Guest post by Lacey Wilcox at Live Loved
Crystal has talked a lot about stockpiling, which is a definite financial asset as you try to provide for your home. An important component of stockpiling is your kitchen pantry. Making sure it’s got what you need means you’ll always be ready for unexpected guests, a change of plans or water lines breaking (if you live out in the middle of nowhere like us!).
Keep in mind, I’m a far cry from Pioneer Woman. These are just a few things I like to have on hand:
Baking Supplies: Great to have when you just can’t fight that sweet tooth, or need a bread to go with a meal (unfortunately, they’re also the reason that I will never be able to wear skinny jeans—that and Nutella…)
–Flour
–Sugar (This includes all sweeteners: white sugar, succanat, turbinado, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, etc.)
–Honey (Great to use as a sweetener, and I would love to hear success stories you’ve had baking with it!)
–Yeast
–Cornmeal
–Peanut butter
–Oatmeal
Canned Goods:
–Canned tomato products (This includes tomato sauce, diced, crushed, and even stewed tomatoes. I love to experiment with all the flavors that are out there — don’t forget that Rotel falls into this category too!)
–Canned tuna/salmon
Dried Goods:
–Pasta
–Beans (You can definitely buy the canned beans. Lately I’ve started buying the dried ones, because they’re cheaper, and with less sodium and other things)
–Rice and other grains (couscous, quinoa, orzo, barley, tabouleh, etc.)
Cooking Essentials:
–Oils: I almost always use olive oil, but I keep some vegetable on hand for baking.
–Vanilla
–Spices/herbs
–Vinegars: red wine and balsamic are great for making your own homemade dressing!
–Dressings: we keep an extra bottle or two on hand for salads, but also as marinades for meat and things like that
Some extras:
–Dried fruits
–Nuts
–Bread crumbs (stock up on these on sale, or make your own!)
–Onions/garlic
–Potatoes
Now, since I don’t claim to be Betty Crocker, I know that my list is far from complete. What are your essential items that you always make sure you have on hand? Trust me, I’m taking notes!
Today’s guest post is by Lacey Wilcox — wife, blogger, and mother of Selah. She and husband Kade live in the Texas Panhandle and manage Panfork Baptist Camp. Visit her blog, Live Loved.
I absolutely agree with Chocolate Chips, (Or Chocolate Bars), oats and powdered milk.
Having these things on hand is something I definitely need to get better at. I always want to bake something and am one basic ingredient short. I can’t imagine how many quick trips to the store this would save me!
Love your daughter’s name!! My oldest is Selah Joy…. 🙂
You must ALWAYS have Cream of Mushroom and/or Cream of Chicken Soup on hand! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown dinner together because I had them in the pantry…
I make my own and keep it in the freezer but I absolutely agree that it needs to be a staple! Which reminds me that I forgot to put that on the website like I promised. Thanks for the reminder.
I wonder if I could can it? HMMM?
Fruits and veggies…and less shopping….
Focus on the fruits and veggies that have the longest shelf life: cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, all root veggies…sweet potatoes…turnips…
I shop once-a-month and use up the more perishable ones first, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
I also buy about 4 to 6 pkgs of romaine hearts at a time. They will last me through about 2 weeks. After that, for fresh raw veggies, we will eat slaws from carrots and cabbages, with onions and any other veggies.
In warm weather…garden food is available fresh….right outside the back door.
Fruits- again; think what lasts the longest when you shop 🙂
I often buy a box of apples at a time. Keeping a check on them, keeping them clean (getting out ones with bad spots etc), and in the coolest spot in the kitchen…they last the whole month and sometimes longer. If they begin to go bad, I can them or freeze them.
Grapefruits last a long time, so do lemons.
I also buy big bags of frozen fruits such as- blueberries, cherries, cranberries, peaches, etc from out local Cash-n-Carry.
I buy bundles of bananas and freeze when they start going bad and drop in smoothies.
Grapes will last up to 2 weeks if kept free from bad spots.
-just some ideas 😉
Thanks to your pumpkin muffin recipe Applesauce, Chocolate Chips and canned pumpkin are newer staples to my pantry – I found canned pumpkin for $.15/can and off brand cc for $.50/bag after Christmas last year and probably bought enough to last me 5 years or so, hopefully they’ll keep that long!
Here’s a way to get “free” bread crumbs. No one in our family likes the end pieces of bread, so I save them in a container or baggie in the freezer. Then I just pulse them in the blender when I need breading and ta-da! Bread crumbs!
