More Pantry organising and some more shopping

Yesterday evening after tea, I went back into the Pantry for a little while and managed to get all the items I had just chucked in out of there so that I could actually see what I did have available.  Under the large bottom shelf I have several containers stored. They contain a lot of dry ingredients of different sorts, spices, herbs, flavourings, pasta, rice, noodles, flour, bread flour etc. I have dragged them out along with the contents of the other boxes and I am sorting them into some kind of order after filling up some of my empty jars.

I have four other boxes to amalgamate into the Pantry one way or another.  Once I know what I have I will then be able to work out what I still need for the Pantry.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, my hope for this year has been very much to be able to get a handle on what food I do have for the Pantry but also to gather a few items each month whether that be basics for making my own preserves or to store ingredients with long shelf life in order that I have a good selection of ingredients available to use.  My hope is that once I have a handle on what is in the Pantry overall some months I will be able to buy in those specialised extra items because I have enough stock of everything else.  It is a means of centring on what we do have.  It also helps keep a tight grip on the pennies and at the same time I am easily able to take advantage of any true offers.  Once a Pantry is properly stocked it can keep you going for ages.  G has had several unexpected job changes over the years which have resulted in no income coming in.  Having the Pantry well stocked means that you have one less thing to worry about i.e. feeding yourself one way or another and are able to concentrate on necessary bills with the money that is coming in.

This year I will also be looking to make more items myself for the Pantry shelf.  I want to look into making my own sauces like stir fry, sweet and sour, barbecue sauces, curry and Balti sauces etc.  

In line with what I was taught the main things in life that we really should be grateful for are a roof over our heads, our health, warmth and a cooking source and food in your belly.  If you have all of these then you are indeed rich.  Anything after that is an absolute bonus.

To really have a full complement of food I need freezers.  That is not possible here at the moment, but it does give you a more rounded Pantry store because that is where in the past I have stored my meat, veg and fruit, together with homemade pre-prepared meals and lots of other things.  For the time being therefore we are buying in minimal amount on the meat front depending on funds, but nearly always looking to get at least two meals x two out of each meat purchase.  This not only saves on pennies but also on energy costs as well.

Have been and topped up on veggies as well today.  I look at the reductions and if there are any gather quite a few together and then fridge them.  I have some preserving to do in the next few days of some reduced veggies which includes some swede, some carrots and some new potatoes.  I thought it would be useful to have some pre-prepared veggies to hand and this is an area I am looking to do more in to ensure full meals later on.  Instead of using the freezer I am preserving food for the Pantry shelf by heat processing both WB (water bathing) and PC (Pressure canning).

I have also bought in courgettes, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, Broccoli, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, parsnips, Red peppers.  I still need to get a net of onions and a sack of potatoes.  A tray of eggs was also bought in. Also bought in some small oranges (Nordicott variety) a tray of grapes and some Bananas.

Tonight for tea G has a Butter chicken and I have a King Prawn Balti served with some Co-Op Honest Value Long grain white rice (sold in 1kg bags at £1.20 per bag), which had been rinsed with boiling water twice.  Less starchy this way on.  Pre-prepared meals again this week.  I normally cook from scratch but this week's eating is about trying something we do not normally have.  Must say have been pleasantly surprised.   Will buy in some of the items again, but as I am busy with lots of things this week makes for a quick tea.  Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.  We will have a Chicken stir-fry tomorrow night that I will cook from scratch.  Hence the trip to the veggie shop earlier on today.  There are still items that I would like to have as basics i.e. the potatoes and the onions and perhaps some other items as well.  Otherwise will be set up reasonably well for a good 10 days to a fortnight.  I keep all the veg in the fridge and it keeps well.  I do have to keep an eye on Broccoli though.  Purple Sprouting Broccoli has lasted a lot longer than this in the fridge.  I love Purple Sprouting Broccoli and the plus side is that it is very good for you.  A marker of Spring for me though.  My younger years were very much marked around the seasons, the harvests and the wild larder.  We always used to return to my Grandparents' home to help with the gathering in.  My Nan used to grow both the white and the purple varieties.  Makes a good tasty meal with some left over mashed potato and leftover veggies turned into Bubble n Squeak and then served with steamed PSB and a fried egg.  

Will be back into the Pantry later on to "Squirrel" away some more goodies.  After being relatively tidy the other day, the Dining Room now looks as though a Tornado has blown through it.  Well it has really - me!  All in an effort to get everything into the Pantry.  So some more work needs to take place.

Weather not too bad today.  Supposed to be rain overnight and then a brighter day here in Peterborough tomorrow.

The top of one of the Dressers has been sorted and the containers sorted on it.  I need loads more containers in due course both on the large Sweetie jar front but also on the ground glass stoppered vintage jars, old coffee jars and also the Douwe Egbert coffee jars.

So at least things are getting done.  Back to moving forward and upwards.

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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