fermenting foods, or soaking grains, but we can choose today to learn old fashioned skills in a modern world to pass onto our children.
Because I get so many inquiries about where and how to start with the basics, my answer is always to start with your pantry. Buy whole foods, not packaged. Buy in bulk to save money. And grow your garden as much as possible. You don’t have to have 40 acres to grow your own food. And as always, take one day at a time learning a new skill.
Below you will find the foods you will typically see in my pantry on any given season. And because I buy seasonally for the best prices, the entire list will not all be on the shelves at once. I store away as much as I possibly can for the winter months. That could be from my pressure canned or water bath foods, freezing a lot of fresh fruit and meat, and dehydrating my garden veggies.
I also have added a photo of my bucket system where I store my dried goods. This is a working pantry so nothing is stored longer than 18-36 months. I look at this part of my life like Natalie’s mini-grocery store. Anything I need for several months will be stored in this room. At the very least, this gives you an idea of how I have set up a system that works best for my life as a busy mom.
- Kosher salt
- Black peppercorns
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Sesame oil
- Olive Oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Rice vinegar
- Jam or preserves
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Whole grain mustard
- Pickles
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tamari or Liquid Aminos
- Asian fish sauce
I love making fruit preserves after we pick fresh fruit in the summers. I typically make enough jam to last for the year and start preserving again in May. Applesauce is another favorite of ours. Five shelves (floor to ceiling) are dedicated to applesauce and we still run out before the year is up!
This summer we made about 90 pints of strawberry and blackberry jam, and over 200 quarts of applesauce. All of my herbs and spices go into glass jars. Depending on what it is, I use quarts and half gallon size jars for this storage.
I also love to can all the tomatoes I grow from my garden, pressure can meat, a lot of bone broth, peaches, pickles, salsa, pumpkins, squash, jalapenos, relish, green beans, and heirloom corn. All of these things can be quickly made into soups, or a meal in 15 minutes or less. I especially enjoy having the bone broth on hand because I add it to as many dishes as possible.
This is my list of the things I like to have on hand in my kitchen pantry
- Flour: whole wheat, spelt, white-wheat, or pastry
- Almond Flour
- Coconut Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cream of tartar
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate chips
- Homemade vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Homemade raspberry extract
- Maple or coconut sugar
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Coffee
- Tea
- Crackers
- Tortillas
- Popcorn kernels
- Bay leaves
- Basil
- Cajun seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- Celery seed
- Chili powder
- Crushed red pepper
- Curry powder
- Fennel seed
- Dill seed
- Granulated garlic
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Ground cumin
- Ground ginger
- Oregano
- Paprika: smoked
- Rosemary
- Sesame seeds
- Thyme
- Whole nutmeg
- Dried fruit: raisins, apricots, dates, berries, peaches, mangoes, and cherries
- Seeds: sunflower, flax, chia or hemp
- Peanut butter and almond butter
- Homemade granola
- Olives or capers
- Chiles: chipotles in adobo or pickled jalapenos
- Salsa
- Tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Roasted red peppers
- Coconut milk
- All paper goods: plates, napkins, paper towels, solo cups, etc.
- Rolled oats
- Steel Cut oats
- Long grain brown rice
- Basmati rice
- Bulgar wheat
- Quinoa
- Kamut
- White Wheat whole grain
- Spelt grain
- Millet grain
- Buckwheat grain
- Sorghum grain
- Whole wheat shell pasta
- Whole wheat lasagna noodles
- Gluten Free shell pasta
- Gluten Free lasagna noodles
The picture above with our baby is our bulk food order. This gets delivered at our doorstep. We purchase 50-pound bags of whole grains at a time, along with many options for obtaining multiple dry goods for the year. If we don’t grow them ourselves for preservation, then I rely on this order to fill in any gaps in our pantry. We order 1-2 times a year. We feel very blessed to have this option available to us.
This refrigerator is typically designated for farm items, such as our eggs from the coop, milk from the local farm, spelt and other grain that we grind, my starter, my ferments like yogurt and sauerkraut, and garden vegetables that we eat within the week. We keep this fridge in the “McBride Market” (which is the overflow pantry).
My food safe buckets have gamma seal lids on them so no air or critters can get in. I freeze the grain and dry goods for 3 days before I place them in the bucket. I do not like any weevils or unwanted bugs lurking around my pantry.
gathering eggs
- Milk
- Homemade yogurt
- Butter
- Cheese
- Eggs: washed, dried, dated
- Ferments
- Avocados
- Carrots
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- Bell peppers
- Leafy greens: spinach and kale
- Lettuce: romaine and mixed greens
- Parsley and cilantro
- Ginger root
- Potatoes: sweet, white, or new
- Onions
- Garlic
- Lemons
- Limes
- Apples
I believe a life of service is a life worth living. I pray anyone reading this finds the path the Lord has set before their feet, and to do whatever it is you are called to… and do it well. You’ll never regret creating a beautiful, balanced life with your family. Bless you friend!
Luke 12:24
Natalie