I always have chicken broth on hand for soups, and when I put chicken in the crockpot. I use it all the time.
I love to have coconut oil on hand at all times. We use it instead of vegetable oil. Also, I have recently added coconut flour to our pantry essentials as we are reducing grain in our diets. So far, so good.
I would add spices to that list. I’m a spice nut. (With the alphabetized spice cabinet to prove it.) I buy my spices in bulk at a spice store in Fort Worth. (Pendery’s World of Spices for my fellow locals.) The ones I could absolutely not live without and have tons of on hand: cumin, salt, black pepper, powdered jalapeno, oregano, garlic, taco seasoning, chiltomaline… (gee, can you tell I’m a Texan?) There are others, but I’m pregnant, which means my brain isn’t fully functioning. I also mix up my own Creole spice and consider that a must-have. Having basic food in a pantry is important, but having plenty of spices stored is important, too, as they are what make the food taste good!
I agree with having lots of beans. I do keep canned beans on hand for quick meals, but I have tons of dried beans, too. They cook up easily in the crockpot without any real work. Come to think of it, I’d add tahini to the list of must-haves. That added to chickpeas makes some amazing hummus (with other ingredients, of course).
I’m an idiot. I just reread and saw that spices are on the list. I’ll just blame my zombie baby for eating my brain.
But I loved your list–are you going to share the mix for the Creole seasoning???
Yes, please share the mix you make and if you have a particularly wonderful chicken dish to use with it. Would love to see one of your favorites.
Creole Meat Seasoning (from The Commander’s Palace New Orleans Cookbook
1 cup salt
3/4 cup granulated or powdered garlic (I recommend powdered)
3/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup paprika
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Makes 3 cups.
I don’t have a recipe for making anything with this. Just rub it generously into your meat of choice and grill or bake it. I love it on beef. It’s great on a roast done in the oven or on steaks on the grill.
I see nutella in the picture lol. My husband would think that should be a staple haha
Ha ha. Mine too.
I just want to know where she got that awesome beagle-shaped cookie jar!
Just another voice to state that the Prudent Homemaker’s website is excellent for kitchen pantry knowledge. I also visit there for the recipes!
Great post! I agree stockpiling and making sure your pantry is stocked with essentials is key in saving money and not stressing out over what to make for dinner, or when you have unexpected guests.
A while back, I wrote a post about my pantry.
http://foodfunfamily.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/tuesdays-tip-the-pantry/
I like to keep some speciality items in it like sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts. These go a long way and can be used in salads and pasta dishes, as well as on pizza.
By the way, my dad is a beekeeper, so we use a lot of honey in baking. He shared with me a while back, it’s always necessary to reduce liquids when using honey, in order for baked goods to turn out right. Often, I use honey in quick breads and muffins and have a good result.
Thanks for your post!
I had a ton of tomatoes from the single plant I had this year, so I made a bunch of sundried tomatoes. It was super easy – I don’t have a food dehydrator so I just used my oven. And if you store them in the freezer, they’re good for 9-12 months. Here’s where I found the instructions: http://www.pickyourown.org/tomatoes_sun_dried.htm
I’ve been wondering how to do that!!
I like to keep a couple of boxes of sugar free pudding… it’s a quick and easy dessert… and a good way to satisfy a sweet tooth! I also keep a can or two of cream of “whatever” soup on hand… it’s an easy way to dress up dinner some nights!
Also dry pudding can really moisten up some cookies!
It’s not a life-or-death essential, although it sometimes feels that way!, but I try to always have chocolate chips in my pantry! They make for a wonderfully versitle ingredient that can help you with last-minute throw togethers! Also, I try to keep potatoes in my pantry (last minute homemade chips, baked potatoes for dinner, etc.)
I aways have coffee. I get it at Big Lots and buy it 10-15 bags at a time when I have my 20% discount from being a part of their awards program.
I always have coffee on hand too!
Lol I should probably have coffee on hand a little less…:) But I agree, such a great thing to always have on hand!
Put nuts in the freezer to extend their shelf live. Nuts have oils which can quickly spoil.
Thanks for the tip – I love snacking on almonds and buy them in bulk, so this is good to know!
I am determined to cook from scratch and clean out the pantry/freezer during the next few months. We are in the middle of a financial squeeze and need to scrape up every extra penny we can. Thanks for the list! 🙂
coconut oil, cocoa powder, nuts, and a few cans of evap milk/coconut milk, etc for baking in a pinch.
