Pantry Essentials: Ingredients For a Well Stocked Homestead Kitchen

I love when my beloved children or Farmer restlessly complain that there is nothing in the house to eat. It is their code for “its time to go to the grocery store.” The problem is… I take it as a personal challenge to show them how truly full of pantry essentials our homestead larder is. And to remind them that cooking on the homestead from scratch takes both time and a little creativity.

In our grab and go world, I see our well stocked pantry, as a step back in time. A source of pride and a nod to a time long ago. Sure we have staples that are only available to us now because of the world we live in. For example, I know for certain that my grandmothers did not cook with extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. But overall, I still envision their homestead pantries looking much the same.

My pantry essentials fall into two distinct groups. Staples that are longer lasting such as flour and olive oil. And those things that are perishable and must be refrigerated or frozen, such as dairy, meats, and fresh produce. As long as I have those pantry essentials on hand, I can cook delicious meals for days.

For now, let’s take a look at those pantry essentials that are shelf stable or often referred to as dry staples.

Dry Pantry Essentials for the Homestead Kitchen

Flours

I have to admit this is one area that is constantly changing for me here recently. I use to just keep the standard all-purpose white flour on hand. But with more information becoming available on gluten, and how it disrupts our health, I find myself exploring more whole grains, einkorn, or sour dough options.

It is much more cost effective to buy flours in bulk. That said, you should realize that flour can go bad. Whenever you open your flour bin, be sure to give it a good sniff. Flour should smell fresh, with no hint of rancidity.

Replenish flours every couple of months. And be sure to keep them out of sunlight and preferable in a cool location.

I also keep a small amount of tapioca flour on hand as a gluten free alternative to thickening soups, stews, and gravies.

My go to flours include:

unbleached, all-purpose flour
einkorn flour
whole wheat flour
tapioca flour

Sweeteners

When it comes to sweetness, everyone in my family except me, have notorious sweet tooths. This has made cooking healthy challenging at times. Don’t get me wrong, my family loves nature’s own sweets such as fruit. But Farmer has some fond memories tied to food, and many of those memories revolve around custards, pies, and cookies. Do you see the challenge?!?

I have learned over the years how to reduce refined sugar in most recipes. Instead I use other more natural sweeteners. And over time, I have found that the less sweets we have, the less we crave. Funny how that works.

When recipes only call for a couple of tablespoons of sugar, you can easily substitute honey or maple syrup. And when sugar is a must, reach for organic cane sugar. It has a much deeper flavor profile.

Honey and maple syrup really deserve their own category.

I always try to use local raw (unpasteurized ) honey. My supply depends heavily on local production.

Buying local honey made from flowers that are native to your local area is said to help fight minor hay fever and seasonal allergies. The honey kind of acts like an inoculation of pollen you will be naturally exposed to. Pretty cool, huh.

Because of where we live, we always buy our maple syrup in bulk. But I still secretly dream of a day that includes a row of sugar maples trees and buckets hung to harvest our own sweet sap.

More recently I have been testing out turbinado sugar. It is still a refined sugar (like all sugars sold) but it has not been bleached. The flavor is richer as it contains some of its natural molasses.

Sweeteners I keep on hand are:

local honey
maple syrup
organic cane sugar
turbinado sugar
refined sugar
powdered sugar (for the occasional decorating flare)
homemade brown sugar
molasses

Fats and Oils

When it comes to fats and oils, not including butter, there are four heavy hitters that you can always find in my pantry:

olive oil
avocado oil
coconut oil
lard

I keep a highly flavored extra virgin olive oil on hand to use in dressings, on salads, and as a finishing sauce. And of course for dipping warm mouthwatering bread into.

When it comes to sautéing I now prefer avocado oil. It is has a higher smoke point and is much more resistant to heat. It also works well for recipes that call for canola or vegetable oil.

I always keep organic virgin or cold press coconut oil on hand as well. Although a great substitution for butter in recipes, I keep it for smoothies and take a spoonful each morning for heath benefits.

Lard is a staple that, much like eggs, the health community loves to hate… I mean love… I mean hate. Make up your minds already.

