My mission is to inspire women and girls of all ages to engage in and enjoy the traditional feminine arts of the women before us. And to be womanly and feminine, if you so desire, and stand out in a world so opposed to this. Enjoying our femininity with no apologies.**

❤️Pantry Staples ~ Grocery Lists & More❤️

PictureMy grandmother, shopping in Mobile, Alabama in the 1940's.
I often think about the “old days” when I make my grocery list. I remember my grandmother talking about the “staples” they went and bought about once a month.
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Salt
  • Rice
  • Beans
Amazingly, they “got by” with these simple items…(These are just the ones I can remember, perhaps they bought a few other basic items) And they grew everything else they needed. They had a garden in the summer and fall, canning it all to last through the winter until Spring arrived and they would plant again. They also had milk cows that provided milk and she made their butter; chickens for eggs, meat, etc. The ice truck came by ever so often and they wrapped the ice in burlap, and placed it in something similar to a pie safe. It was called an Icebox. This is where they kept items such as leftover food, pies, cakes, etc. They placed milk in jugs and bottles in the spring* to keep it cold. (*A cold stream of water that poured out of the ground, and they dug a hole and dammed it up to keep some the water there.)
To give you a real good picture of their way of life, they even had to haul water from the spring and it was quite a ways from their house. They washed some of their clothes in another stream as well.

Augusta, Mississippi circa 1860
My husband’s great-grandmother wrote this: “Syrup was made from cane, and to get the sugar, the syrup was boiled low and then dripped through a sack. The sugar left in the sack was brown, but had a good flavor.”
 
Well, back to My Pantry List…I do try to be very frugal and attempt to mimic these “old ways” as best I can. My GOAL is to simplify by making some of these from scratch, such as mixes, dressings and such; and also growing MORE things! I also want to get a few goats for milk, cheese, and making goat milk soap. (UPDATE on the goats: We now have goats! Although no milkers right now.
UPDATE: Over the past few years, with concerns over GMO's, additives and other chemicals, my list has changed somewhat to include more organic products.
MY PANTRY:
  • Flour¹ (unbleached, unbromated*)
  • Sugar¹(brown (light and dark), unrefined, confectioners and white. I prefer organic, non-GMO*, but a bit pricey, and my family actually likes the old-fashioned white sugar for things like tea)
  • Coffee¹(whole beans ground in a coffee grinder tastes so much fresher)
  • Tea¹ (I try to buy Luzianne, or other local teas for sweet iced tea, but for hot teas I use Yogi, Red Rose black tea, organic green tea, and a few other choice teas.)
  • Salt¹(sea salt, pink Himalayan salt)
  • Rice¹(organic Basmati when I can find it on sale)
  • Beans¹(light red, big white lima beans and Anasazi beans)
  • Red potatoes* (We grew some this past summer, but we didn’t plant enough)…will be looking at possible ways to grow more and keep in cold storage—because the price of potatoes keep going up)
  • Russet potatoes*
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Onions
  • Shortening (vegetable, and I use this very sparingly)
  • Cooking oil¹(I try to buy by the gallon when I can, but the price has gone up. I like non-GMO peanut oil when I can find it on sale)
  • Oats¹(old fashioned-I buy the large container once a month)
  • Grits¹(regular) We had our own ground a couple of years ago, and I keep it in the freezer in thick gallon size freezer bags.
  • Pasta¹ spaghetti, egg noodles, large elbow macaroni, rotini, etc.
  • Cornmeal¹(Also had our own ground a couple of years ago-I freeze it like I do the grits)
  • All Purpose Flour¹(I want to start buying the 25 pound sacks if I can find it in that quantity in “unbleached”)
  • Baking Powder¹(I use the non-aluminum type: Rumford)
  • Baking Soda¹
  • Cornstarch¹
  • Spices¹(Herbs I grow: spearmint, horsemint, garlic, garlic chives; I also buy spices and herbs in bulk/large containers when I can).
  • Cocoa¹
  • Corona brand chocolate sticks w/sugar
  • Flavorings¹(vanilla, almond, and orange extract)
  • Cold cereals¹
  • Peanut butter¹
  • Crackers¹ (assorted-saltine, ritz, water crackers)
  • Popcorn 
  • Jello
  • Pudding Mixes (I have started making my own, Custard recipe HERE. This is a banana pudding recipe, but the custard can be made and eaten as simple pudding, as well.)
  • Marshmallows (Homemade or Kosher)
  • Nuts¹
  • Chili Mix¹ (I have started making my own)
  • Taco seasoning¹ (I have started making my own)
  • Salad dressing¹ (I have started making my own)
  • Canned milk ¹(evaporated and sweetened condensed milk) I tried homemade and it didn’t turn out well. Really yukky! lol
  • Canned vegetables¹ (green beans, red beans, refried beans, corn, tomatoes, vegetarian baked beans, mixed vegetables, asparagus, black olives, etc.) (Storebought and home canned)
  • Canned fruits¹peaches, pie fillings, mixed fruit for Ambrosia, pineapple)
  • Canned meats¹ (corned beef, tuna, sardines, jack mackeral, salmon, chicken)
  • Canned cream soups¹ (chicken, mushroom, celery) (I have started making my own)
  • Corn syrup (light and dark)
  • Cane syrup (local)
  • Honey (local)
  • Ketchup¹ Want to make homemade
  • Mayonnaise¹ Homemade at times
  • Hot sauce¹
  • Mustard (I bought some in bulk…was not really happy with the brand though, so will be more careful about this in the future!)
  • Pickapeppa sauce
  • Bar-b-que sauce¹ Also have a recipe for homemade
  • Worcestershire sauce¹
  • Pepper jelly (local)
I also make pickles, preserves, jams and jelly every year that will last until the next summer. These might include:
  • Blackberry jelly and jam
  • Pear preserves, light and heavy
  • Lime pickles
  • Dill pickles
  • My own version of “Wickles”
  • Figs (when I’m lucky enough to get some somewhere)
NOW, here is a list of refrigerated items as well as items I keep in the freezer:
PERISHABLES:
  • Milk (whole)
  • Half & Half
  • Butter (real)
  • Cheeses (shredded, and blocks)
  • Sour cream
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Cottage cheese
  • Flour tortillas¹
  • Lemon juice
  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Oranges
  • Apples
  • Mangoes
  • Fruit in season (strawberries, peaches, etc.)
  • Variety of vegetables (lettuces, celery, bell pepper, green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, rutabaga, etc.)
  • Eggs (we usually have our own from our chickens)
FREEZER:
  • Venison (sometimes we have this processed and packaged: sausage, back straps, and roasts)
  • Meats I find on sale (whole chickens, beef steaks and roasts)
  • Fish (fish we catch: freeze covered in water in plastic container)
  • Blackberries in gallon bags, quart bags (I save for making juice for jelly later if we run out)
  • Vegetables (butter beans, green baby lima beans, butter peas)
  • Corn (Corn we grow or someone gives us: creamed, corn on the cob, kernels) Freeze in the husk, just neatly trim ends and bag them up)
  • Squash (we grow or someone gives to us: zucchini and yellow summer squash-sliced, steamed with onions and frozen)
  • Field peas (We buy in bulk, sometimes we grow it or someone gives us some: blanched and frozen in quart freezer bags)
  • Okra (small ones left whole for peas and gumbo, larger size sliced for frying)
  • Bell peppers (diced or left whole)
  • Tomatoes (freeze whole)
  • Pecans (I leave in the shell, or crack them, keep whole as much as possible and chop when ready to use-they keep longer)
  • Peanuts (whole for boiling)
  • Other food I find on sale or buy in bulk
  • Bags of bread (leftovers and heels for bread crumbs and also extra bread when I buy it on sale)
  • Bags of cornbread (I freeze leftovers for making chicken and dressing)
  • Ice Cream (some I make, some store-bought)
  • ICE (I freeze ice in milk jugs, coke bottles, etc. in case power goes out, or when a storm hits we’ll have ice and it also helps keep the freezer cold longer if it is packed good)
CLEANING CLOSET:
  • Alcohol
  • Lemons
  • Baking Soda
  • White Vinegar
  • Town Talk Orange Polish
  • Bleach
  • Ammonia
  • Pine Oil
  • Murphy's Oil Soap
¹Bulk
*Medicine Cabinet:
I'm learning more and more to depend on food, herbs, spices and other natural remedies for healing and medicine. MORE HERE


