11 Creative Food Storage Ideas for Modern Homesteaders
I’ve been storing food for hard times since I was a little girl. When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I got locked in the bathroom at home. The handle was really sticky and I couldn’t turn it to open the door. My mom was upstairs and out of hearing range, so my
cries for help went unheard for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes, which felt like hours to me.
Once I was finally freed from my porcelain-clad prison and breathed a big sigh of relief, I decided to prepare just in case I were to ever get locked in that bathroom again. “What if next time I wasn’t so lucky?” I thought. What if next time no one came to my rescue? I might starve to death in there!
And so, I loaded up a few snack-sized boxes of raisins and some sunflower seeds and I tucked them away in the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink. Better to be safe than sorry, I figured. At least this would keep me going if I had to wait for the fire department or devise a MacGyver-esqe plan to escape the downstairs bathroom.
Luckily, I never had to resort to living off of raisins and sunflower seeds. But I remember the look on my mom’s face when she found my food stash in the bathroom. I can’t remember if I told her the truth or tried to pretend like I had no idea how they got there, but I do remember her having a good laugh.
Not that my mother’s one to point the finger and laugh at anyone else’s, er, “creative” food storage. My mom is, after all, the queen of storing food in every spare nook and cranny. I think that’s where my food storage obsession really began…
Related: How to Shop From Your Pantry Like A Pro
Growing up in a townhouse in the suburbs, we didn’t have a ton of space for storing extra food. There was only one small built-in pantry, but my mom has always been a food hoarder, ehm, I mean, food storage queen. So we had extra cabinets, closets and baskets full of food when I was growing up, plus a deep freeze and a bar fridge for extra drinks, yogurts, cheeses and creams.
Fast forward a few decades later, and my mom has only continued to build her food storage, adding more shelves and cabinets to store her stash all the time. And here I find myself doing the same.
In our last house, we were lucky enough to have a huge pantry under the stairs that was built back in the early 1900’s, when refrigeration wasn’t yet “a thing” and it was imperative to have a large pantry at home to store food for year-round eating.
The view from inside our former pantry. Yes, it was big enough to get a view from inside!
Looking into our former 1900’s-era under-the-stairs pantry. We’ve certainly had to make some adjustments to our food storage in our newer, smaller house!
So when we moved to our new house- a 1970’s-era rancher- just last week, I actually found myself having a mild panic attack when I realized how much food I had to store in a comparatively small space. Plus all of my jars and canning supplies that I use to store even more food, which is still coming on in our gardens and at nearby farms. So I got creative.
We adjusted existing shelves to accommodate our food stuffs, added shelving units in and consolidated our dry goods into similar-sized glass jars (because nothing gives me anxiety more than food in different sized packaging that somehow has to fit on the same shelf together… apparently).
Our new pantry. Organization is key! Oh, and luckily these shelves slide in and out:)
This got me thinking…
As our food production and storage grows, where will we put everything? What are some of the most creative places I’ve seen my own family members store food? And where can my fellow homesteaders and preppers living in houses with minimal built-in pantry space or in small spaces like suburban townhouses and urban apartments and condos store their food?
And so I decided to write out a list of all of the places I have seen utilized and that I could think of using in the future for storing food. Whether store-bought or preserved at home, this list is full of places that people living in various different types of spaces can store their shelf-stable food as they follow their homestead dream wherever they are. Because if you’re gonna homestead, you’re most likely gonna end up with more food than the average modern-day Joe. And that means you need more storage space. But no one, I repeat, NO ONE should have to put their homestead dreams on hold because of the space they live in.
You can and should homestead wherever you are! You might just need to get a little creative:)
So here’s my top 10 list of creative food storage solutions and tips. But I’d love to add to the list! So if you have any other ideas, please do share in the comments below! Now go on and stock that pantry… Or closet… Or wall unit… Or cabinet under your bathroom sink. Because you just never know when you’re gonna get locked in your own bathroom and come close to starvation. You just. Never. Know.
