Spring Pantry Cleaning

It's time to do some Spring cleaning in the pantry.  I've gotten to the point where my hall cabinet tends to throw things at me as soon as I open the door.  And I'm not quite sure what I have stacked on the floor next to the suitcases, so it's organization time.

Everything will be removed and expiration dates checked.  If it has expired it gets tossed, but short dated items (expires in a month or less) can be donated to the free clinic for immediate use.  If you have more of an item than your family can use before expiration, donate that too.

When the shelves are clear wipe them down, then place your favorite  brand of boric acid tablets (I like Harris Famous roach tablets) at the rear of the shelves.  This should help control ants and other buggies.

Time to organize.  Like items together and longest time before expiration to the rear.  When you add new items place shift everything forward and place them in the back.  It's tempting to throw things on the shelf when unloading in a hurry, but that's how this whole mess began.

This isn't a fun task, but play some music or listen to a book on CD while working.  Think of how nice it will be to be able to find something in a jiffy and your family will have less of a tendency to grumble when you come home from the store after stocking up.

God bless,
Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Soup Base

Walk into the kitchen at any diner or restaurant and you will find soup base.  It is used to enrich soups, stews and sauces with a more intense flavor than stock.  Often it is added in small amounts to add a depth and strength to stock.

I always keep four kinds of soup base in my pantry:  chicken, beef, ham and vegetable.  I add it when I feel that a recipe tastes good, but I want more flavor.  It is economical and is now available to the home cook at the grocery store.

The ham base tastes great in bean and vegetable dishes.  It tastes as if I have been cooking all day with a hamhock or piece of ham.  One tablespoon in the pot makes a huge difference.

For a few pennies you can take a meal from ho hum to great.  Frugal and it makes the cook's job easier!

God bless,
Pam

The Pantry: Pantry Moths

Yesterday I was one of the chaperones for dear daughter's class visit to the Florida State Fair.  We spent most of our time in the agricultural exhibits, including one on entomology.  The presentations on pantry moths and fruit flies were particularly interesting and certainly applied to our frugal pantries.

Pantry Moths

Who hasn't opened a pantry door or opened an apparently completely sealed package and had a moth fly out or seen larvae?  It's an awful realization and, unfortunately, by the time we see them the moths have probably infested much of our dried goods.

If it's dry pantry moths will eat it.  Flour, grains, spices, dried fruits/vegetables and, yes, even dried hot peppers are some of their favorite foods.  Once you have seen signs of infestation it is time for some laborious screening and cleaning.  It is recommended that you throw away all dried products not stored in air tight glass, heavy plastic or metal containers.

Any dried foods stored in heavy duty, air tight containers should be checked for infestation.  Look for grains clinging together or to the sides of the container, webs and actual pests.  Throw away any affected food product and sterilize the container before use.  Some people may want to treat their grain by freezing for 72 hours, if they only see a minor amount of clinging or webbing.

Newly purchased dried foods should be treated by freezing for 72 hours before being placed in storage.  Pantry moths can chew through packaging, so do not purchase any foods with pin holes in the plastic or paper.

After screening all of your stored food it is time for cleaning.  Remove everything from the cabinets and shelves.  Clean everything with a very wet rag soaked in a vinegar cleaning solution.  Pantry moths love to reproduce and hide in crevasses, door sliders, shelf coverings, and lazy susan bases.  Be sure to soak these areas with the vinegar solutions.

At this point you may want to add non toxic pantry moth traps to your storage area.  Boric acid pressed into the shelf and cabinet joints can be helpful.  Do not use moth balls or moth flakes; these are extremely toxic and should not be used around people, animals or food!

Safer Makes Non Toxic Products

You've screened your food and tossed affected products.  You've cleaned and treated your pantry areas.  Now you can re-store your food, hopefully repackaged in air tight containers, and watch carefully for re-infestation.  If you do see more signs of pantry moths it is time to throw away all of your dried foods and re-clean.  It's horrible, but necessary and I will be shedding some tears with you.

God bless,

Pam

The Pantry: Dried Foods

One of the oldest ways to preserve foods is drying.  Drying is available to anyone and can be done with little expense for the frugal homemaker.  Dried food takes up little space and is light weight, making it easily portable for campers and hikers.

Some dried foods can be eaten out of hand while others need to be rehydrated and cooked.  A clean source of water and a heat source is all you need to make a meal for your family.

The equipment for drying can be made inexpensively or you can splurge and buy an electric dehydrator.  To make your own nail together a wood frame (no treated woods please), then staple screening to the bottom.  My wood frames were made small to fit my small oven and I wish I had them made with a finer mesh screen.  My electric dehydrator is an Excalibur.

Wooden Frames 

Choose the highest quality produce for preserving.  Any produce should be blanched for a minute in boiling water to destroy the enzymes that can cause discoloration during drying.  Slice or dice your produce to the desired sizes (smaller dries faster and takes up less storage space), then lay out on the dryer screens.  The wooden frames can be placed in a gas oven with just the pilot light burning or in an electric oven on "warm".  The oven door should be propped open; air circulation is a must.   Follow the manufacturers instructions for time and heat level when using the electric dehydrator.

Tomatoes in Electric Dehydrator

Some people like to lay their wooden frames outside in the summer when it is dry.  Be sure to protect the food from insects by covering it with netting or screening.  Once again, dry air circulation is key to preventing the food from molding before it is completely dry.  Drying outdoors may take several days, so be sure to take in your food at night.

Your drying is complete when the produce is dry to the point of being leathery, dry to the touch or crispy.  Any moisture left in the dried produce will cause it to spoil while it is in storage.  Experience will  teach you what to look for in your end product.  Try drying in small batches until you get comfortable with the drying process.

Try making fruit leather by pureeing fruit, then spreading it on a plastic (food grade) or silicon sheet.  Place on top of the frame screen and dry as you would produce.  A taffy like product can be made by using flavored yogurt in place of the pureed fruit.

I think that drying has a place in every home that wants to preserve their own food and keep a well stocked pantry.

God bless,

Pam

P.S.  For my asian friends and family, "Happy Lunar New Year"!