Pantry Stocking For Uncertain Times

I’m a firm believer in keeping a well-stocked pantry at all times but even more so in these uncertain times. I’ve been pantry stocking in an intentional way the past several weeks and thought I would share how I’m doing it with you.

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Pantry Stocking
For Uncertain Times

Each family’s pantry will look a little different. After all, we have individual likes and dislikes, dietary needs and preferences, allergies, etc. For instance, a family eating a paleo diet will have a very different pantry from that of a vegan family.

For the most part you should stock what you normally eat. On the other hand, when pantry stocking for emergencies you may include some items that are not part of your day-to-day diet. We don’t usually eat canned fruits and vegetables, preferring fresh or frozen, but in an emergency canned vegetables are better than no vegetables.

When planning your own pantry give thought to possible emergency scenarios and focus on foods that store well, are versatile, easy to prepare and offer a wide variety of nutrients.

Steps to stocking a pantry…

1. Do a thorough inventory. This a great time to clean and organize your pantry. Get a notebook and write down everything in your pantry, including quantities.

2. Decide how many you’d like to store of each item and write this list on a separate “To Buy” page. Let’s say you want to keep 6 cans of black beans on hand and you currently have 2. On your “To Buy” page write “4 cans black beans”.

3. Look at the list I’ve compiled below for ideas and add to your “To Buy” list.

Here is a list to get you started…

The following list is not exhaustive but it will give you a good starting place.

Canned Goods…

Vegetables – green beans, corn, carrots, peas, potatoes
Fruits – peaches, pears, apricots, mandarin oranges, pineapple, cranberry sauce, applesauce
Beans – black, pinto, cannellini, kidney, pork and beans, chili beans
Soups
Tomato products – sauce, paste, diced, crushed, stewed
Tuna and other canned meats – chicken, salmon, ham

Nice to have: olives, green chilis, artichoke hearts

Dry Goods…

Pasta – spaghetti, elbow macaroni, ziti, penne, etc.
Egg noodles
Rice – brown, white, jasmine, sushi
Beans – pinto, Great Northern, red, black, etc.
Lentils
Oatmeal – For breakfast, in baking, can be made into flour
Grits
Couscous
Instant mashed potatoes – Even if, like me, you always make mashed potatoes from scratch, instant can be handy if you can’t get fresh potatoes. It can also be used as a thickener and in some sourdough recipes.

Baking supplies:

Flour – white, wheat, cake, bread, gluten-free
Yeast
Sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered sugar
Salt
Baking powder
Baking soda
cornstarch
Vanilla
Cocoa – baking
Chocolate chips
Raisins
Honey
Egg replacer
Dried milk
canned evaporated milk
sweetened condensed milk

Flavorings…

Even if you were reduced to a diet largely consisting of rice and beans and a few other staples, a good selection of herbs, spices and other seasonings can turn these basics into tasty meals.