Creative Food Storage Solutions for Every Space
1. Maximize Pantry Space
This first one may seem obvious, but it’s amazing what a difference proper organization can make in the amount of food you’re able to store. Plus, if you can maximize your existing pantry space, you might just find that you don’t need to look any further for creative storage solutions.
I highly recommend investing in some standardized food storage containers so that you can put all of your dry goods into containers of a similar shape and size. This has helped save my sanity when it comes to dry food storage as it’s made it possible to fit everything together just right without wasting space. This really helps solve the problem of having to store different shapes, sizes and styles of packaging together (ie. a big box of cereal, a big bag of oats and a small bag of seeds, for example).
As a bonus, taking what you can out of packages and putting it into food storage containers also helps you to more easily see what you have and makes your pantry look a lot nicer and more organized! I use glass jars like these in varying sizes for my dry food storage. I’ve been able to find them at my local Dollar Store for a few bucks a piece, but you can also order them online here.
These glass food storage jars have helped me to maximize space in our existing pantry, which has saved me literal tears!
Another option is to use food-grade plastic containers or even Mason jars to store your food. The downside to Mason jars is I find they’re often not large enough to store the quantities of food we buy (we shop for many of our dry goods at places like Costco and Bulk Barn to get the best value for money). But if you can fit your food in Mason jars they make a great storage option.
Consolidate as much as possible into as few jars or packages as you can, and make it a priority to use up any food items that are almost gone (bags of cereal with less than a bowl’s worth should just get eaten up instead of taking up space).
And do your best to organize your pantry according to food type. So, for example, we have one shelf for flour, sugar and bags of “extras” that don’t fit into the jars (like extra chocolate chips, spare bags of brown sugar, etc.), one shelf for liquids like oils and vinegars, a shelf of grains like rice and pasta, a shelf for cereals, dried fruits and nuts and a shelf for herbs and spices. Then we have another another small pantry with all of our canned goods and sauces, both store-bought and homemade.
We also had to adjust the height of some of our shelves to accommodate our jars, so be sure to adjust your shelving to what fits your needs best. There’s no point in trying to fit things into a space that doesn’t suit your needs if you can rearrange it.
2. Add Shelving
If you’ve completed step one and you still find yourself with excess food, a great option is to add some extra shelving. We invested in a few of these metal shelves to help us store extra food, canning supplies, small appliances and much more that we just don’t have built-in space for.
These metal shelves are so handy. Currently we’re storing all of our canning supplies including canners, jars and lids here which I consider to be part of our food storage since that’s what they’re intended for!
Or take a look on Craigslist or online buy and sell sites or even garage sales for metal or wooden shelves. You might even find an old shelving unit for free and you can always paint it to give it a new lease on life and make it match your place!
3. Above Cabinets
I never considered this one until I asked a fellow homesteader who puts up hundreds of jars of home-canned food each year to share her most creative food storage space. She said she stores food in the “wasted space above my kitchen cabinets.” Brilliant!
The space between the top of your kitchen cabinets and the ceiling makes great storage space and it hides most of the food from view and protects it from falling because there’s usually some type of crown along the top edge. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this one myself, but now that it’s on my radar it will be my next go-to spot for storing food when my pantry space runs out! (Which it will eventually).
4. Closets
Closets that weren’t originally intended for food storage are a great option as well. Whether they be bedroom closets, linen closets or coat closets, these spaces can easily be converted into pantry space or you can simply store your excess jars of pickles, jellies or what have you on a spare shelf or in box on the floor of the closet.
Just don’t bury your food in the back where you might forget about it. One of the biggest rules when it comes to food storage is to store what you eat and eat what you store. So make sure it makes it into the regular rotation of food that you actually eat!
We converted this extra built-in storage closet into another pantry to store our sauces and canned goods.
5. Chests, Wardrobes and Dressers
Much like closets, spare drawers in dressers (or a dedicated dresser or wardrobe) makes a good storage space for food too, as long as your food storage containers aren’t too tall for the drawers.
Likewise, chests like cedar chests, etc. make good storage space as well. Just remember, it’s not recommended to stack jars of home-canned food on top of one another as it can affect the seal of the jars. And make sure jars of home-canned food are stored upright (not laid on their sides) for the same reason.
