the graff-n-shop

My friend Becky, challenged her blog friends to a food storage reveal. So here is mine. It is affectionately deemed the graff-n-shop by our neighbors who know they can always call at any hour for a bottle of apple juice, box of lasagna noodles, bag of powdered sugar and many other various and sundry items. The mere sight of the shelves has stopped many a visiting neighbor child in their tracks!

I keep everything that isn't open or currently in use on these shelves. (In addition I have a separate freezer, a full pantry and fridge). It works out great though. I buy when things are on sale and then I buy alot- it does stretch the budget and save many trips to the store. When I bring in my groceries home, the only things that make it upstairs are perishables. The rest stops here and awaits labelling. I label things with dated stickers (my kids job is to help unload bags and stick the stickers on, then they are stocked on the shelves).

It looks overwhelming to people but it really is the easiest thing! I love it because I can cook whatever strikes my fancy that day and about 100 other things. I like to have a lot of food. As roommates in college can attest I NEVER have bare shelves. I keep alot of pantry storage (15 boxes of cereal, 25 cake mixes, snacks, crackers or so) basically 3-10 or more of whatever we eat/use like (bbq sauce, spices, syrups), then more meal stuff like canned tomatoes, pasta, fruits and veggies, as well as long term stuff like rice and wheat (which I use for my tasty homemade bread). We store most of the food on 3 gorilla shelves. The bulk stuff (like rice, wheat, etc) in poly buckets (sugar and flour in ones with gamma lids) and boxes of #10 cans (for things like cornmeal, hot cocoa mix, etc) behind the shelves. We have just added the new wooden shelves on the left which now house canning equipment, grinders, emergency supplies, and some of my frequently accessed buckets. I keep a full compliment of baking stuff as well. As you can see in a time of crisis not only could I survive but I could open a bakery serving up 30 varieties of cookies.

It gives me alot of peace to know I can feed my family for along time if times got tight. Finding a good organizational system and storing what you eat, makes all the difference. I tell people just keep shopping and storing but just think you're doing in a few months before you'll eat it! It's really not that hard- as the phrase goes- Just do it!

superlatives for my food storage...

most likely to surprise you?- probably hominy but it makes this awesome soup

most loved by my kids? a case of cox's honey from idaho

most likely to never reach the full measure of it's creation? beans

best time savers? gamma lids, label stickers

most rotated? must I admit chocolate chips!

My thankful 3 for today

1. school supplies done

2. reading to my boys

3. my food storage