As we place the final batch of canning on our pantry shelves, I have to admit that my heart is filled with pride over what is before me.

Row after row of colourful jars have been filled with this seasons bounty of organic heirloom produce. Onions, garlic and herbs hang from rafters and there are numerous buckets and crocks bubbling away, fermenting happily.

As I take a moment to absorb the work that has gone into building this pantry, thoughts wander to my Granny Lee who would have appreciated this. She lived in an era where producing your own food was normal. Rather than seeing her family go hungry she built a garden and raised chickens. This garden kept her family and neighbors well fed.  Nearly seventy years later, we are doing the same thing. There is a growing movement of people concerned about food security, revitalizing the old ways. They are taking matters into their own hands just like my Gran did. It’s hard work.  It’s a massive lifestyle change. If you are one of these people then I hope you take the time to admire and reflect on your achievements. Not only are you making a healthy, sustainable choice for yourself, you’re the “thin edge of the wedge” of a positive social movement.

If you are just staring out with growing and preserving your own food, I am excited for you. There is so much information and support available on-line these days. Take it day by day and you will reach your goals quickly. You might want to begin with making jams and jellies and pickles which are easier and can be done without any major speciality equipment.

Here are some of the things that we like to grow, grouped by how we have preserve or stored it for the winter. We have linked to some of the recipes as well. There is plenty of other food in the pantry but this is a list of what we have produced using our own ingredients.

Pickled Pantry Items

Picking is really easy and if you are new to canning its the best place to start. When making a variety of products at the same time, I make a big batch of my multi purpose brine and season the jars individually.

Canned vegetables

When canning fresh vegetables you will want to use a pressure canner. Don’t be intimidated, the process is quite simple

Jams/Jellies

Jams and jellies can be made with a water bath canner. They are very simple to make. We have an intro to making gourmet jams and jellies that you might enjoy reading.

Sauces/Condiments

It takes a lot of vegetables to fill a pantry for winter. We had over 200LB of tomatoes for canning and that was about half of what we really needed to feed two people.

Juice/Alcoholic Beverage

Wild crafted wines take patience but its well worth the effort. This year we focused on apples, there are a number of wild apple trees in the woods that surround our property and we managed to bring home many bushels.

Fermented Goods

Fermented foods are filled with probiotics and enzymes for gut health. Fermentation is our favourite way to preserve food!

Freezer

The freezer is filled with heritage berkshire pork. We have written a few articles about raising pigs for meat: The BIG list of things you should know about raising pigs and Eight things to know about raising pigs

Dried

Cold Storage

Herbs / Apothecary

Growing your own herbs and medicinal flowers can save you a lot of money and empower you with healthy healing alternatives.

For next year we plan on growing less varieties, more volume and will be more particular about the varieties we select. We want heavy producers. This year we had  nine types of tomatoes and four of them were cherry types. It was a real pain (although delicious) to process those. I also grew frivolous things like peanuts and gourds that took up valuable space in the garden. We ended up with a mere SIX peanuts out of that arrangement (lol).

The mad season of preserving and storing food for the winter has wrapped up and just in time. The wood stove has slowly started its winter duties and it’s cold enough for flannel and toques. The root veggies are still in the ground for a few more weeks but otherwise the growing season has come to an end.  The stocked pantry is comforting with the onset of what is expected to be a particularly harsh winter.

If you found this interesting you might also enjoy reading: How to Stock a Pantry like a Pro with practical tips on saving money while stocking up and A Homesteader Well Stocked Pantry with even more practical tips and details on how we keep a well stocked pantry.

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