6. Wall Units and Dining Room Hutches & Buffets
Wall units and dining room buffets also make excellent storage spaces for shelf-stable food. You can use closed cupboards or open shelves to either hide or display your food storage. If you have a nice dining room buffet with open shelves or glass doors, you could even turn your beautiful jars of home-canned food into a decor piece! Because food you put up yourself is absolutely something to be proud of, and deserve to be shown off!
7. Under Beds
This one is surprisingly common among homesteaders! I see and read all the time about modern homesteaders facing a food storage problem who resort to storing flats and boxes of home-canned food under beds. I personally haven’t tried this one as our mattresses are currently on the floor! But I know a handful of other homesteaders who swear by their under-the-bed space. It’s cool, dark and often unused so storing food under your bed can make what can be a useless space into something quite functional!
8. Basements & Cold Storage
This one may seem obvious again, but it deserves a mention. Of course, not everybody has access to a basement. I grew up in a suburb that is built up on a delta, meaning the sand and silt that forms the base of the land that the houses sit on cannot be dug into for basements as water would simply seep in. Likewise, if you live in an apartment or any other dwelling without basement space, you might be out of luck here. But if you do have a basement (with or without a cellar built in) you should absolutely consider using some of the space below ground to store some of your food.
The added benefit of storing food in the basement is that it stays cool throughout the hot summer months and is a great space to store things like root vegetables and ferments that require storage at a specific temperature to ensure their quality and prolong the length of time they’ll store for.
* Someone else mentioned storing food in a storm shelter, which is definitely a good idea, especially if you ever need to use said storm shelter for its intended purpose. Then you’ve got food on had while you weather the storm!
9. Detached Buildings, Sheds & Garages
If you have a garage or a shed on your property that stays cool enough throughout the hot months and warm enough throughout the freezing months, this is another great place for food storage. A garage attached to your house is your best bet as heat from your house will keep it warm enough during the winter months so that liquids don’t freeze and cool enough in the summer so that foods don’t spoil. But detached buildings work fine too as long as the temperatures don’t hit extremes. For more information on safe food storage for shelf-stable items, check out this document produced by the USDA.
10. Attics
While I don’t recommend storing things like liquids or home-canned goods in the attic for fear of it getting too hot up there, dry goods in well-sealed containers should be fine in an insulated attic if you are really pressed for space. Again, just don’t forget about the food you’ve stored up there and if you’re ever unsure whether a product is safe to eat, don’t eat it. Live by the old adage, “when in doubt, throw it out.”
11. Storage Lockers
If you live in an apartment building with a storage locker room, this could make the perfect space for storing excess food. I wouldn’t recommend renting out a separate storage locker away from home simply for food storage. At that point you should probably just be giving food away!
But if you’ve got something on your premises, go for it! You might get some strange looks from neighbours who prefer to pack their lockers with sporting goods and seasonal decorations, but that’s the risk you take living this lifestyle. We’re a misunderstood breed, and while some may laugh at my storing food under the bathroom sink or other people storing food in their lockers, we’ll be the ones laughing when that zombie apocalypse hits! Or when we get locked in our own bathrooms. Or when winter comes. Because it is coming. Winter is always coming…
More Food Storage Ideas For The Overflowing Homestead
If you’ve exhausted all of the above options and you’re still lacking space for food storage, you could always ask a friend, neighbour or family member if you can store some at their place. As “payment,” you could perhaps reward them with a few jars of home-canned food:)
And then of course you can always spread the wealth and start giving it away. Whether to family and friends or local food banks, someone out there would be more than happy to take some extra food off your hands and some could really use a little extra. Which is just one more bonus to living this kind of crazy, somewhat misunderstood and definitely “alternative” lifestyle we’ve chosen: We have the ability to not only provide for ourselves, but for other as well. And at the end of the day, nothing is quite as rewarding as that.
I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any other creative food storage solutions you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments below!
Having trouble organizing your food storage and knowing exactly what you’ve got? Check out our free printable pantry, fridge and freezer organization charts, weekly meal plan chart and smart shopping list to help you stay organized, eat well and save money. You can find them all under the Meal Planning section in our Free Resource Library.