Honestly, I believe lard got a bad rap when vegetable based shortenings first entered the scene. But that’s just my opinion.

At any rate, lard is a wonderful fat to have on hand. It makes absolutely delicious friend chicken, the flakiest pie crusts, and gives roasted vegetables an extra crisp.

Learn more about avocado oil or the differences between coconut oil and olive oil.

Dried Beans, Legumes, Seeds

I love having dried beans in my homestead pantry. Not only are they a pantry essential, they are a comfort food. Not exactly like mashed potatoes or macaroni n’ cheese. More like whatever happens, I am going to be alright, ‘cause I got dried beans on hand.

Beans are high in protein and full of vitamin B, minerals, iron, potassium, selenium, magnesium, and calcium. Best of all, they can be easily added to winter soups.

In addition to dried beans, I keep three other seeds specific for making soup. These include lentils, split pea, and barley. I also keep popcorn on hand because who knows when all of the family will be home and we can have an impromptu movie night.

Dried beans and seeds I keep on hand include:

black beans
cranberry beans
kidney beans
pinto beans
cannellini beans
lentils
split peas
popcorn

Rice

Like dried beans, rice is one of those foods that stores well and is fairly cheap. And one can survive for a very long time on rice and bean. Just sayin. 😉

I typically have four or five varieties on hand, including both short grain (for risotto) and long grain.

Rices in my pantry include:

basmati
arborio (for risotto)
wild blend
jasmine
white

Canned Goods

Because we eat mostly fresh in-season vegetables from the garden, I only rely on a handful of canned goods. A definite staple in our kitchen is canned tomatoes. Whether they are whole, diced, or sauced, I always have them on hand.

Of course my list changes each year depending on what I have readily available for preserving. But pantry staples I regularly preserve include:

tomatoes
green beans
saurkraut
beets
peaches
apple sauce
relishes
pickles

In addition, I will stock my homestead pantry with purchased cans of:

tomatoes
green beans
corn (for salads and breads)
olives

Pasta

Pasta is one of those pantry essentials that I go back and forth on. In an effort to reduce gluten in our diets, I have tried all sorts of packaged pasta alternatives.

So far nothing has wowed us enough to remain a pantry staple.

For now, we keep a few types of durum wheat pastas on hand and have learned to truly savor them every once in awhile. They include:

capellini (very thin spaghetti)
egg noodles
macaroni

Oats

Oats are a food staple that is rich in protein, vitamin E, antioxidants, and fiber. They make a great food to start your day… and they don’t taste too bad in cookies either.

I keep on hand both:

rolled oats
steel cut oats

Cornmeal and Polenta

We are very fortunate to live not far from Burwell-Morgan Mill, in Millwood, VA. They grind a variety of grains throughout the year, including corn, and it is a fun place to visit.

My family enjoys cornbread, corn cakes, and both creamy and fried polenta. I almost always have on hand:

cornmeal
corn grits
polenta

Vinegars

Like olive oils, there are so many great vinegars available that can just ever so slightly change the flavor profile of a dish. And like wine, who doesn’t want to give them all a try. 😉

If kept out of the sun, vinegars will last indefinitely. Although they can develop a cloudy mass (called a mother), this is harmless to both you and the vinegar.

Here are six great vinegars to keep on hand:

white
apple cider
red wine
white wine
sherry
balsamic

Salts

Remember how I said my family all have sweet tooths. As much as they love their sweets, I love my salts.

I switched to sea salts years ago and have since tried many different types and kinds. Sea salts contain trace minerals that are not only healthy but give it a stronger, saltier, more complex flavor.

I now keep three kinds of salt on hand.

Celtic sea salt
Himalayan pink sea salt
fleur de sel

First, is a very coarse gray Celtic sea salt, that is high in mineral content. I use this for salting boiling water and brines. Sometimes I will add it to the salt grinder for everyday use on the homestead.

Second, is fine ground Himalayan pink sea salt for seasoning and everyday use.

And less used, but essential, is flaky fleur de sel sea salt from France. I use this for finishing dishes and light top some breads before baking.

