How to Stock Your Pantry for Winter
The air has started to get colder and everyone seems to be starting to stock up during the winter months. However, what are they stocking up on? Don’t miss out on this time to stock your pantry for winter. Once winter hits, it can be hard to get everything you need! If you start now, you can find what you need at the store and be prepared when cold weather hits.
“Prepare Your Family For Survival” by Linda Loosli
Related Topic: Quick And Easy Refried Beans
Stock Your Pantry for Winter
Winter can be long and cold. Instead of suffering through it, at least make sure you have good food to eat. I am hopeful that things will be plentiful for winter, so if I need something I can just go out and buy it at my local store. However, we are not about taking risks around here, we prep and prepare. I like to do the hard work for you and help you stock your pantry for winter. Here are the items you will find in my pantry. In case you missed this post, How To Store Your Food Storage
Beans
If you have a pantry, then you can’t even fathom leaving beans off of the list. Beans are a staple in so many ways. They are also one of the cheapest items you can buy to store in your pantry. My advice to you is to stock up on beans, all the different varieties, and put them in your pantry for this winter. They are fantastic for nutrition, a good source of protein, and they tend to give you that feeling of being full!
Grains
Whether it’s oatmeal, quinoa, wild rice, couscous, or whatever else you come across, you will need grains in your pantry. Grains will keep you going and help to keep you as full as possible! When you are at the store next time, try and stock up on whatever grains are on sale. I will always preach about putting grains in your pantry for wintertime and beyond.
Nuts and Seeds
Two of my personal favorite items are nuts and seeds. Stocking up on these items is not only a good idea to fulfill your nutrition needs, but nuts and seeds are always tasty. You don’t have to buy the super expensive nuts, you can buy what’s on sale. Keep in mind that nuts are oil and will go rancid quickly. Please store them in your freezer to be safe. Adding these to your list will be an excellent idea:
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Hemp seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Pine nuts
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- …and whatever else you enjoy!
Oils
One thing you can’t forget this winter for your pantry is oil of various kinds. It’s truly fascinating how many different oils are available now. You can easily buy them and store them in your pantry for this winter. Keep in mind that there is no wrong or right oil you can have in your pantry. Choose one that fits in your budget and one that your family enjoys.
- Sesame oil
- Canola oil
- Olive oil
- Vegetable oil
- Coconut Oil
Nut Butters
A favorite to have in any pantry is the nut butter. You can truly find a ton of different nut butter options to store in your pantry. My favorite nut butter is plain old peanut butter. However, you can stock whatever nut butter or seed butter that you’d like.
- Smooth peanut butter
- Crunchy peanut butter
- Almond butter
- Sunflower seed butter
- Cashew butter
- Coconut butter
- Walnut butter
- Hazelnut butter
As you can see, the list goes on and on. Choose a nut butter that is within your budget but also something that your family will eat! Don’t forget to pick up some jellies and jams to go along with your peanut butter and other nut butter choices.
Other Items to Stock
When you are trying to stock your pantry for winter, you may be wondering what else you can stock. Learning how to stock the proper items means you need to know WHAT will go in your pantry and keep safely:
- Pasta – I know you get tired of hearing about stocking up pasta, but it’s totally worth it!
- Vinegar – There are several different kinds of vinegar you can make sure you have in your pantry this winter.
- Dried fruit – Another fun item to stock up on for winter are the dried fruits. You can find lots on the shelves this time of year.
- Sugars
- Spices
- Herbs
- Potatoes
- Canned soups
Tips for Stocking Your Pantry for Winter
Now that you know what to stock in your pantry for winter, you may be wondering HOW people do it. I can tell you that most people don’t just go out and spend hundreds of dollars to stock their pantry. It’s a gradual thing. Here are some tips you need to know.
Start Now
Don’t wait until winter hits to start stocking that pantry, start stocking up now. Whenever you go to the store, buy a few items and add them to your pantry. You’ll thank yourself that you started stocking up now and didn’t wait.
Keep Inventory
It’s vital that you know what’s in your pantry for winter. Keep an inventory so you know! If you have a list telling you what you have and don’t have, then it’s easier to shop. Inventory isn’t as hard to keep as you might think. You could generate an inventory using Word or Excel, or good old ledger paper.
Buy Stuff You Will Eat
Don’t buy items just to buy them. Buy items that your family will actually enjoy eating on a regular basis. If your family won’t eat peanut butter, don’t buy it. Spend your time and money buying items your family will consume and enjoy.
These tips will help you stock up your pantry for winter and know HOW to stock it. Don’t worry about what you can’t afford, focus on what you can afford!
Final Word
When it comes to stocking your pantry for winter, don’t skimp. Make a list of everything you want and need in your pantry and go for it. Even if you live on a budget, you can grab 1-2 items a week and have a nice stockpile for winter. We are blessed to live in a time in which we can easily stock for winter. May God Bless this world, Linda.
