Showing posts with label containers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label containers. Show all posts

2/4/10

Reorganized Reader


One of my blog readers decided to jump in
& make her kitchen life a little easier.
She shared a couple of photos with me, so I'm sharing with you.
Even very small pantries can be nice & neat with a variety of foods.
Glass jars & a labeler will work wonders for a girl!

ABOVE - "BEFORE"
BELOW - "AFTER"

GREAT JOB!!!

11/4/09

My New FAVORITE Pantry Storage!!!

I've had cases of canning jars for over 10 years that have sat there... and sat there... and sat there... These have now become my very favorite storage system for my kitchen pantry, in the whole wide world!

I keep powders, salt, grains, rice, beans, sprouting seeds, dehydrated veges & fruits, & tons of other stuff in them. I use both quart and pint size.

Since they're glass, they won't absorb flavor or odor. They're see through, which makes for easy locating - And they're pretty!!!

They're the same size, & the wide mouth, especially, are stackable (either size could be stacked in 2's, but no more... for safety purposes, of course)

The size of the openings makes them pourable AND scoopable, and best of all... THEY'RE CHEAP!

I'm so addicted now. I went to Walmart & purchased a ton of white plastic jar lids. Cause they're one piece, and they're pretty too! They were on sale a couple weeks ago for $1.50 a box. I think there are 8 lids per box.

Try it. You'll love it!



5/7/09

I have returned :)

After several months of being addicted to Facebook, I have returned to my little blogging world. Let's see if I keep up with it this time. Who knows... We're hopeful, right?

Here are a few recent pics of some of my storage/organizing tactics:


I picked up one of those really cool steel commercial restaurant shelving units from Costco the other day. It has customizable shelves & panels to keep items from falling off. Each shelf holds up to 600 pounds!

I'm continuously reorganizing my pantry. Seems like I'm always looking for a better solution. I do keep my #10 cans up on the top shelf, because I don't use them often, it's out of the way, & there's TONS of room up there.

I finally purchased Gamma Lids! It took me forever to do it, because I didn't want to pay shipping... Then our Walmart finally got them in stock. I LOVE them & recommend them to everyone!!! They are the best. Air tight seals & screw off lid - can't get any better than that! I just refill the buckets in my pantry when they get empty, & I always have access to my most used things - (flour, sugar, oatmeal, rice, etc...)

If you don't have them, you gotta get them!

10/2/08

Winter Gardening?


Did you know you can have a garden year round? Now, you might not want to plant corn inside, or you'll have stalks up to your ceiling... but there are several things that are great for planting in your house. Here is a chart that provides basic information on container/indoor gardening:

AND DON'T FORGET THOSE SPROUTS & HERBS -
THEY TAKE UP VERY LITTLE ROOM!

Keep your plants near a window, preferably on a south facing wall...(More heat & more light)


GROWING VEGETABLES IN CONTAINERS:

1* Vegetable Name

2* Light Requirement (see FS/PS info below)

3* Minimum Container Size

4* Distance (inches) between plants in container

5* Days from Seed to Harvest

6* Comments

----------
FS = Full sun
FS/PS = Full sun/Part shade
PS = Partial shade
------------------------------

Beans, bush
FS
2 gal.
2-3"
45-60 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Beets
FS/PS
1/2 gal.
2-3"
50-60 days
Thin plants when 6 to 8 inches tall

Carrots
FS/PS
1 qt.
2-3"
65-80 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Cabbage
FS/PS
5 gal.
12-18"
65-120 days
Requires fertile soil

Chard, Swiss

FS/PS
1/2 gal.
4-6"
30-40 days
Harvest leaves for long yield

Cucumbers

FS
5 gal.
14-18"
70-80 days
Support vining types

Eggplant
FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
75-100 days
Requires fertile soil

Kale
FS/PS
5 gal.
10-15"
55-65 days
Harvest leaves

Lettuce, leaf

PS
1/2 gal
4-6"
30-35 days
Harvest leaves

Mustard greens

PS
1/2 gal.
4-5"
35-40 days
Several plantings, two-week intervals

Onions
FS/PS
1/2 gal.
2-3"
70-100 days
Require lots of moisture

Peppers

FS
2 gal.
1 plant per container
110-120 days
Require hot weather

Radishes

FS/PS
1 pint
1"
25-35 days
Several plantings, weekly intervals

Squash

FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
50-60 days
Plant only bush type

Tomatoes
FS
5 gal.
1 plant per container
55-100 days
Stake and prune or cage

Tomatoes,
cherry

FS
1 gal.
1 plant per container
55-100 days
Helps to stake and prune

Turnips
FS/PS
3 gal.
2-3"
30-60 days
Harvest leaves and roots

7/19/08

My Perfect Containers

I'm not sure there really is any one perfect container. I've always been an organizing fanatic, but I'm also never really satisfied with my methods. I'm ALWAYS trying new things! Finally, I have found something that works for my pantry.

Now, the "perfect" pantry container, I believe, is the "Click 'n Flip" container, sold at www.simplylivingsmart.com - however - they are approx. $5 each. So as I said in my previous post... BABY STEPS!

If you're like me & need to work slowly towards the bigger & better things, you'll want to start cheap! Right? I think I've found a solution!

Look at these containers from Walmart!



They're almost 1 gallon, square, stackable, see through, and the best part... THEY'RE ONLY A DOLLAR! They come in a 2 pack & are in the disposable Glad Lock/Zip Lock containers section (near the kitchen gadgets/cookware section)

I store my basics in these. So far, here's what I keep in these wonderful containers:

Sugar
Brown Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Powdered Milk
Marshmallows
Baking Cocoa
Baking Powder
Corn Starch
Cream Of Wheat (Farina)
Grits (A Southern Thang!)
Quick Oats
Regular Oats
Whole Wheat Flour
Gluten Flour
Barley
Bulgur (more on that later)
Pop Corn Kernels
Potato Pearls (scroll down to find out what this is!)
Other Instant Mixes (which I'll also talk about later)


POTATO PEARLS? What are those? They're the next best thing since sliced bread! Maybe? I get mine from my church dry pack cannery OR Costco! They are little pearls of dehydrated mashed/instant potatoes with butter flavor, and they're sooo yummy! My kids love them, and you can even eat them as a snack right out of the box!

Just mix with a little hot water, & they're ready to go! I don't really like instant potatoes, but I LOVE these! They are MUCH better than the typical instant ones. we've even eaten them without gravy, cause they're so good!

In these containers below, I store my dry beans. They're a little more expensive, but they're heavier duty & have a screw on lid & indented sides for easy holding/pouring.

Beans I store in these containers are:

Great White Northern (perfect bean for grinding into flour)
Pinto Beans
Black Beans
Black Eyed Peas
Kidney Beans
Small Red Beans
Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
Lentils




And finally, we have the good ol' plastic see through shoe box! But those aren't food grade, are they?

Well, good question... A lot of people I've talked to wonder the same thing. Until we know for sure, I don't store open food directly in the boxes. I store packaged items in there... Small things that normally don't have a "place of their own"... You know, those things that get thrown wherever they fit & often lost?

For example:

Soup Mix
Sauce Packets
Seasoning Packets
Ranch Dressing Packets
Shake 'n Bake
Oriental Noodles
Jello Boxes
Kool Aid Packets
Extra Restaurant Condiment Packets
Etc...




*All of these storage containers are less than $2 each, and let me tell you, I use these items soooo much more, now that they're organized & I can see them! Buy what you can in bulk, & keep enough in these containers to last for about 2-3 months. It's great!