AS I put the basement back together

I am inventoring what we have in the pantry.

We bounced figures around, asked some homesteaders/Amish etc. and found there was areas we forgot often causing runs to the store. We want a very small list for what is needed for the store run.

First changes.... going back to baking our own bread, pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, bagels, English muffins, cupcakes, muffins etc FROM SCRATCH. I always did it when we had the 6 (usually 12 as they all had friends in) kids. Fudge at Christmas.

Adding soup and casseroles to the meal rotation more often. One suggest to use the left over casserole as the base of the soup. Hubby's first thought was scalloped potatoes and ham to potato soup, then I added a 3rd round of adding corn to turn it to corn chowder. Little House on the Praire actually talked of them eating "drinking" the bean broth as round one and then making Boston bake beans for the next round. It was in the book about the long hard winter I think.

I need to restock my butter, yes I use the real thing. I will get 30 lbs in the freezer. I probably have 15  but I need to restock the frig 1st. I go through at least 60 lbs a year between baking and regular eating.

 I'm low on oats that is the Amish bulk store.

I need 1825 pints of veggies and fruits for ONE year. YES we eat 5 a day. Yes I have that right now between canned, frozen and dehydrated. BUT I will need to refill that from the gardens. I know peas and corn will be almost out or out completely in the spring.

So I need to make sure I plant successionly to cover that.

I need to buy 90 lbs of sugar. I am down to 30 lbs. I have honey, maple syrup, molasses, boiled apple cider and ,sorghum.

I might have to get some of the dried fruit as Hubby likes it in granola, cooked oats,cookies, muffins and vanilla bean Greek yogurt that he wants weekly.

I will focus on what the staples are and then figure out the extras.

We need about 1500 to 3000 sq ft for a garden for that amount of food. Succession gardening will be a NEED.  SO I NEED to check my seeds this fall to make sure I have enough to plant. I have the area, do need to start new strawberry patch. 

Meat wise, beef and pork (except smoked sausage links) are already ordered and will almost carry us 18 months.

Chicken and Turkey will be as they come on sale. I would love a deal like Krogers had last year before Thanksgiving of turkeys at 59 cents per pound. I bought 6, cooked 1 for Tday, shoved one in deep freezer for this year and canned the rest.

While growing up, we ran out of food in Feb. I never could understand why my parents didn't just dig up more of the back yard. No one in are area was doing succession gardening. Later as an adult they said they wanted the yard because they only had gardens and no yard to play in as a child.Mom always stretched the tax refund and Daddy's Christmas bonus to cover us until March when she could pick wild greens etc. Beans were on the table every day.

Grandpa raised potatoes for a cash crop, Daddy paid full price of $5 for 100 lbs. No discount for the family. Now I am paying $8 for 10 lbs if I am lucky.

Blessed Be