I like to keep a backup of all of my condiments in the pantry so that I have a fresh bottle when I use up the open one in the fridge:
ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, tamari/soy sauce, bottled lemon juice, etc.
I keep canning jars, lids and rings on hand at all times – not food items, of course, but helpful for maximizing the food dollar. And not just with actual processing, but also for storing bulk bean and grain buys, freezing leftover sauces and soups (Ball jars are good for freezing, just be sure to leave a good amount of head space!), shaking up homemade vinaigrettes and marinades, and so much more. We try to minimize our use of plastics so find the reusable glass jars very effective. Plus, they do double duty if one is in inclined (as I am) toward canning.
I use half-pint jars to store spices that I buy in bulk.
I always keep plenty of cocoa on hand, along with baking powder (much cheaper from Sam’s). Then I can make up some brownies from scratch whenever. I don’t like mix brownies anyway, and making them with cocoa (Betty Crocker cookbook recipe) is easy.
I also keep plenty of jarred spaghetti sauce on hand to go with my pasta. I try to get the brands with less sodium. Quick and easy kid-pleasing supper in a pinch.
I also keep canned mandarin oranges. Good in case we run out of fresh fruit, and they are one of the better canned sources of Vit. C. They can be found without added sugar, and there sometimes coupons.
I second the canned mandarin oranges! The fresh fruit always seems to run out a day or two before grocery day around here – canned fruit keeps me from making an extra run to the store 🙂
They have these on case-lot sale at Smith’s a couple of times a year.
Oh brownies…did you have to mention brownies?? That sounds delicious right now…
This is a good list. Powdered milk ( for baking) is also one of my staples. And also chocolate! Can’t live without chocolate. 😉
I use honey in my bread which I make 5 loaves at a time in about 1 1/2 hours start to finish. You can read here, if you’re curious.
http://www.simplifylivelove.com/2011/01/100-wholewheat-everyday-bread.html
I’ve been wanting to find a good bread recipe that’s made with honey!! thank you!
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/awellstockedpantry.aspx This girl is wonderful……..she talks about how they lived entirely off of their food storage for 1 year while her husband was out of work!
Powdered milk!
I was going to comment and say “Go read every single article on The Prudent Homemaker’s website! Afterwards, you’ll never see your pantry and its potential the same way again!” Great minds think alike. 🙂
Thanks for the mention!
Here is my pantry (with photos): http://theprudenthomemaker.com/awellstockedpantry.aspx
Those pictures were taken after we had not gone shopping for one year.
I really need to update the pictures! It’s a LOT more home-canned goods now.
What do you about fresh produce? I would LOVE to not have to go to the store every week but I need to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and they go bad after about 4 or 5 days so I can’t stockpile them. Also, what about milk?
She grows it.
Check out this link http://theprudenthomemaker.com/thekitchengarden.aspx and all related links.
She’s truly amazing and has quite a fan club 🙂
Dawn,
That first year our garden did horribly, and the only fresh produce we had was some zucchini that was given to us. We ate canned, frozen, and dried fruits and vegetables that first year. I very quickly learned how important it is to have a VERY large variety!
If you have a garden, that’s your source for fresh things. Our garden has done much better the last few years, and it’s been a great blessing. I have planned it so that we always have something fresh in the garden. Right now it’s swiss chard, green onions, tomatoes, herbs, 4 kinds of apples, Bartlett pears, Asian pears, and grapes. (I am making applesauce and grape juice today to add to my pantry!)
But, if you’re just doing regular shopping, and you only want to go every two weeks, you can do what I used to do prior to all of this (in 2006):
Look carefully at the expiration date on your milk. You should be able to buy enough to last you 2 weeks (in 2005 I used to buy 16 gallons every 2 weeks–and fit in in ONE fridge–oh I how I miss that! Now I cook with powdered milk and we drink water). I used to do this to coincide with the milk sales, which were then happening every two weeks. (Some people also freeze milk).
Buy apples and oranges on sale. These can last you months in the fridge. Romaine lettuce can also last you a long time. Potatoes and winter squashes can last months in a cool pantry.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables the first week, and canned and frozen fruits and vegetables the second week (plus the above-mentioned ones).
A friend of mine only goes shopping once a month; you can see her strategy here:
http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/p/once-month-shopping.html
Wow…I wish you could mentor me in frugality for a week…I feel like I could learn so much!