Copyright Images: Winter Landscape through a window Deposit photos_22524069_s-2019
We keep all of these things, year round in our pantry. I keep Vegetable juice on hand, especially in winter. We use it in soups and stews. And canned tomatoes. I also keep beans of the types we eat. Oh don’t forget rice. You need that in your pantry.
Hi Deborah, wow, I never thought to use vegetable juice for soups, duh!! Great tip! Mark and I eat a lot of beans and rice and soup. I’m making some refried beans in tortillas tonight with thinly chopped/sliced cabbage, mayo (sounds weird, but good) and cheese. And of course, SALSA! Life is so good! Linda
Linda, that sounds good. Except for the mayo. I don’t eat it.
The vegetable juice gives you a little different taste than plain tomato juice. We love it. I like to drink it, too. The Spicy is too hot for me so I mix half and half when I do drink it. Or just put some Tabasco in the plain. Just enough to taste.
Do you make your own salsa?
Hi Deborah, it’s not really mayo, it’s called Mexican Crema (sour cream) I should have explained that! I made salsa and bottled it for years, I only do about 12 pints a year now. I buy a lot of salsa and taco sauce. I love Mexican anything, Linda
Well, that makes more sense. LOL I’ve made salsa, too. We don’t eat it a lot, so I usually buy ours. Mild, of course. I do love the homemade, uncooked best.
We keep nectar juices like mango & guava, not only to drink, but to marinate meat & add to crockpot surprise. Both of these tenderize meats, as well as add a bit of sweet zing to the gravy.
Hi BDN, oh my goodness, I never thought to do this in a crockpot with nectar! I LOVE hearing this! Linda P.S. I LOVE gravy….
Linda, when I lived in the Philippines, my friend taught me that many of the tropical fruits will tenderize & flavor tougher cuts of meat. My husband is not fond of spicy flavors, but he likes the mango & guava flavors.
Lita also taught me to make this most delicious coconut salad. I still make it when I get fresh young coconuts.
Hi BDN, wow, we can learn so much from one another. I love it! Linda
I have kept my pantry stocked year-round for most of my adult life. Growing up with very little food has left me very aware of how important it is to plan ahead and prepare. Linda, your list is excellent, as always.
Hi Paula, oh wow, I have never been to Kansas! Thank you for your kind words. I LOVE hearing stocking food is a way of life for you! LOVE IT!! Linda
I just went to Walmart yesterday here in Maine and to my delightful surprise, they had plenty of canned goods back on the shelf. So seeing that as my cue, I grabbed a few flats of vegetables as well as cream soups that I cook with a lot in the winter. I was so pleased with my finds. I left Walmart with approximately $60 worth of canned goods.
Audrey, what a great thing! $60 worth of veggies is quite a few veggies! You go girl!
Hi Audrey, wow!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing this! $60.00 worth of canned goods! Love it, Linda
I am in the process of rearranging my canned/boxed goods and updating my inventory. Sometimes I get a bit off track with marking things off when I use them!!
For winter cooking, I not only keep beans and rice but also I keep plenty of things for baking – flour, yeast, sugar, etc., for the holiday baking.
Hi Leanne, it feels so good to know we have our pantries stocked. I LOVE baking!! Linda
You are right about beans. I can use them in anything including making fudge. I taught that in my final Master Food Preserver class and then at at a preparedness fair . I made over 1,000 pieces for those at the fair. In both cases, I had some very surprised people. It really tastes like fudge. See ” I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storeage” on how to use cooked beans in baked goods in place of oil including bread, cookies and cake . Everything comes out moist and flavorful and no one will know your secret ingredient!
Hi Cheryl, it’s all about cooking from scratch and not being afraid to try experimenting in the kitchen. I love hearing you made 1000 pieces of fudge!! Love it! Linda
Hello, is it possible I could get the recipe?
Hi Cheryl, do you happen to have a link to “I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage” so I can get some recipes for the above mentioned baked goodies? Thanks in advance, Lupe.
Hi Lupe, here is the link to that book: https://amzn.to/3oYDc4f
Hi Linda, A week or so ago, you talked about using a spice cake mix and canned pumpkin to make a cake. Could you please tell me the exact ingredients and how to make it? Found the spice cake mix at Walmart.
Thanks,
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, yes, it’s Leanne’s recipe. One cake mix (Spice) and one 19-ounce can pumpkin puree (not pie mix). Combine, fill 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. They are super moist! Linda
Linda, I remember you saying you tend to go over the top….or get carried away when it comes to preparing, which I thought couldn’t be possible, until it happened to me…. I am under strict orders from my husband NOT to buy anything more for the freezer…..but I can’t help it! I LIKE the idea of staying safe and healthy at home as this pandemic rages. I like curbside pickup so much, that I will probably use it long after Covid19 is only a terrible memory. I like the secure feeling from knowing that when the snow comes we can stay warm and dry at home.