Wishing you health, wealth and homestead happiness…
and abundant space for all of your beautiful, nourishing food:)
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Did you know you can now buy pumpkin spice ramen noodles, pumpkin spice Pringles, pumpkin spice macaroni and cheese, pumpkin spice sausages and even pumpkin spice dog treats?
It’s not exactly a stretch to say that we’ve taken the whole pumpkin spice craze a little bit too far.
But our obsession with pumpkin spice speaks to something much deeper than the flavour itself. (Let’s be honest, pumpkin spice ramen noodles sound gag-worthy).
The reason we tend to love pumpkin spice so much is because it triggers feelings of comfort and nostalgia; Memories of days spent with family at the pumpkin patch or around the Thanksgiving table. In short, pumpkin spice triggers our emotions as much as it tantalizes our taste buds.
But let’s be real, pumpkin spice Pringles ain’t it.
If you’re feeling all the fall vibes and craving a little pumpkin spice in your life right now, stick to the tried and true pumpkin spice latte, but ditch the expensive (and highly processed) commercial PSLs and make your own pumpkin spice syrup (with real pumpkin!) at home for a fraction of the cost! Keep it on hand to add to your coffees, teas and steamed milk beverages all Autumn long.
It’s super easy to make and will put pumpkin spice macaroni squarely in its place (and keep it there!)
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to grab the recipe or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-pumpkin-spice-syrup/
#pumpkinspice #psl #pumpkinspicelatte #fallvibes #fromscratch
I’ve been feeling pulled to slow down and retreat into my home lately; To turn off the news and social media and focus on the tangible things like lighting the wood stove, preserving the mountains of food still coming out of the garden, and slowly stirring a pot of soup as it cooks on the stovetop.
With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I know I’m not the only one feeling pulled toward hearth and home. This is a heavy time for all of us. No one person is meant to bear the weight of the world on their shoulders, but I've heard from so many people lately who say that's exactly how they've been feeling.
If you read my post from a few days ago, you know I’ve been feeling like that too, but luckily, I've learned how to soothe my soul in difficult times.
And so that's what I've been doing lately...
I've been focusing on the tangible things that I can control, like cooking meals and preserving food.
I've been lingering a little longer in the morning, taking time to sit by the river or sip my coffee in front of the wood stove before hurrying on with my day.
And I've been making a conscious effort to turn off the noise of the outside world and give my family and my own emotional health my full attention.
If you've also been feeling that pull to turn off all of the noise and immerse yourself in more nourishing, productive activities, I want to tell you about a collection of resources that will help you do just that.
The Simple Living Collective’s Autumn Issue includes seasonal guides, tutorials, e-books, recipes and more to help you slow down and reconnect with what matters this season.
* Learn how to forage for healing herbs and how to make your own natural medicine
* Find new ways to celebrate old traditions, and create new seasonal traditions with your family
* Discover new seasonal recipes and crafts to do on your own or with your kids
And much more.
If this sounds like it’s exactly what you're in need of right now, check out the Simple Living Collective and get the Autumn Issue for just $25. But this issue is only available until tomorrow, so don't wait…
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to grab it now before it disappears 🍁
If you’ve ever grown peppers, you know they take FOREVER and a day to grow from seed.
Peppers are one of the earliest crops that we start from seed, usually in January or February. Usually by August the sweet peppers and bell peppers have finally grown a few peppers each, and it’s around this time that I ask myself why I bother with growing peppers in the first place. That is until I inspect the jalapeño plants and find them LOADED with little green spicy peppers!
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Fermented jalapeños have actually become one of my favourite ferments, and probably my favourite way to enjoy jalapeños too! Plus, they’re so incredibly easy to make. All you need are jalapeños, some water and salt. (A few jars and some @masontops pickle pebbles help too 😉)
As for how to use them, try adding fermented #jalapeños to homemade nachos, tacos, chilli, pizza, salads, burgers and anything else you can think of that could benefit from a little spicy heat (and a healthy dose of probiotics;)
Or, if you really like heat, just grab a fork and eat some straight out of the jar! (Maybe keep a glass of milk on hand to cool your mouth down… just in case;)
If you don’t have ay jalapeños but have other hot peppers (or any type of peppers), just sub them for the jalapeños. This recipe can be used to #ferment any type of peppers:)
If you’ve got an abundance of peppers on hand and need a quick, easy, healthy and DELICIOUS way to preserve them, I’ve got you covered!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/fermented-jalapenos/ for the recipe!
