Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Pantry Lifestyle vs Stocking Up

It is another hot and very humid day here today.  Hopefully, this will be the last heat wave of the summer but September can be quite warm, especially the first half of the month. However, the earlier setting of the sun and a shift in the morning light coming through the windows when I am enjoying my first cup of coffee tells me the hot weather is near an end.

I had the Weather Channel on earlier to view our current heat index and ended up watching some of the track of the hurricane.  I think it was less than a week ago that this was a numbered low pressure system in the eastern part of the Atlantic and now it is expected to be a Category 4 hurricane heading for Louisiana.

If it stays on track, they said it will be the most powerful hurricane to hit the New Orleans area since Katrina.  Just the name Katrina reminds us of images we could not believe at the time with people standing on their roofs to be rescued and dead bodies floating in water.

I read last week that even before the hurricane watches were posted, the shelves in most of the grocery stores were already empty.  It reminded me of why I decided after Y2k that I wanted to live a pantry lifestyle and not just stock up for a possible emergency.  I wanted to give thought to possible emergencies and purchase items a little at a time rather than running out at the last minute and buying whatever was left on the shelves.

Developing a pantry lifestyle causes us to think of the "what if's", especially those that are prone to happen in our part of the world.  It can cause some people to have a couple weeks worth of food and essentials in the house to keep them victim proof after an emergency... all the way to some people choosing to live a self-sufficient lifestyle.  God leads us all in different directions.

Given different circumstances, I would love to be self-sufficient.  I admire what Annabel and her husband have accomplished so much.  I learn from her what I can use in my own circumstances but anyone who is considering becoming self-sufficient, her blog is a good representation of someone who has been able to do this over time and with lots of hard work.

I have friends who live on a farm and I'd say they are partially self-sufficient.  However, having lived in that area for at least a few generations, they know other farmers and they can help each other in a crisis.

I tend to be self sufficient in seeking knowledge, not depending at all on what is told us on the 6:30 national news but going down rabbit trails until I find Truth.  Especially from people I trust.  By seeking knowledge of what is happening in the world, I have a better idea of how to be prepared for possibilities.

For instance, I've been hearing for months that there are going to be big shortages of products for Christmas this year.  So, when it made headlines because the Vice President mentioned this possibility last week, I wasn't shocked.  I've been purchasing what I will need for any Holiday meals and baking gifts already, which is honestly what I keep in the pantry most of the time.  

I have kept an eye out for Christmas gifts, especially for the little grandchildren.  I've also started making some gifts like the vanilla extract.  But the point is that I was thinking of Christmas when the heat index was over 100.  That is living the pantry lifestyle.

When I read that the grocery shelves were empty even before the hurricane watch was given, it made me thankful again that God had led me to live a pantry lifestyle for when such emergencies would happen in my area.  I pray that His people will do so who have the ability to purchase essentials ahead of time.

If I lived in a hurricane prone area, I would have made certain to have purchased what would be needed in late Spring, a little at a time to make it easier on the budget.  There was plenty of water and canned goods in May, none to be found apparently now.  

A friend of mine lived on the Gulf Coast and her family always kept extra water and food in their very small home as well as plywood for their windows stored in their crawlspace.  It doesn't have to be perfect to prevent broken windows.  Of course, with a serious hurricane, they boarded up and took their supplies with them further inland.

That's why a pantry lifestyle is better than just stocking up off a list because you can make it personal to your situation.  She had all of their important papers, extra cash, medicine, etc. in a bag ready to go before a Hurricane Warning was given.  Her preps leaned heavily on items that were lightweight and portable in case they had to travel inland.

Someone who lives in a fire zone in California would need similar preps in case they had to leave suddenly.  I would hope there had been some discussion between members of the family so everyone had a job to do in case of an evacuation.  One person get the dog, another the cat, another the bug out bag/s, etc.  If there has already been a discussion, everyone would know what to give priority to put in the car/s first, such as jewelry or artwork if one has such items.

Speaking of pets, I once kept out kitty carrier in the garage for when we had to take a kitty to the vet but for some reason, I had moved it to the garden storage shed when our house was hit by lightening.  It wasn't fun holding a Maine Coon with sharp nails until someone could find the kitty carrier.

Know where your pet carrier(s) are, your leashes for dogs, and any other items that would be essential for your pets should you have to leave your home suddenly.  Otherwise, we just need to be sure that we have enough pet food (and kitty litter) on hand in with our preparations.

As hot as it is now, it won't be all that long before my thoughts will go to winter preparations.  Last winter was the worst we have had in the fifteen years we lived here and we were snowbound multiple times.  I have already ordered extra needles for my insulin pens since the more inexpensive pen needles were not always available during the worse of COVID shutdowns.

Speaking of which, COVID hospitalizations continue to spike where I live and the grocery stores are now suggesting everyone wear a mask.  Last week, the sign said only non-vaccinated people had to wear a mask (although how can you tell which is which?).  The handwriting is on the proverbial wall unless everything gets better here soon.

Sorry about the rambling post but this hurricane had my brain going in this direction.  Blame it on the low pressure system?  The humidity?  ;)  Anyway, here are a few more cookbooks that I enjoy and you might like, too.

I shared a photo on Instagram recently that include a few cookbooks sitting next to the jar where I keep foil tea bags.  Of course, people were curious.  Two of the books are by Irish cookbook author Clodagh McKenna.  I first heard of Clodagh when she had a very enjoyable show on PBS where she traveled Ireland, sharing regional recipes.  Her cookbooks tend to be fun and enjoyable, just like her personality.

I have found a lot of cookbooks are in fashion for awhile and then when they are not, they either get very cheap or they are hard to find and thus, expensive.  Thankfully, both of Clodagh's book I own are now available third-party at inexpensive prices.

I bought Homemade after it was highly recommended at the time.  It is full of interesting recipes and her chapter on Afternoon Tea is worth the price of the book.  Lots of pretty photos, too.  I liked this book so much, I bought a copy for my daughter for a long ago birthday.  There are now plenty of inexpensive third-party copies... here.

Clodagh's Kitchen Diaries is not as fun (for me, at least) as Homemade is but it is still full of recipes I wanted to try.  One of the things I love about recipe books from other countries, especially those where the baking amounts have been Americanized so it is easy for me to make them, is that I find unique versions of recipes similar to what we have in our own country.  Clodagh's Kitchen Diaries can be found... here. 

The third cookbook I'm recommending today is very American!  I loved watching the PBS show, A Chef's Life, which centered around the North Carolina restaurant she owns with her husband.  (My daughter and son-in-law went out of their way on a trip back to New England from attending a wedding to make reservations and eat at the restaurant.)  

So, when Vivian Howard published her first cookbook called Deep Run Roots, I bought it with credit as soon as I had enough that year. This is a spectacular (and very big!) ingredient based cookbook. It is one of those books to pick up when you have too many sweet potatoes or an ingredient you are not sure how to cook.  You can learn more about Deep Run Roots... here.

Note:  Annabel's blog called The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm can be found... here.  She has an excellent series called 30 Days to Better Preparedness going on right now.  Of course, since she lives in Australia, our seasons are switched.  ;)

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Image:  AccuWeather