~ from my home to yours, living the Working Pantry lifestyle ~ surviving today's economy ~ a can-do spirit and attitude ~

Saturday, March 21, 2015

How Do You Can Pecans?



I just turned the stove off after pressure canning 9 pints of pecans.

How did I do it?

I get asked that question a lot, so here's the answer ...

Spread shelled pecans out in a single layer on a flat baking tray.

Toast for 30 minutes at 250 degrees in the oven.

Sterilize half pints or pint jars ONLY and prepare lids and rings.

Fill jars with toasted pecans.  DO NOT ADD WATER OR ANY OTHER LIQUID INSIDE THE JARS.

Wipe clean the rim of the jar.

Place lid and ring on jar.

Place in a pressure canner with appropriate amount of water in pressure canner.

Pressure can them at 5 lbs pressure for 10 minutes.  (Consult a reputable canning book for pressure poundage for canning in your altitude as it may be different than mine.)

That's it!  It's really easy and they will last for years!  (I also can walnuts using this method.)

patsi
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Seven Things We Learned While Eating Almost Exclusively from our Pantry for Three Months!



If you’ve been following A Working Pantry for very long, you’ll know that my husband and I recently experienced an unexpected financial hardship that left us having to eat almost exclusively out of our pantry for 3 months.   We learned some things first hand during that time that will help us be better prepared for future events of this nature, so I thought I would share what we learned in the hopes that it will help others who might face similar situations in the future.


My well-stocked pantry was and is a life saver.  Being able to continue eating in the manner that we always had without worry about how to provide the food to do that was such a stress reliever.  We were already stressed enough trying to deal with the situation that not having to worry about how we were going to eat was a real blessing.
 

Variety is very important!  I can’t stress this enough … variety is very important.  In order to avoid eating the same meals over and over again and getting food burnout one needs to know how to take basic ingredients, add some spices, etc and create something that has a different taste.   Having a pantry filled with a wide variety of things your family will eat helps to be able to create those different flavors and dishes. 
 
You need a ‘strictly from the pantry’ menu. I would suggest a 30 day meal plan for ever how many meals you eat per day along with snacks, where all the ingredients come from your pantry without you having to go to the store. This will help with the ‘variety’ issue I mentioned above.
 
Your pantry will last half as long as you think it will.  It is surprising how quickly a pantry gets used up when you’re eating almost exclusively from it.  Some items that we thought we had plenty of were the first things we started running low on. 
 
You need special treats.  In my opinion special treats are essential to a well-stocked pantry.  They help keep moral up and give you a little something to look forward to.
 
You need to know how to stretch what you have.  Necessity is the mother of invention and during our 3 months of eating almost exclusively from our pantry we stretched and saved every bit of food.   Leftovers became another dish and even the little bits were saved for ingredients in a soup meal.

Now that our financial hardship is over, I'm making it a priority to take what I’ve learned and use it to build a better well-stocked pantry.


Do you have any words of wisdom/experience to share on this topic?
patsi

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

This is Why! part 8


Previous entries can be found HERE.


In this final entry for this series, I’m going to share miscellaneous ways I stock my pantry.  These things don’t really fit into any of the other categories we’ve talked about so I just combined them all into this one.

80.      I started out small.  When my husband and I first got married many years ago, I didn’t have a well-stocked pantry … I didn’t even have a pantry … and on top of that we were poor college students with little to no money to work with.  But over time, using the principles I saw my mama use, little by little we began to accumulate a small amount of pantry items.  We had to start at the beginning and work our way up to a well-stocked pantry.

81.       I start with the basics … the foundation/building blocks of a pantry such as butter, flours, milks, etc.  (Everyone’s ‘basics’ will look different.)  This is the foundation of my pantry and is what I focus on stocking first.

82.      I stock comfort foods.  Comfort food for me begins with chocolate so I watch the after holiday sales … Christmas, Valentine, Easter, and Halloween.  When I find chocolate candy on sale for half price or less I stock up. Them I vacuum seal it in jars until needed in baking or as a comfort food.  (Yes, even on a low-carb lifestyle there are times when nothing but chocolate will do!)

83.     I don’t give up.  Many times there has been a lack of money to help stock our pantry but where there is a will there is a way and I’ve been known to get pretty creative with what I’ve had to work with.

84.      I set goals for my pantry.  I take keeping a well-stocked pantry very seriously and make it a priority.

85.     I only stock what my family will eat.  While there is nothing wrong with trying new things, make sure someone in your family will eat it before you add it to your pantry.  Otherwise it’s just something that’s going to sit in your pantry taking up valuable space that could be used to stock something your family will eat.

86.     I stock a variety of foods.  Variety is very important when you’re eating exclusively out of your pantry.

87.     I also stock a variety of spices.  Spices can turn a mediocre dish into a dish that everyone looks forward to.

88.     I never turn down ‘free’ food.  If someone offers to bless me from their abundance, I say ‘thank you,’ and bring it home and preserve it.

89.     I take advantage of ‘free samples.’  I accept all free samples whether we use them or not.  If we won’t use it, I find someone else to bless with it.

90.     I read and research to keep up-to-date on new ways to keep my pantry stocked.

91.     I keep my pantry rotated making sure not to let anything in it expire or ruin.

92.     I write the date purchased on store bought items and the date preserved on home-preserved items before I add them to my pantry and use the oldest first.

93.     I consider water to a part of my pantry and stock accordingly.

94.     I stock homemade convenience foods such as freezer meals that are ready to thaw and cook.

95.     I build up my pantry by knowing what’s in it.  Knowing what’s in my pantry will keep me from adding too much of an item.

96.     I build up my pantry by not wasting what I’ve worked so hard to put in it.

97.    I work on building up my pantry all year long not just when the ‘garden’ is ready to harvest.

98.    I take care of my pantry items by keeping storage conditions suitable to each item.

99.    I use and accept the knowledge that this is my ‘job’ and one way I can contribute economically to our household budget.

100.    Last, but certainly not least, I use a positive can-do attitude to help me keep a well-stocked pantry.

 There you have it, 100 ways I build up and stock my pantry.

I hope this series has been helpful and shown you why everyone should have a well-stocked pantry as well as given you information that you can use to build your own.
Yes, you can have a well-stocked pantry!

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.
Patsi 

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Oldie but Goodie: Canning Maple Syrup



Several years ago we started buying pure maple syrup from a Mennonite family that tapped their own trees.  We would buy it in pints and would purchase enough to last for a year.  One year we went to make our yearly purchase and they were out of pints and only had it in gallons.  The lady of the house told me I could can it and proceeded to tell me how.   

When I got home I consulted my canning books and searched online for further instructions.  I combined the instructions I got from the Mennonite lady with what I found in my research ... and here's how I can maple syrup ...

Empty the maple syrup into a pot.  Heat the syrup slowly until it reaches 180 degrees. Stir occasionally.  Do not let it boil or stick to the pan.  I attached a candy thermometer on the side of the pot so I could watch the temperature. 

While the syrup is heating I wash and sterilize the jars.

I also prepare the lids and rings.
 

When the syrup reaches 180 degrees I fill each jar with the hot syrup, put a lid on each and screw on the ring.

The jars are hot and the syrup is hot so be careful when filling and capping the jars.

The jars will seal as they cool.  No further processing is needed.

This maple syrup will last for years.  I am currently using some that has been on my pantry shelf for 3 years and it is still good.
patsi

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.