Your Ultimate Homestead Pantry List
Today I am going to provide you with general categories and the most common items in those categories, but you can add or take away what your family will use. And let me just say, I am not a perfect homesteader and have to buy certain things because let’s be real I don’t grow my own wheat and make my own flour! I do as much as I can, but I can’t do everything!
Condiments
- Mayo
- Mustard
- Ketchup
- Ranch
- Other Dressings
- Soy Sauce
- Barbecue sauce
- Hot sauce
- Relish
Natural Sweeteners
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Molasses
Grains
- Rice
- Barley
- Oatmeal
- pasta and noodles
Beans
- Dried beans
- Lentils
- Split peas
Fats
- Oils ( Almond, olive, coconut, red palm, sesame)
- Butter
- Bacon Grease
- Lard
Nuts
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Sunflower seeds
Baking Supplies
- Flour ( I use sprouted, oat, almond and coconut)
- Cornmeal
- Yeast
- Baking Soda
- Baking powder
- Sugar ( I use stevia)
- Extracts (Vanilla, caramel, strawberry,rum etc.)
- Chocolate chips
- Corn Starch
Extras
- peanut butter
- Vinegar ( white, apple cider, wine, balsamic)
- Tea
- Coffee
- Dried fruit
- Jerky
Spices
- Pepper
- Salt (Himalayan is best)
- Garlic
- Onion
- Red pepper flakes
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Italian Seasoning
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Curry Powder
Canned Food
- Pasta sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Diced Tomatoes
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Salsa
- Corn
- Green Beans
- Soups
- Beans
- Peas
- Beets
Food you can also preserve
- Meat
- Eggs
Mostly everything on the list is pretty self explanatory. You should be able to do quite a bit of it yourself. I personally can most of the veggies myself, Dehydrate fruit and make jerky ( seems complicated but I have this awesome dehydrator and it is so easy!). Now I am sure the last 2 items caught your attention and for good reason!
You are probably wondering how meat and eggs are a pantry item. Well, I recently started canning meat and I love it. Now I know you are probably thinking SPAM…Gross! But I promise that is not what it is. I have canned venison, pork, and chicken. It is SO easy and So nice to have on hand. Doing it this way your meat is already cooked! SO… you can just dump it into whatever you are making! Having a stocked pantry is so convenient for those crazy days. Throw on some noodles dump meat and sauce in another pan and you are done. AND you know that is ALL healthy!
Now I am sure you are wondering about the eggs, huh? How in the world can you put eggs in the pantry without getting salmonella? Well thankfully for you I wrote an entire post about it! Check it out!
How do you do it?
Now the fun part…forking over the cash to buy everything on that list! I am not gonna lie it will be expensive but probably not as bad as you think. After you have your personalized list done go over it and see what things you can do yourself.
After you figure that outlook at the list again. What can you buy in bulk to save money? I go through crazy amounts of oatmeal so I buy it 50 lbs at a time and store it in food grade buckets. Same goes with the dried beans. I have a co-op that I can buy things from. And sometimes you can even get organic when you did it this way. You can also buy spices in bulk.
Now look again. Is there anything that you can get from local farmers? I love to support local when I can and try my best to buy from people I know first before I support the grocery stores.
The Pantry
First of all, you are going to need a place to put all of this food. If you already have a large pantry, that is awesome. But for some of you who might not have a pantry all ready to go…Don’t worry! We can fix that. Now I would suggest you build one. If you can this is the best way to go. You can customize it perfectly to your needs.
I would offer to help with this, but since I can’t see what you have to work with you will have to come up with those plans on your own. I would advise making long narrow shelves. If the shelves are too deep then you can’t see what is in the back. I would suggest to build them in your basement if you can so that your food stays colder.
If the building is out of the question for you..NO WORRIES! You do not need to have anything fancy. Put some shelving in the basement and you are good to go. Once you know exactly how much food you will be getting you will know how much shelving room you will need. Hey, you can also turn unused closet space into a pantry too. (Not that anyone has that)
Once your pantry is ready to make sure that it is clean and ready to go. Nothing is worse than getting all the food home and realizing your area is a mess. If your space was already there I would suggest that you take the time to take everything out and wipe it all down. If you have food in your pantry already make sure that food stays at the front when the new food comes in so that it will get eaten first. You want to make sure that you rotate the food.
The Shopping
Once you have finished this process you are ready to get your items. Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. Take your time. If you don’t have the money get the items over a period of time. If you do decide to get it all at once Here are a few tips…
- Don’t Take the kids
If you have kids I would recommend leaving them behind. (With a sitter of course) Grocery shopping can be so stressful with the kiddos and this is going to be a BIG job.
2. Take a helper
You will be getting quite a big load…So if you can I would suggest taking someone with you if at all possible.
Organizing
Make sure that you organize your pantry well. If you just throw everything on the shelves you will be so frustrated when you need something because you won’t be able to find it! Do yourself a favor and take the time to make sure everything has a place. The best way to do it is just organize everything by the categories on the list!
Congratulations!
If you followed the steps above you should now have a stocked homestead pantry! You will be so happy you did it! I cannot even begin to tell you how much it has helped me! I fell so prepared and organized knowing I have a stocked pantry!
Homestead Pantry Q & A
Why I want a stocked homestead pantry?
Having a stocked homestead pantry is very important. There are many benefits to having a stocked pantry and here are my top 3…
- Simplifies life
I have a growing family with 3 little kids. I do everything in my power to make life simpler. If I can have a stocked pantry I can make fewer runs to the grocery store and know I will always have what I need on hand. It also helps when planning your meals. If your pantry is already stocked and organized planning your menu will come so much easier.
2. Saving money
When I have to make frequent trips to the store I end up spending money on things that I did not really need. If I can avoid trips to the store I can save money! You will also find that you will spend less money eating out because you have food ready to go.
3. Health
By having a pantry stocked with a lot of your own produce you can be sure that the food you are consuming is healthy! If you need some pointers on canning check out this post. You can also buy healthier food items in bulk!
What about food expiring?
When you are buying or preparing your food check the expiration date! Make sure you get items that are the farthest away from going bad. Most of the items on the list should last away. And make sure you rotate. If you have items in your pantry already make sure you put those at the front so that they get used up first!
Will it be worth the work & money up front?
YES! It will seem like a lot of work and money up front. But In the end, you will save money because you can buy things in bulk! And You will be spending less time and money at the grocery store. You will still have to make grocery runs but they will be much shorter! Can I get an amen?! Oh, and another added bonus is if something happens and your budget gets tight you are all set! You have all of your staples!
I hope that this list has been a help to you as you put together your homestead pantry list!
Happy Homesteading!
~Courtney