#fermentation #fermentedfoods #wildfermentation
I laid in bed the other night and couldn’t sleep.
I know that probably doesn’t sound out of the ordinary, especially considering the collective stress we’ve all been through over the past year and a half. But if I’m being totally honest, I’ve done a pretty good job of not letting it get to me.
I used to have really bad anxiety, and I made a conscious effort to learn how to manage it in (mostly) healthy, natural ways. I practice a lot of gratitude every day, and overall I’ve learned to deal with stress, anxiety and negative thoughts pretty well.
Lately though, I’ve been feeling the weight of it all. Aside from dealing with personal issues like our ongoing infertility/pregnancy loss journey and the every day stresses we all face, the bigger things have been feeling bigger and heavier lately; The mandates, the politics, the pushback, the arguments and attacks online, the divisiveness, and the seemingly never-ending pandemic that every single one of us is still dealing with in some capacity.
I’ve been seeing more and more calls to “choose a side.” I’ve witnessed my own close friends on both sides of the debate hurling insults at each other, defending their ground, and refusing to listen to each other’s valid points and concerns.
I’ve even witnessed a widening crack in the homesteading community, despite the fact that so many of our core values and beliefs align and are unique to us.
Despite the division, I would still argue that ALL of us have much more in common than not, and to see the divide continuing to deepen has started to get under my skin lately.
(Continued in comments…)
🍁 There's something almost magical about the changing of the seasons, and especially the transition from summer to fall.
For us homesteaders, summers are often chaotic and offer lots of projects and distractions to keep us busy, but fall beckons us to slow down and focus on what we want out of this life and what sort of changes and transitions we need to make to get to where we ultimately want to be.
This latest issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine reflects this spirit of change and honours the many transitions that this season brings.
From transitioning our homes and gardens for the fall and winter to transitioning our kids back to school, we're covering a wide range of topics to help you to make the most of this season before we transition to the next.
And speaking of changes and transitions, I'm very excited to announce a brand new format and vision for Modern Homesteading Magazine.
As we celebrate two years in publication and 24 monthly issues on topics ranging from organic gardening to herbal medicine to raising livestock to fermentation and just about everything in between, the time has come for the magazine to expand, diversify and transition from a monthly publication to a seasonal one.
This will also be the last issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine that we're offering for free.
If you're already a paid member, nothing will change and you'll continue to enjoy full access to our entire library of past, present and future issues.
If you're not a member yet but you'd like to continue to receive each new issue and get full access to our entire library of past issues, you can still do so for the super low introductory rate of just $7.99/year.
A huge thanks to @planttherapy for sponsoring yet another issue!
Plant Therapy's fall collection is out now, along with their vast selection of essential oils, home and body care products, CBD oils and more! Shop now and get 10% off site-wide when you use code HOMESTEAD at checkout.
I hope you enjoy everything that this issue has to offer, and that it inspires you to make the most of the season.
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to become a member or subscribe and read your first issue for free!
Fun fact: The word “ferment” comes from the Latin word “fervere,” which means “to boil.”
During fermentation, wild yeasts and bacteria feed off of the sugars in food and produce carbon dioxide, which is what makes the signature bubbles in fermented foods.
It’s thought that this bubbling action -which looks similar to the bubbles produced during boiling- is what gave fermentation its name.
But fermentation itself dates back even further than that. The earliest known evidence of humans fermenting foods on purpose comes from Neolithic China.
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The three recipes in the latest issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine are a good example of this diversity as they come from three different parts of the world.
First up is a traditional sauerkraut recipe, which hails from Eastern Europe. Then there’s my personal favourite Kimchi, which is South Korea’s national dish. And finally there’s Curtido, which is basically like sauerkraut with a delicious twist that comes from El Salvador.