I’ve been reading your website for the last month or so, and love it. I’ll admit to feeling a little overwhelmed at where to start. However, it wasn’t really an issue the last few weeks since we had no money to go grocery shopping with anyway. We’ve just had to survive off the last little bits of my previous stockpile. We were able to put aside $40 out of my husband’s paycheck for groceries this week though, and I’m brainstorming what to do with it. I’d really love to know what you would do with it, given these perameters, if you don’t mind! (And I’m not being particularly difficult, these are just the realities I have to work within for right now!)
The closest Costco is a 30 minute drive from our home, Sam’s Club is 45 minutes away. We don’t have membership to either of them.
There’s no bulk produce I can buy in this area right now. The closest orchards are 45 minutes to an hour away, and they still run higher then whatever sales are going on at Wal-Mart or Kroger. I’ll probably stick to bananas right now since they’re $0.48/lb- the cheapest produce right now.
We don’t have a garden.
I have no meat to speak of. Our freezer is empty.
Here’s what’s in my pantry:
8 lbs. cornmeal
6lbs. brown rice (My family hates brown rice, so I can only use a little mixed in with white rice, as we’re still getting used to eating more healthfully.)
2 lbs. white rice
3 lbs. pinto beans
8 lbs. spaghetti
2 lbs. fettucine
4 lbs. elbow macaroni
20 lbs. sugar
2 gal veg oil
6 cans of beef broth
My husband has put a ban on spaghetti sauce made from tomato sauce. I had made it several times over the past few weeks, and he hates it. He’s brand loyal to Ragu Traditional, and I really do feel I should respect that, especially since he rarely says anything about what I fix. Our Wal-Mart sells a 136oz. jug of the sauce for about $7 rounded up. So I’m thinking about getting one of those to do pasta with.
I also have plenty of butter, 1 lb. of mozz. cheese, and 20 eggs.
I’m just curious, where would you really start? Next week we’ll have about $100 available for groceries also, so I’m trying to keep that in mind. I know I’m asking a lot, I just don’t won’t to waste this opportunity, and I feel really uncertain as to where to “start”. I’d appreciate any advice you’re willing to share!
Danielle,
Send me an email brandy at the prudent homemaker (dot) com.
Real quickly, I can see several meals. If you have $40, get the sauce and make spaghetti. Get some onions and make rice and beans a couple of times this week. Buy some carrots (the biggest bag you can) as they are usually the cheapest vegetable, and plan on using those in soup, with your macaroni noodles.
Cok some fettucine noodles, add butter and a little dried parsley, and serve with a side of steamed carrots (add sugar and butter to the carrots).
Buy 10 or 20 pounds of potatoes. Have a baked potato night one night. Use the cheese on top. Since you have plenty of oil, you can make some diced potatoes for breakfast a couple of times (perhaps with a few eggs on the side). If you bake 10 pounds a time, and then dice the leftovers for breakfast, you will use less oil to cook the potatoes in the morning. I find that if I use eggs to make omlettes, the children eat fewer eggs (1 egg each). You can make omlettes one day.
If you have spices, you can make cornbread and chili for dinners and lunches. Make a big batch so that you have leftovers.
Buy a 20 (or 25) pound bag of flour. Make pancakes or crepes (use some eggs in the crepes and since you have no milk, just use water). You can use the flour to make several breads this week as well. If you don’t have yeast, but still have baking powder and baking soda, you can use those to make breads. If you have flour, salt, yeast, and water, you can make my French Bread.
I would also get a big container of Knorr chicken bullion (it’s 2.2 lbs and around $5) for making soups. You can get all of the above at Walmart, and save your gas this week.
Next week, you can look at buying more beans (in more varieties), a big bag of white rice (20 pounds), some oats, etc.
And, start calling people you know and ask if they know anyone who has fruit that you can pick. Ask around about extra zucchini. Find some opportunities to glean in the next few months. Apples should be in abundance in most places. I live in a barren wasteland of desert where most people have rocks for landscaping, and I still find fruit trees for gleaning. People are happy their fruit isn’t going to waste.
In addition, you can make corn cakes for breakfast and make a simple sugar syrup to put on them. You can make some carrot cake-style muffins.
If you don’t have baking soda or baking powder, buy the smallest containers at Walmart this week as well.
