How to Organize Your Homestead with a Planner

One of the biggest struggles for Modern Homesteaders is figuring out good time-management strategies.

One of the questions that I get frequently asked is: “How do you do it all? or How do you juggle all these things?” At the end of the day, I don’t claim to have it all figured out, and there are a lot of things I opt-out of and things I say no to.

There are a lot of different things that I do in my life to maintain good time management, and I’ve talked about many of them before:

• Practical Ways We Save Time on Our Homestead
• My Top 10 Homesteading Time Management Tips
• How to Cook From-Scratch With Limited Time
• How I (Don’t) Do It All

However, my #1 favorite secret weapon for keeping all of the balls in the air (most of the time) is my paper planner. This is kind of like my security blanket that helps me organize my homestead and it is never too far from my side.

I thought it would be fun to tell you about the ways I really put my planner to use around our homestead and for all the different aspects of our lifestyle.

Love to listen instead of read? Tune in to my podcast episode here:

Best Tip: Planning Ahead to Help Stay Organized on The Homestead 

There are a lot of little tricks that I have adopted over the years, but I would say one of the biggest pieces that help me organize my homestead is to PLAN AHEAD.

Honestly, what it all boils down to is I love a lot of things. There are a lot of aspects of life that are very exciting and motivating to me. I want to be involved with a lot and there are a lot of different avenues to go down. Planning ahead is one of the ways that I do everything without losing my marbles.

Over the years when trying to keep things organized on the homestead, there have been a lot of instances where I’m super glad that I like to plan ahead. One example that sticks out in my head is when we had our fair activities in the summer. The fair is quite the undertaking; we live at the fairgrounds for a week with a steer, the horses, the kids, and everything else involved with our fair activities. It is a lot, and for one week we live and breathe fair life.

This particular year, we were scheduled to host a horsemanship clinic on our property with only a few days in between the clinic and the times at fair. The clinics are super fun and we love putting them on but that means keeping things clean and getting things ready. We also cooked lunch for everyone and had company staying with us during the clinic. 

We came home from the fair, and had to plan menus and there was plenty of cleaning to do. There were also some things with our businesses that we were getting ready to launch and school was right around the corner.

It was this kind of perfect storm of all things. Honestly, there were definitely a couple of days during that two or three-week stretch where I was like “there is a lot to do right now” but I never really got to the point where I was freaking out. This is because I PLAN AHEAD, I started by planning my rough menus for the horsemanship clinic before we went to the fair.

When you plan ahead, you don’t need to have everything completely ironed out, but it helps to just have some basic ideas planned out ahead of time. The process of thinking ahead about what I’m going to need and be prepared for is something I have learned over the years.

Planning ahead is a big deal for me. It may sound way too simplified but it really helps and I really believe that it is a big step to keep things organized.

The Best Tool to Use to Organize Your Homestead

There are a million different styles and ways to organize your homestead and life. Some people really love digital stuff: they use spreadsheets, apps, and the calendar on their phone. There is nothing wrong with any of those options, you just have to figure out what works for you.

It really comes down to what you are going to use! You can have the best paper planner or the best app in the world but if it’s not something that feels simple for you to use, you’re not going to use it.

I personally prefer using a paper planner, as you all know by now that I have a little bit of an old-fashioned streak. I have tried the digital time management options, but they haven’t really felt right for me. I think it’s because when I write it down with a pen, things stick in my brain a little bit better. I don’t know if everyone is like that but that’s how I am.

Of course, having an online business and doing a lot on the computer requires me to track some things online. Even though I spend time on the computer, I have this phenomenon where I can type something out in the notes app, Google Drive, or on a Word document and it doesn’t stick in my brain. There have been more than a few times where I have been going through old documents on my computer and been like “Oh my gosh, I wrote this stuff three years ago and I don’t recall doing it”.

I just can’t seem to remember things that have been typed out as well. That is one of the reasons that a paper planner like the one I created (FOR homesteaders BY a homesteader), The Old-Fashioned On Purpose Planner, makes sense for me.

Using The Right Pens Matter…

Before I talk about my Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner (and how to use planners in general for organizing homesteading stuff), let’s take a brief moment to talk about pens.

If you’ve never been into the world of paper planners, then allow me to explain: people can get really nerdy about pens. I am raising my hand as part of that club because the right pens really do matter. The wrong pen on a planner just doesn’t feel right.

Personally, I have high standards for pens, my favorite pens are erasable because I don’t like scribbling out in the planner. I realize a lot of the things I’m saying right now are making me sound a little crazy and that’s fine. I just had to be honest about how I don’t like scribble planners and I don’t like wrong pens (and I assume that hopefully, I’m not the only one…).

