How to have and maintainance of a food Pantry

If you were to visit a well run restaurant kitchen you would find a well managed pantry. Perhaps you would see gallon cans to our pints but the same principle applies. My Mother had a cafe when I was a child. She made her best income on well prepared dishes that were the least expensive to prepare. The balance between being efficient and minding the costs.

I have a collection of cake pans (I make the birthday cakes for our family and sometimes for friends) on penny nails (no head on the nail) Hubby pre-drilled and set them. Also He pre- drilled and mounted very large cup hooks that hold my baskets.

Right wall/ back wall upper. I keep glass jars high up. these sauces have no high fructose I found them on clearance when a local store remodeled recently. They are normally very pricey.

Right wall second/third shelf. All of my spices and herbs are here together. I use basic main foundational ingredients. I am a mad scientist! This is where the joy of cooking comes in. I use mostly herbs good for type O or type A. If it is a beneficial there is a lot of it if it is a neutral I also have it. I try to avoid the purchase of things that are avoids for O/A types. I am not legalistic but thoughtful of this. I will splurge at times but it will not be the norm of what we consume. I prepare meals from the fundamental ingredients, cheating here and there as times can get you wherry.

Right wall third/forth and floor. Can goods are kept at the lower level here, I buy certain things and when on Lead in add or on clearance(If the dates are good) I stock up. I tell God what I have need of and then never fails I have a great buy at one of the stores on it that week. I keep a mental (once it was a paper) inventory of what items we regularly buy. I find coupon, of little use unless dry goods,,they are limiting because I seldom buy pre prepared stuff (again spoken liberally). We shop at a Costco and buy paper and plastics in bulk for a lot less (but not always less some lead in adds are smokin')

Right hand wall floor. Did you know they no longer use pinto beens to make refried beans. They use the lesser white bean. So I buy big cans of pure pinto "cheep" and make my own for a big meal and I have them for the snacking family (chips and beans or burritos for 10 cents each)

Thats the upper back wall with the glass and my tea selection. Tea is very medicinal and healing. I use teas for many different things. I keep a variety for my girlfriends too.

Upper left is where I keep the stock goods over purchased on clearance. I just go shopping here when I run out of my staples. Honey and the sugars are up high too. Not that it matters now they can reach! :) I ask for Paper bags and recycle them, dog dung, crafts, take away stuff or give away stuff.

back wall and left side. I buy vinegar in huge containers for we have hard water here and this is how to clean a glass shower stall:) Once opened the children's cereals are placed into jars. On the floor are very large jars of sugars, baking soda(too many uses to count), rice. Buy buying in bulk I have the control over the cleanliness of these things. In Arizona we have a lot of mice and illness is common. Soda cans are the worse. By washing your cans before you open them you can do a lot to keep your family safe. I use a pampered chef can opener. It cuts the side of the can not into the top.

All items on lower shelves are in Plastic containers I have recycled and collected over the years. If a food item is contaminated it is isolated and can easily be discarded (outside) but never in a house trash can. The children's milk is kept low so they drop it less and it is easily accessed by them. I buy it by the case. Once I belonged to a co-op but it proved to difficult with the kids.

Bay lief is how I keep bugs away( I hate adding poison into my habitat)! I use this in all my cupboards and under the sinks throughout the house. Just refresh it every once in a while. This container was only .38 cents at a health food store. Buy the herb not the containers at the grocery store.
I hope this has been helpful to you.
Donetta
My dry goods (plastics, paper, soaps and so on) are stored else where