Get all of these recipes and learn all about the wonderful world of fermentation while you still can by subscribing to Modern Homesteading Magazine. Right now you can subscribe for free and you’ll still get the weekend to read through this issue before the Fall issue drops next Monday.
Or, if you want unlimited access to this issue, along with every other issue of the magazine, you can still become a member for the super low introductory rate of just $7.99/year!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to subscribe for free or become a member and get unlimited access to our entire library of issues packed with helpful information, resources and exclusive recipes!
#modernhomesteading #homesteading #fermenting #fermentedfoods #fermentation #sauerkraut #kimchi
I’ve been keeping a secret…
For the past two years I’ve worked hard to bring you monthly issues of Modern Homesteading Magazine.
Over the course of the past 24 issues, we’ve covered everything from gardening to canning, sourdough bread to backyard chickens, home dairy to herbal medicine, permaculture to fermentation and EVERYTHING in between.
But it’s time for the magazine to step into some bigger shoes, which means we’re transitioning from a monthly publication focused on one specific topic per issue to a seasonal publication which will focus on multiple seasonally-themed topics per issue.
This also means that each issue will be packed with even more great content tailored for homesteaders from all walks of life.
Since the August issue was a week late due to some personal and family issues, and since this next issue is packed with even more great content, it will be coming to you in a few days from now.
That being said, it will also be the last issue you’ll be able to read free of charge. So, if you STILL haven’t subscribed, head on over and click the link in my bio or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/magazine to subscribe for free and you’ll still get to read the August issue (all about fermentation) as well as the Fall 2021 issue (when it comes out) ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Membership prices to access our entire library of issues will also be increasing soon so now’s a great time to lock in at the super low introductory price of just $7.99/year. That gets you full access to every single issue, past, present and future, including the ability to download, save and print each one.
Big, exciting changes are coming this fall! Be sure to subscribe and/or become a member now and be the first to know when the brand new Fall 2021 issue drops in just a few days!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to subscribe or become a member now :)
Fall is just around the corner, and that means so is cold and flu season.
This is the time of year when I like to mix up a big batch of elderberry syrup to help support our immunity and keep us healthy throughout the fall and winter.
If you've never made your own elderberry syrup, it's SUPER easy. All you need are some dried elderberries (or fresh if you've got 'em), honey, and a few other herbs and spices.
OR you can make things even easier on yourself and grab a dump-and-go Elderberry Syrup Mix kit from @farmhouseteas!
Whether you opt for plain ol' dried elderberries or the Elderberry Syrup Mix, right now you can buy one and get one for 20% off, plus get free shipping over $59 anywhere in the U.S.
Stock up on elderberries now and use code IMMUNE821 at checkout to get your discount!
Link in bio @thehouseandhomestead to order your dried elderberries and get your discount, and/or to get my full recipe for homemade elderberry syrup (or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup-recipe)
Happy fall y’all 🍁
Not a bad start to our carrot harvest if you ask me!
One of the things I love about growing food at home is that we get to try all sorts of varieties that we would never find in a grocery store, like these deep purple carrots from @westcoastseeds.
There are so many interesting heirlooms (and hybrids!) out there that just aren’t grown for commercial sale.
What’s your favourite vegetable that you’ve grown that you can’t find anywhere else?
Got plums???
This plum jelly is a super easy way to use up any plums you have WITHOUT having to pit them.
(This is obviously especially useful if you have a clingstone variety, because let me tell you from experience, it is NOT worth your time to try to pit those babies!)
But since all you need for this jelly is to extract the juice from your plums, you don’t need to worry about removing the pits. Just toss ‘em in the pot whole!
This plum jelly is also spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Perfect for fall -it basically tastes like what cozy feels like!
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Happy anniversary to the love of my life @thehumblehandyman
Over our 7 years of marriage and 10 years together, we’ve experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows.
We’ve travelled the world together. We’ve accomplished countless goals together. We’ve learned to grow food and live a more sustainable life, not because we have to, but because it feels right in every fiber of our being.