I think I’ve got your $40 used up now, and some of it will take you into next week 🙂
Did Brandy mention oats?
Onions-simple onion soup with your broths?
Carrots- they go far cut into sticks, eaten raw, so will celery and both are cheap.
Lemons can be a good fruit to buy. Vitamin C- you can slice them up and keep to squeeze in your water at mealtime when you don’t have room for much fruit in the budget.
Do you have an Aldi? Produce is cheaper there.
Bean patties? Rice and brown rice pudding? You can also make bean loaves, like meatloaf with cooked beans, eggs, bread crumbs (or flour or cornmeal).
Look into chicken quarters for meat (next week). They often run about .39 to .49 a pound. (in 10lb bags) You can cut them up (look on youtube) and have thighs and legs….and or, boil them, pick off every bit of meat and freeze, boil up your bones with a little lemon juice or vinegar for 12 to 24 hours total and freeze for chicken broth for soups etc.
The Prudent Homemaker mentioned gleaning- look at your local Freecycle online to see if anyone is giving away produce from their gardens…also LSN. Look under free and perhaps post an add.
Also, look on Craig’s list and freecycle for places to glean (free fruit, free apples, etc.). One of my readers mentioned to me that she finds hundreds of pounds of fruit this way every year (I just ask around and look for trees if I’m out–though I’m not out much). You can freeze lots of it as well.
I know this question wasn’t addressed to me, but if I had those items in my pantry and little $$ to work with, I’d probably make:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with a little sugar and butter on top
Lunches:
PB&J on homemade bread, carrot sticks, bananas
Breakfast for dinner (waffles or pancakes, fried potatoes, & one egg each)
Vegetable Soup with cornbread
Chili over rice with cheese sprinkled on top
Cheese Pizza
Spaghetti Pie
Homemade Refried Beans, Rice, and Homemade Tortillas
Bean Soup & French Bread
I’d price-match whatever veggies and fruits were on sale at Kroger this week at Walmart, and then buy a big bag of carrots, bananas, potatoes, flour, cottage cheese (for the spaghetti pie), spaghetti sauce, oats, peanut butter, jelly… and then use any extra money to stock up on anything I could get a really great deal with coupons that are available.
Also, here’s a great resource with some “Emergency Menu” ideas on a very tight budget:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm
I didn’t mention oats 🙂 I would look into getting oats next week. I would look into buying a 25 pound bag next week. Email me and we can talk sources.
I like to take the dried beans and can them myself. By doing this they are ready to use like the ones you buy in the store which helps in a pinch to throw something together, and second i have one in my household that can’t have very much sodium.
why haven’t I ever thought of this??
It is also better for you because most store bought beans come in cans and all of those cans have BPA in the liner. To my knowledge, East of Eden is the only brand that has figured out how to make can liners without BPA. So not only is it cheaper (1 lb bag of dry beans makes about as much as three cans of store bought beans) but it is also healthier (less sodium and no BPA). You can cook dry beans in the slow cooker over night rather than the stove top method, this is my preferred method.
I second the crockpot–because I am notorious for burning them on the oven!
That seriously is brilliant. I agree why have I never thought of that? I may do it this weekend!
oh and as a tip, you can make your own tortillas too, they are so easy and so yummy! I can make a batch by the time the rest of the dinner is done. And cheaper than buying them because its just flour, water, salt and oil.
I do dried beans too, if I know we’ll be in a hurry the next week I cook them up over the weekend and then freeze them in recipe portions. Works great! I make my own hummus on the weekends and we snack of that all week. The kids have no idea how good it is for them but they love it.
Valerie— I wanna know how you make your own hummus?? Would you be willing to share your recipe?
Sure its so easy!
15 oz of garbanzo beans (I cook dried and then just use two cups, close enough)
1/4 cup tahini (you can find this in kroger, in ours its on the aisle with the nut butters)
1/4 c water
2TB extra-virgin olive oil
2Tb fresh lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4c fresh parsley (packed)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Toss it all in a food processor. Scrape the sides down a couple of times, and process till you get the paste consistency. Will keep in the fridge for a week. you can eat it right away, but it tastes better the next day. Play with the spices if you want. you can also do roasted red peppers in there, or add more garlic, whatever!
Valerie, that sounds wonderful. We’ll definitely give it a try! I feel like I spend a small fortune on store-bought hummus and have been hunting for a tried and true recipe.
Hmmm…I might have to try this too!! It looks delicious!
