In begging forgiveness for the unexplained, neglectful month-long hiatus, I have some pictures to show you:
Forgive the Poor Lighting: Our Stocked Pantry
So, while I’ve been away from the Nourished Kitchen (and so may well have lost all my beloved readers!), my husband and I were terribly busy. We wrapped up this years market and laid plans for next years market with an eye to get better and better each season. Additionally, we stocked our pantry, cupboards and freezer for winter.
Apricot Compote, Sour Cherries in Sucanat Syrup and Dried Apples
Living in a 750-s.f. condo in a ski area presents no small challenge to developing a well-stocked pantry. There’s no root cellaring for us, and we’ve barely any room for the furniture let alone space for a long mountain winter’s food rations. Yet, with a little ingenuity, we set aside some space for a pantry and even a freezer.
For this winter we have:
- 30 Butternut Squashes
- 50 lbs of Potatoes
- 1 Quart Cherry Tomatoes Preserved in Oil
- 20 lbs of Turnips Awaiting Fermentation
- 1 ½ Gallons of Lacto-fermented Beets
- ½ Gallon Jar of Dried Bing Cherries
- 10 Gallon Bags of Dried Apples
- 2 Gallon Bags of Dried Pears
- 1 Gallon Bag of Dried Watermelon
- 3 Gallon Bags Dried Heirloom Tomatoes
- 1 Gallon Frozen Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
- A String of 40 Dried Chilies
- 12 Quarts Canned Roman Stripe Tomatoes
- 5 Quarts Canned Carrots
- 14 Quarts Canned Ranier Cherries
- 10 Quarts Canned Potatoes
- 34 Quarts Canned Nectarines
- 10 Quarts Canned Wild Apricot Compote
- 7 Quarts Sour Cherries Canned in Sucanat Syrup
- 5 Gallon Bags Frozen Peaches
- 1 Gallon Bag Frozen Chinese Yard-long Beans
- 30 lbs Frozen Grass-finished Bison Steaks, Roasts, Ground and Sausages
- 10 lbs Frozen Grass-finished Elk Steaks, Roasts and Sausages
- 115 lbs Frozen Grass-finished Beef Steaks, Bones, Roasts and Ground
- 6 Frozen Pastured Chickens
- 5 lbs Miscellaneous Grass-finished Lamb
What else fills our pantry:
- 20 lbs Lentils
- 10 lbs Cannelini Beans
- 20 lbs Local Anasazi Beans
- 50 lbs Spelt Berries
- 25 lbs Basmati Rice
- 25 lbs Chickpeas
- 10 lbs Black Beans
- 25 lbs Real Salt
- An assortment of rice, sorghum and other flours
Forthcoming:
- Artichoke Hearts Preserved in Oil
- Eggplant Preserved in Oil
- Moroccan Preserved Lemons
What you don’t see:
- 5 Gallons of Dried Apricots we already ate because they were just so damn delicious.
- 2 Gallon Bags Dried Apples for the same reason as above
- 1 ½ Gallons Traditional Sauerkraut … uh … for the same reason as above
- A Fridge Full of Fresh Produce that will keep us from eating the preserves
- The 25 lbs Local Quinoa that should be arriving soon
Yummy Meat in our New-to-us Freezer
So you can see why I’ve neglected Nourished Kitchen a little bit. Next season, I hope to rely less on canning since it alters the nutritional content of foods for the worse and rely more heavily on traditional food preservation methods: fermentation of course, preserving in oil and brine, drying and others.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
A well-stocked pantry is a beautiful thing. I admire how industrious you’ve been! Looking forward to the recipes from (or for?) these goodies.
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I wonder if you could tell me, do your apples get “crisp” like apple chips are are they kind of leathery? I’ve dried some for days on end and they never get that crispiness that you get on a salad in some places. I don’t mind the leathery, but am thinking theh crispies would be nice too, though I’d rather not heat them too much.
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What an impressively stocked pantry!
pam’s last post: WHB – Hanoi Noodle Soup.
Looks fantastic!! I love looking at well stocked pantries
Erica’s last post: Picture Update.