We’ve created a beautiful baby girl together, and said goodbye to 4 angel babies. We’ve yet to meet our rainbow baby, but I feel in my heart that there’s a soul out there who’s meant to live his earthly life with us. I’m not ready to stop trying.
We’ve built a beautiful home (if not from scratch, pretty close!), and while we’re so, SO grateful for our current home and situation, we both still love to dream about the day we drive up on that 5 or 10 acre farm, keys in hand.
I know we’re only 7 years in, but I can already picture us 20, 30, 40 years from now, giving the younger kids some simple life advice on how to make a marriage work:
#1: Communicate. About everything. Share your wildest dreams and your darkest secrets. Share a bank account! A strong marriage is based on absolute trust. Communication is necessary for trust to exist.
#2: Work toward common goals. Get on the same page about what you want out of life, and if you disagree on some things, find middle ground. Marriage is about compromise, but we also only get one chance to do this life and I don’t know about you, but I’ve got lots I wanna do and I wanna do it next to the person I love most.
#3: Laugh. Cry. Comfort each other. Share all of the raw human emotions with each other. Celebrate what it means to be spiritual beings having a human experience, together.
This is what’s worked for us so far anyway, and I can say for a fact that we’re stronger together and as individuals for it.
Thank you for being the best husband and father Evelyn and I could ask for. And thanks for knowing how to build and fix just about everything. Many of our projects would never get off the ground or our bills would be much higher if I wasn’t married to @thehumblehandyman, and for that I’m eternally grateful 😘
When you grow your own food at home, you tend to end up with the very GOOD problem of having too much fresh food ready all at once.
This is definitely the case in our house right now, which means our canner has taken up permanent residence on our stovetop and I've been admittedly pulling some late nights trying to get everything preserved.
Tomato sauce is a top priority for us when it comes to canning because it's such a staple on our pantry shelves. From pizza and pasta sauce to soups, stews and casseroles, we use tomato sauce for so much of our home cooking, and for this reason, having a good, basic tomato sauce on hand is an absolute MUST!
The recipe I'm sharing with you today includes instructions on how to can homemade tomato sauce with a water bath canner or a pressure canner (because tomatoes go both ways;) so you always have the makings of a delicious meal on hand!
Click the link in my bio @thehouseandhomestead or go to https://thehouseandhomestead.com/how-to-can-homemade-tomato-sauce/ to get the full recipe and canning instructions:)
What's your favourite way to use tomato sauce at home??
There are rollout pantry inserts that you can buy at the big stores and install yourself. They range from sized for spices to quart jar friendly and create species in lots of unused space.
I am in the process of turning my unused dining room (which is code for dumping ground) into a large walk in pantry. We are making shelves- lots of shelves!! I am so excited!
I hear you on the dumping ground. More shelves is always a good thing!
We moved to Texas from Indiana a few months back and went from having a HUGE basement with HUGE understair storage to not much of anything. Albeit we have understair area here, it’s a tiny door and not much storage (maybe later I’ll convert it after the kids are gone and I move the Christmas and wrapping stuff out). We do have an extra set of built in tall cabinets which I use for storage, but we had to get creative so I took some thin wood and cut some “shelves” that are movable. They cover about 3-4 jars wide and deep, and since they are lightweight, they don’t put a lot of pressure on the bottom jars and it distributes the weight better. I tried to attach a picture but it wouldn’t do it.
We’re in a 2 bedroom apt with no pantry. So we have food in unused and used by soft items drawers. Theres the bulk of the food storage behind the couch (so then the living room is 2 ft smaller that direction but it’s long anyways) and in the guestroom closet. I almost have my husband convinced to turn the guestroom into a walk-in pantry (or at least part of it) 🙂
No pantry? Just kidding. Clearly where there’s a will, there’s a way. I hadn’t thought of converting an entire bedroom into food storage! But hey, if you don’t need it as a guest bedroom, you go for it sister! I think if I was in the same situation I would do the same:) Love the behind the couch system you’ve got going. I’ll have to add that when I expand the list, as I’m sure it will continue to expand as I hear more great ideas from others like you!