Pantry update Week Ending Sunday 31 July 2022

I  am always on the look out for bits and bobs to add to my Pantry store. I on one hand like a store of stuff to go to when I need it rather than running off to the shop every few minutes.  I also like different things to other people, and so my Pantry is very much geared to what my family and I like. Some weeks it can be quite a few things that will be tucked away and another not so much depending on how many pennies are available for extras or what bargains come my way. Sometimes it is really interesting bits and bobs and others it is humdrum basic stuff which indeed plays its part. This is something that I have always done.  I do not consider myself a prepper, just realise from life experience that a good pantry stands you in good stead and future proofs you to any disasters or situations concerning you and yours.  Not that I would wish that on anyone.

My Nan and my Mum both did the same.  Basically your Pantry will give you food security.  So only if you can afford one tin of this or a packet of that, it all helps at the end of the day and it will build up very gradually.  When I buy a few things extra, I try not to touch that "little store" for about a month and build up a tin here or a tin there on one particular item, then go on to another, until I have say 8 tins of Baked Beans or 8 Tins of Tomatoes and a couple of tins of Corned Beef.  Then in the following weeks I add in where I can.  You can eat very well out of such items, especially when teamed with potatoes, eggs, milk, a bit if bacon, veggies, bread and butter etc.  

Whilst I was away in Cornwall I also bought stuff which I decided to bring home with me.  Quite a lot of flour, packet mixes for Blancmange, jellies, yeast, pasta mixes, soup mixes. I shall restock these for the caravan when we go down next but at least I have a stash here for the house.  Some of the packet mixes I had not seen here in Peterborough area.  Perhaps they do them, and maybe I just have not seen them. Now I have to sort some storage out for them to go into the pantry.  I will have to see what I can find.

Just as an aside for the caravan, I do have tinned storage and a basic supply of pasta. rice, sauces etc. so that if we arrive at an odd time we can get something to eat.  I keep most tinned fruit., rice pudding, baked beans, tomatoes, corned beef, tuna, sardines in tomato sauce, salmon.  I do not have a lot of space for storing stuff but I make it work.   I do though have a lot of spreads, jams, chocolate spread,. peanut butter, honey and loads of condiments to hand as well.  You will be surprised what you can use where.  

Tuesday 

I have bought sugar.  I keep a healthy stock of sugar wherever I can because I use it a lot in preserving.  I have managed to buy 4kg of sugar today. I shall also add some more during the week as well.   I think I will have to buy more in though as I am fast going through my little stock at the moment.  It seems to be diminishing rapidly.  Something to do with all the preserving that is going on.

I also need to top up on white vinegar.  I use this in preserving, but I also use it in the washing machine for very dark colours as a conditioner takes any whiteness out of dark colours and makes them look crisp.  Equally when I do a boil wash for undies and tea towels, I also use the white vinegar as it really whitens them up.  We all know that tea towels in particular can go "grey" with constant use.

Today, I also purchased my first item for my Christmas box.  I know, I know!  However the particular item has a long-stop date of the end of January 2023, it is chocolate and I like to have at least a couple of boxes of these to hand over the Christmas period.  I paid £2 a box.

Wednesday

I have also managed to go blackberrying or brambling (foraging) and have managed to make some Blackberry and apple jelly for the pantry shelf and another day.  I managed to find a few wilding apples on the floor.  They are not really ready for eating but I have popped them in the jelly mixture in any event, as it will provide pectin and help with the jelly set.  I have some lemon juice on standby as well just in case it needs a little more. 

I am also hoping another day to make some Blackberry syrup.  In due course, I hope to get more and bottle them up for puddings probably with some apple like I did last year.  I also intend to make some bottled apple filling as well.  To that end I managed to get three bowls of reduced apples still at £1 a bowl i.e. £3 for 3 kilos, so considering the priced of apples these days I do not think that is a bad purchase.  They are eating apples rather than the cookers such as Bramley.  They will keep a much firmer texture compared to the cooker which soon breaks down into a pulp.  Therefore ideally, if you want to make an apple sauce for long-term storage on the pantry shelf, mix eaters and cookers and you will get a combination of apple sauce and firm textured bits in the sauce, which I quite like.

