Pantry Love

When my dear husband began to build our house, he asked me what I wanted. I had three things I dreamed of. A window seat, an open staircase, and a pantry. I have clear memories of my Aunt Betty's pantry from my childhood. She lived in a "mill house" duplex. The house was old and she had a small room off of her kitchen where she kept all of her dishes and what few groceries she had on hand.

As Mike framed in the house, we spent quite a bit of time in the raw space making decisions about where things would go. I am blessed to be married to a very accomplished carpenter! In the end I have a sweet little pantry in my kitchen. My daughter calls it a "step in" pantry because I wanted a walk-in pantry but there wasn't enough space for that. I love it. Every morning it's the first place I go (to make coffee!)

Who knew when Mike built my little pantry that it would become such a place of focus? In an effort to be prepared for the coming winter, both seasonally and the potential economic winter, we are going to stock up. There are all sorts of lists on-line to help decide what should go in a pantry. Every one's needs are different. I don't have small children at home so I don't need to stock up on things little ones will eat.

I do have a couple of creative projects for my pantry. We have radiant heat. I found that I couldn't keep my potatoes and onions on the floor. So I am planning to make fabric storage bags to hang under the shelves. Also, as I took photos, I realized that there is a seriously bare space above the decorative shelves Mike tucked into the back wall. (I also need to mend a couple of things I broke recently while dusting--boy, did that make me mad!! Thankfully they were thrifting finds. Probably didn't cost me a dollar!) Oh! And I have some really sweet shelf liner. It's nice to live in a time where a practical place can be a pretty one as well.

I saw on the news in the last few days that the Vermont Food Bank expects 25 to 50 percent of the citizens of this state may need food assistance this winter. Too many people here have to choose between food and heat. I will be sure to remember those folks when I do my pantry shopping and make a donation to the local food shelf.