I have made this recipe as well. The hummus is excellent! I have even gone so far as to make it with canned garbanzo beans when in a pinch. I think I would need to add several cans of garbanzo beans for pantry items to have on hand.
I love your list!! I’m a great list follower but not so much a great list maker!!
I do bake muffins some with honey, and we like it just fine!
I would probably add chocolate chips to the list; and it’s not a must, but I do love having maple syrup on hand!
Ooooo–I totally second both of those!
I discovered a great banana nut recipe that uses honey. Its so easy!
3 mashed bananas
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1TBSP of sea salt (though I use 1/2)
1TBSP Baking powder
1/4 C oil
1/2 C honey
optional: 1/2 walnuts
Mash the bananas, and mix the other ingredients in, bake at 350 for 15-18 mins. The batter is not as “liquidy’ as most muffins, and the muffins are a little denser, but they are so GOOD! We are on a diet where we are trying to eliminate white flour and refined sugar, and these totally hit the spot for breakfast or a snack.
I am using tons and tons of local honey that we buy from the local co op and by the gallon. I have been baking with it for a long time but now I am learning to process jellies/jams with it (w/o sugar).
I’ve heard that if you consume your local honey, you will be less likely to have allergies. I’m allergic to orange blossoms (and I live in Central Florida) I eat local Orange Blossom honey and have NO problems anymore during allergy season.
It absolutely does. I have one son that has pretty bad allergies and another that gets them but not as bad and I make homemade high protein granola bars with it and apple juice for the sweetener and he eats one just about every day or I make him hot tea with some honey and he rarely suffers from them anymore. I have learned to substitute it in so many things specifically for that reason.
Beth, I’ve been wanting to make some freezer jam to replace the usual Smucker’s Low Sugar jelly we’ve been using, but the amount of sugar the directions call for has given me pause. I want to reduce it, but am not sure if it will mess it up. I’d much rather use honey, though. Would you be willing to share about your experience?
Do you have a Ball canning book? If not, you can look up their recipes online. The low-sugar /no sugar pectin allows you to use honey, and tells you the amounts.
Yes I agree with Brandi…….You can do that….the low/no sugar pectin allows you to use honey instead. You can also use Pamonas pectin which is a natural honey and is very flexible with either sugar or honey. Also I did blueberry jelly and used honey only…….no sugar or pectin….it’s great!
Oh wow. That sounds delicious! I love honey–in fact way better than white sugar. It’s possible I’ve even been known to lick it from the spoon…
And I actually prefer muffins that are a little more “hearty”. None of this falling apart stuff. (I’m not sure if that makes my tastes very normal or not, but it’s the way it is :).
Lots and lots of real butter! But I don’t think that goes in the pantry. 😉
actually Jessica it is VERY VERY easy to CAN real butter for a shelf life of 2-3 years……I have done 24 pints already 🙂
Oh, Beth! Tell us how!
Never heard of canning butter. I have to know How to do this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmmyS7z1UNI Here’s the youtube video on it……there’s no water bathing involved…….nothing, nada……easy peasy……it will thrill/floor/stun you on how easy it is!! It did me :):):)
I would love to find out more about how to do this too! 🙂
Oh, wow! I can’t wait to check this out!
What is the benefit of canning butter? How long is it good for in the fridge without canning it? I’ve never seen butter on sale for a super cheap price so I’ve never bothered to stock up.
Dawn: what are the benefits of canning anything? Not only is it ready there, and you don’t have to purchase it…..but do you know how many times I have been in the middle of a huge baking day and run out of eggs or butter? Many! Not only does it save space in your fridge, etc…….I have been known to buy it if I see the Horizons on clearance or Aldi’s on sale…..because prices have skyrocketed…..I canned them when it was still $1.99 each!
This type of butter is called clarified, or ghee. I buy this type from the health food store for my child who can not have dairy. When you cook the butter, it removes the milk from it. It is probably cheaper to make this butter rather than buying it from the health food store.
I don’t can butter, but I do stock up when it’s on sale and store it in the freezer. 🙂
Love the butter conversation–I feel like I learned so much!
Either do I and don’t feel guilty at ALL!
I’ve never done this with butter, it was interesting to watch the video. Other sites suggest shaking the jars every 15 minutes to prevent separation. I’ve have powdered butter in a #10 that I purchased for our long term storage along with powdered honey. Here’s some info on “canning butter” from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, you’ll need to copy and past the url:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33