Stocking the Larder: A modern Look at the Traditional Pantry
Where did the larder go? Let's take a look at how Mamaw kept everyone fed and how we can accomplish that today.
As busy moms who really want to make the best choices for our family's health we carry a big load. Although today's families are smaller in number than what Mamaw had to feed, we are often much busier, spending much more time away from home than she did. How can we take a few cues from her and adapt them to today's modern lifestyle for a winning outcome?
The answer is the kitchen larder a.k.a. the Pantry. Today's homes have little broom-closet pantries that are counter-intuitive to keeping a few weeks to a few months of real food at the ready. Research tells us that most people only keep 3 days worth of food on-hand at any one time. Running to the store for last-minute ingredients is a time suck.
Modern grocery aisles are stocked with packaged, processed products that are meant to change what we think of as food. Real food often does not come with an extended shelf-life. Seasonal living and eating can really make a difference in our efforts to maintain good health. So how do we as moms accomplish feeding our families healthy, traditional foods while keeping our sanity?
Stock. Your. Pantry. Stock it. This is not a preparedness post. Mamaw wasn't a "prepper" but she sure was prepared for whatever life brought her way. That is just the way most folks lived back then. Her secret was in her pantry. Healthy, homemade quick mixes, sauces, dips, rubs, etc make canned vegetables and bulk meat much more enjoyable. Add the fresh-baked sourdough bread - you've got time now - and the meal is complete, satisfying, and most-of-all, nourishing. Join me over the next several months for my new series: Pantry Staples, which will offer you creative, tasty real-food ways to keep your family healthy and fed.
Enjoy Your Health!