OK, so today we are going to talk about something that is super exciting. And by super exciting I mean totally not exciting at all. Today, today we talk about getting organized. and creating space. And that means cleaning. I know, ew.
But hear me out. I know there is excitement in figuring out what you need to feed your family for a month. There is a rush to coming home from a trip and knowing you just added another week your preparedness. I get it. I can geek out with the best of ’em. Unfortunately, you cannot really know where you need to get to, if you don’t already know where you are. And you won’t know how to get there unless you can see a clear path.
So, if you are starting pick out your recipes, and the ingredients you need to stock, it’s a good time to take another, more foundational step.
Get Organized.
If you are anything like me, you may have a pantry that is, shall we say, less than clean and organized. If you don’t, well frankly, I am jealous. For the rest of us mere mortals, it’s time to start sorting through what you have. Ideally, you have identified some recipes, as we talked about here. That’s important, because you will be able to see what you have already on hand for those. I am betting you will be pleasantly surprised. If they are recipes you already make often, you are probably used to keeping stuff on hand.
So get to cleaning. Sort through what you have and maybe get rid of some of the things that just need to go (looking at you Hot Cocoa mix from the 1998 Christmas swap). Don’t be too vicious though. Anything that is still good and you can reasonably expect to use, keep. No sense giving up supplies, right? There are two goals: take stock and make space.
Taking Stock.
As you are working through the pantry, you will get a feel for what you already have on hand, obviously. But you will also see what you like to keep on hand. Remember, you are not trying to prepare some mythical diet that will help you lose 20 lbs. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to learn to love kale during a crisis. I’m not saying you should keep stocking Ho-Hos and Pop Tarts, but it is OK if you have some on hand. The important thing is to see what you already have for your chosen recipes, what you like to have for comfort foods, and what you have bought and never used. Make note of everything. It is all pertinent data. Use it.
There is no right or wrong here. By being intentional in this, you are learning. If in your pantry, there be dragons, get to slaying. Some of them may need it, others may just need to be tamed. You will know best. You are stocking up for you and your family.
Make Space.
This may or may not happen in the same area. I bought some shelves from Walmart for our basement when I realized I was getting a decent stock of food. We now keep our pantry for stuff that is being used actively, and all of the back stock is kept downstairs. This helps me keep a better eye on what we have. If one of us has to go downstairs to grab something, I will usually see it and be able to mark it off the inventory. This also allows the pantry to be a bit more chaotic. I am not the most organized person by nature, so I have to pick my battles. The basement shelves are organized and semi neat. The pantry is, well, less so.
But more importantly, there is space on those shelves to organize. As you grow your supplies, you will need more and more room. Starting early with empty shelves can really make a difference in your ability to keep things organized. At first, you will look at empty shelves and think they’ll never be filled. One day, however, you will go down to put away your most recent purchases and grumble as you knock a stack of canned corn over. It happens sooner than you think.
If you can’t or don’t want to buy or build some shelves out of the way, you will need to find some alternative ways to stash things. I have seen some creative ways of storing under couches, beds, closets. You will figure out the way that works best for you.
I’ll don’t want to say there is a best way to organize your food. I really think it comes down to your personal use. I have canned corn with canned tomatoes because they are canned vegetables. I don’t care if you say tomatoes are a fruit! If it goes in a spaghetti sauce and not a fruit salad, it is going with the danged canned vegetables! But maybe you are a stickler for sorting your food by recipe. Maybe you want the items you use the most closest or at eye level? Do you have kids? Make sure the stuff they may grab is where they can reach it. Put the Ho Hos on the top shelf at your own peril.
Ultimately you are creating a foundation to build upon. Prepping food for the long haul is going to take time, effort and attention. Starting off by creating a clean space to fill will save you on all of those in the long run.
And I speak from experience. I have spent too much time trying to find something, too much money on stuff I already had too much of, and too much mental bandwidth on the dang mess in the basement. Do yourself a favor and build the foundation first. Future you will thank you.
Prepared To Cook 