Taking Stock Part 2: Recipes for Dry Staples

Popcorn Tins of Christmas Past... great for storing baking ingredients!

     If you read Taking Stock Part 1: My Pantry Basics, ( previously posted), then you know that I make many of my own baking mixes and specialty flours. In my pantry you will find the popcorn tins of Christmas Past. These are generally free for me, as I receive them either as gifts, or ask friends and family for those they no longer need. I save them because they make excellent (and pretty) canisters for my flour, cornmeal, and other dry ingredients. Reusing them also keeps them out of the landfill, (always a bonus). Once made, my baking mixes get stored in the large tins, some of which may hold 20 to 25 pounds of flour and baking mix.
     I thought that you may be interested in sharing some of the recipes that I have collected for staples in my pantry so I have posted a few below. I am always updating with new recipes that I find to further my own efforts in self reliance. Hope you enjoy the post and recipes!

Taking Stock: My Pantry Basics

Canning for the pantry.

     While reading Amy Dacyczyn's "The Complete Tightwad Gazette", I observed the “Pantry Principle”, in which Amy describes her family's food supply. Many of the items are simple staple items, some are homemade, others bought in bulk. As I read I began to realize that she was describing my own pantry contents and that of everyone who has opted for a more simplistic way of living. This makes perfect sense because our goal in living simply overlaps with Amy's goal of living frugally. Many items that we once purchased in the stores we now make ourselves. Basic staples are the key components to a self-sufficient pantry. Basically, my pantry contains lots of baking ingredients, some canned goods bought from the “cheap” stores, (Save-A-Lot and Aldi's), and items that I make to help with meal preparation, like flavored vinegars, liqueurs, syrups and extracts, etc.

It's Turnip Time Again!

      Our turnip patch really surprised us last year. After the long months of drought earlier in the growing season, we had almost decided to turn everything under and retire for the year. Our little turnip patch almost wasn't. But then the rain began again and our enthusiasm was off and running... just like our turnip greens. The patch sprang to life, and soon we had more greens than I could manage. One small patch was enough to supply our household, my mom's house, my husband's parents and his three brothers, as well as my aunt and my cousin and his family with turnips and turnip greens. On the verge of Winter, the patch was still spitting out turnips at such a rate that everyone was about tired of messing with them. In fact, my brother actually said that he would be glad when the patch dried up and died. What a horrible thing to wish upon such a hard working little vegetable patch. :)

Turnip Green patch growing out by the chicken pen. (OMG! We need a new chicken pen!

     

Canning Up the Cranberry Sauce

     Another Thanksgiving is behind us, and while most are wondering what to do with all the leftovers, I am looking at all the beautiful jars in my pantry. I filled quite a few jars with all the good things that Autumn has to offer: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, turnips, turkey stock, and turkey soup.
My cranberry sauce is so easy to make and easy to can up to enjoy all year. I began making my own when I was just setting up housekeeping 32 years ago. Since then, my family has come to expect homemade sauce. I can't remember the last time we opened a can from the store. Here is my recipe. It come to you straight off the bag.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 (12oz.) bag cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a sauce pot. Heat to boiling; dissolve sugar completely. Pour in the cranberries, fresh or frozen, and allow to return to a boil. When the mixture has come to the point of a boil which can not be stirred down, stir to loosen the juice from the berries and be careful not to let the concoction boil over. This should be watched and boiled for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the liquid will begin to thicken slightly. This is the stage we have been waiting for.


Just before they begin to boil. How pretty is that?!