I have also bought two now three large bread loaves (unsliced) from the Co-Op, which had been reduced down to 38p per loaf.  These because of the reduction which is quite a lot have been bought for making breadcrumbs, bread sauce mix, croutons and sage and onion stuffing mix. After paying £1.80 recently for a twin box of stuffing, it works out far cheaper to make my own pantry mixes. First thing first though get the bread processed into breadcrumbs and croutons.  I still need to get fresh sage to dehydrate, but that will come.  When there is bread on offer at this price it is foolish not to take advantage of it in any event.  The best stuffing is made from bread at least a day or two old.

Since then I have managed to buy another loaf to add to the stock.  A post is coming up on this separately during the week.  Will be a post out on what I did with this later this week.

Thursday

Today I have finished processing the Bramble and Apple Jelly and have managed to  make six jars of wonderful Jelly for the Pantry shelf.  It has set well, and is a lovely vibrant colour and clear.  The recipe is included as a separate post, and is there for you if you would like to have a go. The link is here:

Blackberry and Apple Jelly - Bramble Delly

I have also started making Blackberry and apple cheese which is one I have never made before.  A separate post on this will be popped up separately during the week for those of you wishing to have a go.

Today was lucky in that I scored 2kgs of Cherries which had been reduced.  They are not manky but one or two are wrinkled so I have decided to turn it into some Cherry jelly or jam.  The fruit was £1 a bowl and so for two bowls I only paid £2.  At those prices it is worth attempting to do something with them.

Friday

I finished off the Blackberry and Apple Cheese. Reasonably pleased with how it has come up. Its texture is different to what I expected but it appears to be correct. This is a preserve you cannot leave alone and have to keep stirring continuously otherwise you burn it. Unlike jam,  it tends to spit a lot more so you have to be careful.  There are about seven pots for the Pantry shelf.  Every little helps.  There is a separate post on how I made this here:

The Cherries and a little apple have also been prepped in readiness for making  Cherry and Apple Jam.  I now have five jars of this on the Pantry shelf too.  Think this will be lovely in a homemade Black Forest style gateau with a little Kirsch.  Yum! 

Saturday

I now have three large loaves to turn into breadcrumbs and this is purely on this batch to be turned into breadcrumbs for  use in homemade stuffings but also Bread Sauce which is very tasty with Roast Chicken and a favourite here.  It brings out the flavour of the chicken beautifully as does home made Sage and Onion Stuffing.  More on that another time though.  It is easy to make at home without buying it.  I recently had to buy Bread stuffing Sage and Onion whilst on holiday at £1.75 per 2 sachet box.  I was not impressed.  There is a separate post to come on this.

Otherwise I have been doing housework, clearing, cleaning etc.  So a very light day on the Pantry front today.

Sunday

I had hoped to have the pantry sorted out this weekend and get things a bit more organised. Unfortunately, that has now been delayed until further in this week.  I wanted to do this in readiness for the Every Bit Counts challenge (Jessica, Three Rivers Homestead) which I am taking part in for the first time this year.  Not for this reason alone, as I want a good store to hand for this coming winter and I am well behind.

I have all sorts of plans on what I am going to make during the challenge, using what I can locate mostly from shops, supermarkets, markets and farm shops.  You can still put up a goodly Pantry store by using supermarkets, veg shops etc.and I have been doing this for a lot of years  A lot of people do not have the capacity to grow their own, but there are always ways around things.

And of course, the Every Bit Counts challenge starts tomorrow.  Will have to see what I can come up with during the month of August to add to my Pantry shelves.  There will always be something, no matter how little and small ranging to OTT items.  Will wait and see what can come up with, and what can afford.  Needless to say I shall be haunting the veg shop.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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