Hi Chris, oh my gosh, I just got back from Walmart pickup. It was NOT CURBSIDE, so be careful when you order. I hadn’t used the curbside pickup for a few months and I clicked store pick up somehow. Dang, I had to go in and find the large orange tower and use my phone with the barcode from their email. It ended up being kind of nice because I didn’t have to walk through the aisles. But I sure like the curb side better. Life is good and I’m good for a few more months. COVID has changed our way of shopping. I never liked shopping before but this way the store does all the walking. Gotta love it! Linda
I have made that same mistake once with Target. Fortunately, when I called the front desk, they brought the order out. I will be doing the majority of our fresh/frozen needs thru the winter months from Target, mainly because it is closer, doesn’t require a minimum order, and my Target card give a 5% discount. Stay safe and healthy.
Hi Chris, I need to try Target, thanks for the reminder. I like to use their order ahead and pickup inside. I may try their groceries. Great tip! Linda
Hi Linda, Thanks for the speedy reply. Golly that cake recipe couldn’t get any more simple and I love the idea of cupcakes instead of a big cake. Thanks so much.
You are so welcome!!
Oh, and don’t forget to stock-pile chocolate chips! Costco again has its 51% cacao chips…sheer heaven! It seems that I am baking up choc chip cookies every weekend only to give them away to my old quilting buddies and pals from Relief Society. Funny thing is, their husbands do a little pouting if I don’t bring along extras….You can never have too many friends!
Chop up some walnuts or pecans and then roast them in butter on the stove BEFoRE you cream the sugars, etc. That gives the nuts time to cool down and not melt those lovely chips when added last. A wee bit of almond extract is another secret ingredient.
Caution! Hide the chips from any and all teenagers. Mine occupy several drawers in an old metal filing cabinet which holds no interest at all. If they only knew!
All is Safely Gathered In….
With love from S Oregon,
Shirley
Hi Shirley, oh my gosh, the secret ingredient and the way you do the nuts roasted in butter!! YUMMY! The filing cabinet is the best! Now, I need to go get some of those chocolate chips from Costco!! Life is so good! Linda
Hi Linda, as usual you do not disappoint. I have been reading and saving your posts for awhile to go back to when needed. With winter coming (and gosh knows what else…Zombies?) I am getting in a few more staples. I recently bought hard white wheat just in case the flour in my area is gone and can’t be replaced any time soon (it happened in March and took until July to be replaced). But, now I need a hand grinder and an electric one. Is there one of each you like better than others? I would value your opinion and recommendation.
Hi Pam, I have been blessed to try four different electric wheat grinders. I used a hand grinder for years. Then I bought my first electric wheat grinder, it was an electric L’Equip NutriMill. They run about $250.00 or so. Reasonable and I used it for about ten years. Then a company sent me an electric KOMO Classic, it’s a huge improvement but it also costs $500.00 ( the company shipped one to me to write a review about, I Love it). I was sent an electric WonderMill wheat grinder as well. It actually was a great little unit. I wrote a review about that one and got to keep it as well. They run about $250.00. I have used my BlendTec and Vitamix for small amounts with the appropriate blender containers. I make way too much bread to grind it in one of those but if you only make one loaf they would work. Now onto hand crank wheat grinders. Because I’m an avid bread maker and I’ve been making bread for over 50 years, I really wanted to get the best. I bought a GrainMaker, you need to know that a hand wheat grinder can make cereal and grind other grains. Each one is specific as to which grain. Some hand grinders have bicycle attachments if you want to spend the money. I have used the Wondermill Junior Grain Mill. They run about $250.00. They are excellent but any hand crank needs some muscles. In my opinion, if you have never had a wheat grinder, I would start with an electric. I grind enough wheat for 30 days or so and immediately freeze it to keep the nutrients and so it doesn’t go rancid. I would purchase either a NutriMill or Wundermill electric one. If you have a little more money I would buy a KOMO Classic. I believe we will see a lot of wheat grinders sold on FaceBook Market Place or Craigslists after the second wave of COVID pushed through. I’m only guessing but a lot of people bought wheat grinders, Dehydrators, and Pressure Canners because people may not be into “making bread” or “canning”, etc. We will see brand new ones for sale. I hope I explained this well enough. I love love love making bread. I have so many no-fail recipe. If your ingredients are fresh you can make bread. Linda
Linda, thank you for your insight. I will explore all the options you suggested. Thank you again!
Hi Pam, thank you so much! We can do this! Linda