Learn more about the benefits of Celtic sea salt vs Himalayan salt.

Spices and Dried Herbs

In the summer months I try to create dishes that take full advantage of the herbs we have growing on the homestead. But once winter hits I much prefer their dried counterparts than purchasing “fresh” herbs at the grocery store.

Dried herbs I keep on hand include:

bay leaves
thyme
oregano
tarragon
herbs de Provence

When it comes to spices I have more in my pantry than I care to admit. I really need to go through and purge those I don’t use or that are more than 6-10 months old. I mean, really, when was the last time I used marjoram?

Spices will loose their, well, spice, as they age. You should always buy them in small quantities and replenish them often. Pepper should always be fresh ground as it will immediately start losing flavor.

Spices I keep on hand (and use) are:

black pepper corn
cayenne pepper
nutmeg
cinnamon
cloves
ground ginger
allspice
cumin
smoke paprika
sweet paprika
red pepper flakes
coriander
chipotle chili pepper
cardamom

Mustards

Whether for dipping sausages, creating marinades, or whipping up dressings, mustard is definitely a pantry essential.

I tend to keep two types of mustard on hand:

Dijon mustard
whole grain

Baking Powder and Baking Soda

Both baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents and essential to a well used kitchen. A great pantry is always stocked with these essential.

baking powder
baking soda

I recommend purchasing baking powder without sodium aluminum sulfate, which gives food a metallic taste.

Vanilla

Ah, the sweet smell of vanilla. When it comes to vanilla, I keep on hand both:

pure vanilla bean extract
whole vanilla beans

Vanilla beans are becoming easier to find and work well in custards and ice cream. You can even use them to make your own vanilla extract.

When purchasing vanilla extract, make sure to get only pure vanilla bean extract.

Yeast

Yeast is that wonderful thing that makes bread so wonderful! And no proper pantry should be without:

active dry yeast

As wonderful as yeast is, it will eventually expire. So to extend its life by several months, I always keep stored in air tight container in the freezer:

Jams, Jellies, and the like

I guess I could have included jams under “canned foods” above, but somehow these delectable staples seemed like they needed their own explanation.

I always keep a variety of jams, marmalades, and fruit chutneys on hand. They work well on tarts, pancakes, toast, or even the grand babies favorite, PBJ’s.

Jams I include as pantry essentials are:

strawberry
apricot
orange marmalade
plum chutney
peach

Chocolate and Cocoa Powder

With winter now at our door steps, this is one pantry essential you cannot do without. I keep several different types of cooking chocolate on hand including semisweet and dark chocolate chips, baking chocolate, and dutch processed cocoa powered for homemade hot chocolate.

Chocolate you will find in my pantry (not including my well hidden Belguin chocolates):

semisweet chocolate chips
dark chocolate chunks
baking chocolate bars
cocoa powder

Storage

For both practicality sake and to keep pests at bay, I transfer most of my dry goods into air tight containers once I get them home. Each container is then labeled with what is inside.

Although my children love to roll their eyes at my neatly lined up pantry storage containers, there is a reason I took such care in organizing my pantry. Aside from aesthetics. One quick glance and know instantly what needs to be restocked. Boom! Mic drip!

But let’s talk about aesthetics too. If any part of your pantry is open, having pretty storage containers will not only add to your decor, but make your space that much more inviting. And given that my kitchen is my happy place, why shouldn’t it also be inviting.

I have a confession to make…. Right now many of my bulk items are in plastic containers. In a quest to have less plastic in our lives, I am hoping to replace those with glass jars this winter.

Summary

I am sure there are a few other one-offs that you will find in my homestead pantry on a regular bases (such as peanut butter for the grandchildren) but the above items represent 99% of the dry staples that make up my pantry essentials.

And let’s face it. A well stocked and organized pantry is essential for homesteading, where homemade, meals from scratch are regularly on the menu.

Did I miss one of your favorite pantry essentials? Drop me a comment below.

Is it totally geeky to enjoy talking about one’s larder?!? I must be a home cooking thing! 😉

Pantry Essentials: Ingredients For a Well Stocked Homestead Kitchen