Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Stocking up vs hoarding and other questions

There were a few very good questions last week that I will answer now and then share what I did for my pantry this week.

Does Za'atar have coriander in it?

Most spice/herb blends such as curry, garam masala, and Za'Atar have the same base ingredients in them and then can differ according to recipe.  For instance, when I tried different Za'atar blends, I found I didn't care as much for the authentic blend that had wild thyme (hyssop) as I did for the same blend with regular thyme.  I think it was just a more familiar taste as an American.

Za'atar is the name for both the blend and is the name for wild thyme (hyssop) in some Middle Eastern countries.  It seems a lot of Za'atar blends contain coriander seed so if you are allergic, don't try Za'atar until you read the contents.

Finding stewed tomatoes in a can...

My mother's vegetable beef soup recipe does not taste the same without a couple cans of stewed tomatoes in it so I wasn't happy when the brand she used seemed to stop making it.  For awhile, I couldn't find another brand.  

Then, I was happy to see that Red Gold sells stewed tomatoes and while it is not exactly the same "recipe", it is close enough.  I do like all Red Gold tomato products. 

What is the difference between stocking up and hoarding?

The best definition I have heard of the difference is this... stocking a pantry is something regularly done by families in times of plenty while hoarding is when you purchase a lot of item/s when there are severe shortages, making it difficult for other people to buy any of the product.

Is stocking up against the Bible?  Doesn't the Bible tell us to "take no thought for tomorrow"?

This is a great question!  I'm depending on what I have read from excellent Bible teachers over the years and I have come to agree with the answer completely.  This is one of those times we cannot take one verse and make a denomination of it.  We have to seek the full counsel of the Bible.  When we do that, we see how both ideas are in balance.

First of all, there is the story of Joseph and why many ministries who feed the poor and/or who stock food and supplies for emergency situations are called Joseph ministries.  God warned Joseph that there would be seven good years of harvest followed by seven years of famine and that he was to store grain during the seven years there were good harvests.

Joseph stores the grain in various cities around Egypt and by doing so, he saved not only the Egyptians from starvation but individuals in other countries and eventually his own family (that is a whole other wonderful story!).

We also find in Proverbs 6:6-11 that we are to be like the ant, who "stores its provisions in Summer and stores its food in harvest".  The one who doesn't do this is called a sluggard.

So, what does it mean to take no thought for tomorrow?

It simply means... we are not to worry about tomorrow.  We are not to fret and lose sleep and have fear about tomorrow.  We do what we can to prepare as God calls us to do, given our budget and space available.  Then we trust God with the rest. To me, this brings peace because I can't put together a really deep pantry like I once was able to do.   

I have some extra supplies, canned goods and such I buy each month on the shelves, and some meat bought on sale in the deep freeze, which isn't very big (a medium deep freeze looks much bigger than it is in the showroom!).

I know God does call and make it possible for some people to put back enough not only for their family but for other people who would need it, too.  This is a true Joseph ministry!  I know so many people through the last couple of decades who have heard from God to stock up even a little as is possible.

This "feeling" that something was coming has been getting stronger in the past couple of years for many friends.  I definitely believe COVID-19 was part of it but we still haven't faced the full impact of what the pandemic has done to the economy, yet.

We made it through two long term periods of unemployment due to a deep pantry and then the compassion of good friends.  Unemployment was the number one reason I have heard that most people used their pantry before the shortages brought about by the pandemic.

Everyone I know who is seeking God's wisdom about deepening the pantry still believes there are difficult days ahead when we will be glad we were like the ant and stocked up before the proverbial winter.  We do what we can and after that, we "take no thought for tomorrow" and trust God!

What I added to the emergency pantry recently.

I added a bag of dried eggs to the pantry to keep on hand for baking should we have another lock down.  I was given dehydrated eggs before a few years ago and they did work very well, especially for baking.  The brand I bought is not for long term storage, it has a Fall 2021 Use By date but I know it will get used one way or another.  It had excellent reviews on Amazon.

I still have some laundry detergent but I decided I wanted to buy one extra bag to keep in my pantry where I also keep extra bottles of dish washing soap (I wash dishes at least twice a day), Lysol wipes (they finally became available again), glass cleaner, etc.  The size I buy became impossible to get through Amazon for many months and I wasn't buying their $100 bucket.

As part of a "pantry lifestyle" (having available what I need and when I need it), my favorite planner was on sale almost half-price so I went ahead and purchased it.  It was a simple $10.00 purchase for an item I would really miss if it wasn't available for January.

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Charlie's Soap 100 loads 1 pack... here.  (This has been my go-to laundry detergent for eighteen years, it is very concentrated so a little goes a long way.)

Judee's Whole Egg Powder... here.

Blue Sky 2021 Monthly/Weekly Planner... here.  (I checked today and they are still on sale.)

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.