Living the Pantry Lifestyle - What started the Saturday pantry posts?

It has been a long time since I wrote a basic pantry post series, having figured everyone would be tired of the same thing over and over.  However, I have heard from enough people to know that is not true.  I'm not even going to write from past pantry posts.  Let's try to make this new series as fresh as possible!

First, why do I talk about a pantry lifestyle?  Well, generations before us lived a pantry lifestyle.  They did not call stocking up "emergency preparedness".  To them it was a way of life, following the seasons.  In harvest time, one prepares the food, firewood, etc. for winter.  Not to do so would be lunacy or laziness... in their eyes they are one and the same.

I learned from writing about preparedness, both before and after Y2K that when one only stocks up for an emergency, sometimes the items chosen can be a waste of time and money.  I was curious as to who actually used their extra food and supplies and found that people who bought food made for emergencies (and back then they were kinda' yucky) rarely used them.

However, people who purchased or put up extra amounts of what they already use ended up in a good place.  I did both and found this true in our home.  I stocked extra basic foods we always have in the pantry and purchased a few items that would be helpful to have such as extra flashlights and batteries.  I also purchased some #10 cans of dehydrated food and filled a few buckets with various beans because they "store for a long time".

Well, the food we always have in the pantry was enjoyed by both us and our newly married daughter.  We had an unexpected job loss within a couple of months and the deep pantry helped a great deal.  We also used the items like extra flashlights and batteries.  I still have the oil lamps purchased then and I sent one to a good friend who lived in an area that often has the power go out.

What was not used?  Almost everything dehydrated for emergency preparedness.  There were a couple items that we liked and the powdered milk was used but mostly I found the food not palatable for everyday use.  Remembering that this was twenty years ago and the emergency food industry has come a long way.  Having said that, dehydrated food from the grocery store was used..  Once again, these were items we often had on hand for snacks, anyway.

We also did not eat any of the food that was not on our menu before... like dried beans.  They found a home with families who did cook them often!  I have always heard that people will eat anything if they are starving.  In doing my Y2K research, I found that is not always true.  I read about instances in WWII where people did not eat food they hated (and my son despised beans at that time).

All of my friends who prepared for Y2K said the lessons they learned were invaluable.  I think the emergency food industry learned from the feedback, too.  That is why if one is going to put back emergency preparedness food, I mostly recommend freeze dried food like Mountain House.  While their food can be put back for emergency situations, it is also used every day by hikers, campers, and even bloggers who are very tired and decide to "borrow" from their preparedness stash.

I do have a couple Augason Farms #10 cans.  I mentioned last week that I keep a can of their banana chips for an emergency should I need a sweet food fix in case of low blood sugar.  That is only for emergency preparedness.  However, I also have a can of their Gluten Free Black Bean Burger mix that is not for an emergency and I plan to try it soon for everyday meals.  I had another emergency preparedness brand that I used for dinners once in awhile but it seems to have gone out of business. I hope this brand is as good as that was.

Otherwise, I use my limited food budget to stock extra items that I use every week.  Especially when I find a good "stock up price", when the sale is so good that it is worth buying a flat of cans, a few bags of flour, meat for the freezer, etc.

Next week I'll write more about my every day pantry and then I will write about further deepening the pantry in a couple weeks.  I will share my specific Mountain House favorites again in a couple weeks.

I should mention here that part of my "pantry" is a good selection of cookbooks and books about preparedness.  Below I will add a link to two very good books that are easy to read, full of basic information, and inexpensive.  I have recommended them before.

See you next week when we do more pantry talking!

Mentioned in this Blog Post
Augason Farms Gluten Free Black Bean Burger Mix... here.
Augason Farms Banana Chips... here.

Survival Mom book... here.
Survival Mom Kindle edition (on sale at the moment!)... here.  (I have the Kindle version.)
The Made From Scratch Life... here.  (I keep it with my quick reference books.)