The Putdown 2021 Pattypan's Pantry January Part One(a)
This New Year, I am starting off the pantry early especially after the events of last year and I want to make the most of that which comes my way. Better to be prepared although strictly speaking I am not a Prepper. I utilise the country way of keeping my pantry full and keeping my family fed. There are all sorts of things that you can squirrel away at this time of year. Some of it scraps, some of it useful ingredients that can be used in various recipes but overall trying not to waste anything.
Sometimes it is down to taking a few minutes to think to oneself that you are going to do this or do that. This will relate to not only seasonal items but items, bargains, ingredients that come my way and can be used. Each person's pantry is different. Hopefully you are making things that you and your family will eat. If they do not get eaten there is little point in making them in the first place. Wen I was working I never had enough time and just downed tools to do things (never mind what else really needed doing) as otherwise I would have been continually working and not having any down time. Preserving and food is my passion and so I do not necessarily see it as a form of work.
However, in practice, I have found the more I make the more I want to make. It is rare that I make something that we do not like. I just need a far bigger pantry than I have at the moment and more Freezers. I only have one upright freezer at the moment. I had two uprights and a large chest freezer all of which I lost last May. I have the upright but that is full. I am hoping to get another large chest freezer in the next few weeks. When that arrives I can really start squirrelling stuff away, to save time, make sure that I have plenty of meals readily available. I then go "shopping" in the freezer or the pantry or the veg rack. This gives me plenty of essential items/ingredients from which to create something. In this busy world of ours if you have a family and are working full time sometimes you have to put in extra effort in order to live to the standards you want to and to provide the quality of food for your table that you want.
When the new deep chest freezer arrives I will start to pop up the sorts of things I will be putting away for future use. I tend to stock up in bulk on a particular item say cauliflower and make several cauliflower cheeses in one go. Sometimes it is easier to prepare things like a cauliflower cheese as it saves time and oven space. If it is pre-prepared, it is just a matter of cooking it. Another time it could be just blanching fresh cauliflower, open freezing it and then bagging it up into suitable portions. Or it could be making a batch of bread sauce to go with chicken, pheasant or Guinea Fowl. At the beginning of the year on the Bottling front I tend to take advantage of citrus fruits, forced rhubarb and Seville Oranges. Citrus fruits such as Clementines can be bottled whole in syrup, as can Grapefruit although in slices, and the forced rhubarb can be turned into jam and also bottled in syrup so that you have a ready supply of rhubarb for crumbles and other puddings. You can also make Rhubarb Gin or Vodka, and Rhubarb cordial.
For many years I entered posts on "The Putdown" a schedule of the items that I have made through the year for my pantry. In the last couple of years I seem to have got out of the habit of this (on the blog at least in reporting) and I am therefore looking to re-introduce this with the addition of posts relating to making things for the Pantry at that particular time of the year. With every so often an update on the contents for the Pantry. A good way of keeping track of things in the actual pantry. And a paper trail as to what I do and do not have to hand. Take for instance whilst Cranberries are around I will buy some and make Cranberry and apple jelly. I will also freeze some so that I can replenish stocks if necessary. I have taken some out that I previously froze and hopefully tomorrow will be able to start off a batch of Cranberry jelly. I use this as lot.
Traditionally in this country Preserving was done to help us through the winter months because you had the season for gathering up that item and preserving it and that was it. These days we are in a much more fortunate position. I therefore take the view that if you come across something that is reduced and that it is a proper bargain then make use of it by eating it fresh and also by preserving it for your pantry shelf. A little every so often makes all the difference. Once you get into the habit of preserving, it becomes a rythm, a way of life that makes the most of whatever comes your way. Whether that be from the corner shop, the supermarket or from the wild larder or indeed from foods raised in your own garden, allotment or smallholding. It is food that is the important thing that something can be done with. Seasonal is wonderful but when it comes to keeping a pantry then for me it is making the most of whatever comes my way. A lot of the time it is more expensive to buy out of season but if there is an offer or reduction and you have need of topping up an item or items or making new items for the pantry then do it.
Recently I came across some reduced Sage leaves. I use a lot of Sage so I took advantage. I have dried it naturally and preserved it for the pantry shelf. There is not a lot but it adds up over time and Sage and mixed herbs I use an awful lot of. During the winter months I love fresh herbs when I can get them as they lift the food However in the warmer months I do grow an awful lot of herbs as well. A lot are dried and quite a few are frozen.
Comments
Post a Comment
Hello, thank you for popping by