This is a reprint of one of my old articles from way back.
*New notations.

❤️A Few of My Favorites❤️

PINEOLENE I personally knew the elderly woman from New Augusta, Mississippi that had one of the original recipes. I wish I had known at the time what a treasure it was, and got a copy of it. It can be purchased in some feed stores, farm supply stores, etc. locally.
The website is no longer available, but here is the address:
PINEOLENE, L.L.C. of PO BOX 47, HURLEY MS 39555-0047 
*In 2007, Chinese authorities pulled a batch of imported snack chips from store shelves because they believed the chips contained potassium bromate, a food additive banned in China. ... Potassium bromate is also illegal in the European Union, Canada, Brazil and elsewhere because it causes cancer in rats and mice.Mar 16, 2012
The Truth About Potassium Bromate | Bromated Flour - Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/36206-truth-potassium-bromate-food-additive.html
​*The Non-GMO Project: Home
https://www.nongmoproject.org/
GMO Potato Now Classified as High-Risk | FAQs
Note: Through glitches on the website, some information, articles, and recipes disappeared. Thankfully, I had a copy of everything and have been trying to replace the content as I can.
Disclaimer:
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**My focus is on writing content for women. I'm a woman, my ideas are mainly useful and geared toward women, but of course, anyone can read, peruse my content. I don't care to be gender-neutral, because I come from a background of mostly gender-specific lifestyle, with a few exceptions. I write from life-long experience. I had women role models, and men role models, not neutral. I write from where I have been all of my life. I will not change my wording to appease or pacify any specific group of people. If this offends you, I apologize. If this doesn't suit you - go find tips, recipes, and feminine/womanly lifestyle content elsewhere. From what I understand, fried chicken isn't gender-specific. A woman wearing a dress or skirt and an apron holding a platter of fried chicken is just a woman being herself. Isn't that what we all want is a choice to be ourselves? It's called freedom.
*Otherwise, please enjoy your visit, and come back often to view updates and the maze of links and goodies throughout this website! It is always a "Works in Progress", of which I truly enjoy creating.

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