Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Unexpected Emergencies

Well, I guess most emergencies are unexpected by default!  I have had one of two broken teeth extracted already but the week before last, the other broken tooth become infected out of nowhere.  My dentist had decided not to make it a priority because it hadn't given me any trouble. She was also surprised it became infected.

I had a triage appointment this last week and I'm on antibiotics for an extraction mid-week. I have been getting a few small cavities filled, one each month for budget purposes, obviously this tooth became the priority.  By the end of the year, I hope to have all of my dental work updated.

I was asked before why I had the previous tooth extracted instead of a root canal. It was partly because I do not have dental insurance so I have to pay for the procedure but also because my teeth are so fragile that they would continue to break due to complications from Type 1 diabetes.

On Saturday, what started out as a simple change of a well water filter left us without water for a couple of days when my husband had to buy a new canister and the newer model was larger than the previous canister.  This required the plumbing to be changed.  Thankfully, our plumbers make those who have had to turn off their water system a priority on Monday morning.

This was definitely not our first water emergency and we were the most prepared for it than we ever had been before.  As with most things, the more experience you gain, the better you are at handling it the next time it comes around.  Since this was a cartridge size change that was inevitable, I'm glad it happened now instead of during a lock down.

I had gallons of water stored already that had been previously opened and refilled, they were labeled and used for anything other than drinking water. Of course, there were also some gallons of drinking water stored. The gallon containers we used that previously held store bought water will be filled with tap water and labeled for using in bathrooms, to water plants, etc.  

I have already purchased three more new gallons of drinking water to replace those we used this past week and I will purchase more soon.  I like to get the sturdy brands these days since I reuse the containers. They are very inexpensive so it is not the cost, it is more the weight of water that causes me to limit the amount each time.

As far as the pantry, I thought the comment from last week about purchasing food for the Holidays was very wise and I purchased two cans of pumpkin last week.  I have cans already purchased last year that I will use this Fall but these have a Best Used By date of December 22, 2022 and will be good far beyond that date.  

I usually try to keep at least six newly purchased cans of 100% pumpkin on the shelves after the Holidays for making pumpkin bread, pie, etc. the rest of the year.  That is also why I freeze cranberries that I can only purchase during the Holidays.  Orange cranberry quick bread is a favorite no matter what time of the year.

It really isn't too early to start purchasing butter if you have room in your freezer.  It lasts a very long time when frozen.  I still had a turkey in the freezer last fall that I had bought the previous year.  I defrosted it for soup last Fall and it was fine. 

There was a comment asking if one can freeze pasta sauce that is near its' Use By date.  Yes, you can pour it into a freezer bag or into a freezer container and freeze it but you don't have to.  It will be good for quite awhile past the date.  I remember when I was learning a lot about the pantry over twenty years ago, someone had written that your food doesn't suddenly go bad on midnight of the Use By date.  Hmmm... good point.

I would make certain that can or jar gets put on a shelf where you can see it easily as a reminder that it needs to be used before any other recently purchased jar of pasta sauce.  Anything made with an acidic vegetable or fruit does need to be watched more carefully than others, so I always give it the sniff test if it is a year or more past the date and I never open anything that is dented or bulging.

Other non-acidic foods will last long after the date, just give each can the same sniff test before eating it and do not open the can if bulging.  Meat in a can usually has a Use By date that is years out from the purchase date.  So do many vegetables.  I have heard of people opening cans of green beans a few years past the date and they were fine but I don't buy THAT many cans and I make certain to rotate everything.

If you want to put canned goods back without worrying about them, one way is to check the dates on the cans and then put veggies with a Use By date in the same year in a box, fruit with the Use By date in the same year in a box, etc.  That way you can put them back and then see labeled on the box what needs to be taken out at the beginning of each year.

Cans that have a flip top opening need to be used sooner than cans that do not.  Their seal is not as good and some people who did not rotate them have found the cans have broken open on their own.  However, if you rotate by putting the recently purchased cans in the back each time, you should be fine.

If you store canned goods for emergency purposes in a closet or any location that you don't use often, it is important to write on the calendar when to check the dates on those canned goods.  Then you can put them on your kitchen shelves, replacing them with recently purchased canned goods to put back in the closet.  

Always store an extra can opener with any box you don't use regularly, even if it an older can opener that is extra because you bought a new one for the kitchen.  It would be frustrating in an emergency not to be able to open the cans.  Of course, if your main can opener is electric, by all means have one or two non-electric can openers on hand, too.

As for my kitchen pantry, I decided I needed to think out of the box a little more.  I prefer basic foods for my pantry such as baking items, vegetables, fruit, rice and pasta, etc.  But I decided to try a couple items that had been recommended on YouTube.

My first new attempt at a vegetable was the Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Country Cabbage.  I bought it at Meijers but I know it is available at other stores.  I bought a can and tried it.  I liked it even though it was kinda' mushy and heavily seasoned with bacon but that is the way my mother cooked her cabbage and her green beans so it was okay.  It was a little salty, which could have come from the bacon, too.

My husband, who is not a huge cabbage fan in the first place, walked in the kitchen and asked what that horrible smell was.  He couldn't stand being in the kitchen at all until it went away.  So, I made a note to self that a couple of cans in the pantry would be a nice change of pace for me but it should be kept for when he was going to be out of doors for awhile.  ;)

My other new attempt last week was to try a couple Hormel Compleats that had been recommended.  They are a true pantry food being shelf stable meals that heat up by microwaving for 60 seconds.  These were items that were in short supply or unavailable during lock downs, which is when I first saw people talking about them.

I decided to try the turkey and dressing as well as the chicken breast with potatoes and gravy.  I opened the turkey and dressing up and vented the top before microwaving for 60 seconds.  I was surprised at how good it tasted.  The seasonings were just right and while the consistency was not like homemade, it was decent.   

A few days later, I tried the chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy.  I forgot to vent it but it only popped in the microwave and didn't make a mess, thankfully.  However, I found this one so very salty that it was hard to eat.  Which is too bad because the food itself was good.

That is why it is always good to try something new before stocking up.  I would not stock a lot of cabbage but a couple cans would be good.  I will not buy the Hormel chicken and potatoes dinner again but I will definitely buy the turkey and dressing.  At $1.99 a meal, they offer a good shelf stable pantry item for one or two people households.  I will try a few more of the variations, too.

One of the things I had on hand already during the tooth infection was zero sugar lemon lime soft drinks.  I found the Kroger brand to be very good and even my husband, who does not need sugar free drinks, thought it was good.  I plan to restock it just for hot weather.

I was finally able to find sugar-free Vernors at Meijer.  If you have lived in Michigan, you may be familiar with Vernors Ginger ale.  It has a very strong ginger taste that makes other brands seem weak.  I wasn't able to find any for a long time, even in other Midwestern states.  Now there is a carton put back for tummy troubles!

Hopefully, these are the last of the emergencies we've seen.  Oh, I didn't mention that our riding lawnmower could not be fixed.  Sigh...  Does anyone else look forward to a perfect world?

Mentioned in this Blog Post

Hormel's Compleat Turkey & Dressing meal... here.  (Package of Six, which is about the same as what they cost at Meijers.)