Missed you! WOW – that all looks AMAZING! We have quite a bit this year that we have preserved and are building each year. Your list is an inspiration, to be sure.
Denise’s last post: november..
Wow for sure! On the extreme other end of the spectrum, my hubby and I have recenly lost every last thing in our pantry to meal moths. Ours came from an indian grocery store and now we are stuck with all our food in the refrigerator until we starve those buggers out. Your pantry makes me jealous! Nice work!
Michelle @ What Does Your Body Good?’s last post: Playing Recipe Matchmaker.
I was wondering how you preserve something in oil and/or what kind of a brine do you make? I’m guessing the brine isn’t vinegar based. Thanks and I think your pantry is beautiful!
Heather’s last post: Embarking on an Adventure.
Thanks for the warm wishes. That pantry took a lot of work! We’re fortunate that bugs are a minimal concern here at this altitude. I think I’d cry if it were to go to waste.
Heather – Preserving in oil is fairly easy. You simply cover what you want to preserve in oil and it creates an anaerobic environment!
Brine can be either so salty as to prevent any bacterial growth but then your veggies need to be desalinated prior to eating OR it can be mild enough to encourage the proliferation of lactic acid bacteria which then results in fermentation.
Jenny, that is sooooo beautiful. I am just in awe.
Love your stocked pantry. I’m thinking you may be in CO? We are in metro Denver. Do you have a CSA that is local to you? We are in our 3rd season with one and absolutely love it. We get bushels of organic vegetables and melons each summer for a set price. We also work at our farm so we are able to pick up a few extra things to can or freeze here and there. Home food preservation is such a basic skill that makes eating natural, local, organic food so much more affordable. We also have a winter share with our farm so they keep us supplied in winter squashes, potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, cabbages, etc. from November through February. It is an amazing way to support your local farmer.
Noelle’s last post: Your bladder is very near your eye….
Jenny, I really never bought canned or fermented food before and now that I’m preserving my own, I’m not exactly sure what to do with it all. I’m curious about your plans for that 20 pounds of fermented turnips. I know I can use sauerreuben in Choucroute garnie (and did just a week or so ago with some sauerkraut–delicious), but what else? Are your canned carrots pickled or pressured canned? How do you plan to use them? Also, why can potatoes when you can cellar them? So many question!
Noelle – we are in Colorado and our post-market CSA ran through the end of November and probably won’t start again until May or June. The elevation is so high here in the mountains and access so poor that continuing CSA deliveries throughout the winter will prove difficult for our farmers. But you’re right, working at the farm is a great option. It reduces costs and you get phenomenal access to fresh, local, organic produce.
Chris -
I know what you mean! We never eat canned unless it’s self-canned, so coming up with recipes that incorporate canned foods has been a challenge. For the fermented turnips, we just eat them as a side dish at meal times–switching among turnips, fermented beets and sauerkraut. I think fermented foods are critical for good health so they make an appearance at almost every meal. My carrots are pressure canned and I’m thinking they’d be a good addition to chicken pot pies or a last minute addition to soups. I pressure canned the potatoes because we don’t have access to cellaring. We live in a 750 s.f. condo at the base of a ski hill. I’m trying to determine how we can convert our exterior storage closet into some sort of cold-storage room so we can root cellar next year, but I think it’ll take some more insulation as it freezes in winter.
Where do you keep the 50lbs of potatoes to prevent them from sprouting?? Mine (from a CSA) get sprouts in about 10 days even in the back of a cabinet next to a cool exterior wall!
Your pantry is so spectacular. I admire your thriftiness, creativity, and organization!! How do you do it?!?
I just realized I never replied! We live in a dry, cool climate and I don’t do anything in particular to prevent sprouting. Now that it’s January, a few of the potatoes are starting to sprout. The potatoes we buy are not treated to prevent sprouts. I think it’s all about climate.
Jenny-
Wow, I’m amazed and a lot overwhelmed. I don’t know where to start with the “how” of how to do any of this…
Any ideas? Have you posted recipes/instructions on how to can some of your fruits/veggies?
You’re family must be so in awe of your efforts…I know I am!