My favorite pens are called Frixion pens, they are available at most office supply stores. There is a multicolor pack that I usually buy. Recently, I discovered that the Frixion brand also makes erasable highlighters. This is not an ad for Frixion pens; I just really like them, go check them out or use whatever type of pen makes you happy. Whatever suits you is what you need!

Ways I use a Planner to Organize My Homestead

There are a million planners and lots of ways to use a planner. I just wanted to take you through just some of the ways I use my planner for homesteading. These are just some of the little things I’ve come up with over the years that help me stay on track.

Using Weekly Spreads

First off for me, the weekly spreads are definitely the most used portion of my planner. Some really lean heavily on the month at glance, that’s cool I just don’t. I have found that I don’t look at them as much as I do my weekly spreads. My personal preference is a planner that has each day of the week broken down into hourly blanks.

Hourly Breakdowns are Important

In the past, I have purchased planners where Monday was just one big white box of space. The empty space seemed harder for me and I always had to know when specific times were. I found it easier to plan for the different things that happen throughout the day to have a planner that has the hours written in.

Use Time Blocking to Organize Your Homestead

The easiest way for me to use those hourly blanks is as a time block for tasks. I like to use my highlighters or sometimes I’ll just use my pen and draw a bracket around specific time frames I’m blocking for tasks.

Putting tasks together within the time blocks is something that I try to do that helps me. If I am constantly switching tasks, bouncing around throughout the day, and doing things in 15-minute increments it takes more time. When I batch things whether it’s recording podcasts, cooking, meal prep, or cleaning the house it is just more efficient. This is where I will bracket those tasks out into my planner. 

When to Add Items and Checkboxes

At the beginning of each week, usually Sunday evening or Monday morning I will open up my weekly spread and fill out the standing appointments. This includes recurring calls that I have every week, soccer practices twice a week and I like to add in school. These are not really reminders, they are more like placeholders to organize your homestead life.

If you look at my planner right you will see that I draw my own little check box in front of each item. I check them off as they get finished. I guess I have this insatiable need to check things off and yes I know that sounds weird. Everything I put in my planner has a checkbox and hets checked off. It doesn’t matter if it is soccer practice, school for the day, working out, or making this supper.

Menu Planning Using a Planner to Organize Homestead Life

I’m not a huge super organized menu planner but at the end of each day around 6 o’clock, we eat supper. In the weekly spread in my planner around the 6 o’clock hour, I like to write what we are eating that day. Sometimes it is just two or three days in advance but even that is enough for me to know what I need to be thinking about. This helps give me a visual representation of what the plan is and also what food prep needs to be done.

A great example is one Saturday we were preconditioning our cattle. This is a big day, there are a lot of people helping and I help cook the meal for preconditioning. For Friday afternoon, I wrote in (with my little checkbox): ‘prep the food for preconditioning’. I have that built-in because it is very easy to look at that blank Friday spot and forget.

Adding Your To-Do Lists to Organize the Homestead

On the weekly spread, I like to have a work To-Do List and a personal To-Do List. At the beginning of the week, I write down all the personal and work stuff I need to do. You might not be splitting your life into home tasks and business tasks but you can split it up any way you want.

An example of what you will find on my personal To-Do List is getting the onions and cabbage dealt with, cleaning the playroom, and drying more tomatoes. On my work To-Do List, you will find things like: writing the newsletter, record podcasts, and write a blog post.

Once these lists are complete I can take those items and insert them into the days as I’m planning. If I leave the things down in the to-do boxes without assigning them to a day I don’t hold myself accountable to do them.

Habit Tracking in Your Planner

Another thing that I do is take a sticky note and add different habits I am working on. This can include things like working out, feeding the sourdough, or remembering to water the seedlings in the basement. I will make little check boxes on the sticky note and color them in or check them off as I go.

We did a challenge with some friends of ours once where the challenge was to run a mile a day. I needed to keep track of 31 miles in January so I made a sticky note with 31 checkboxes every time I ran a mile I would color in a box.

The Most Important Pages are the Back Pages

I love a planner with a lot of blank pages or helpful pages in the back. The back portion of my planner gets used more than any other part. I keep my planners, and they don’t get thrown away at the end of the year.

The reason I don’t throw them away is that there have been many times where I need to look back at something. This section ends up being a record of our lives. It has a lot of details of what has happened and I find it is really handy to keep around. The back of my planners are used as a way to keep track of any other details about our life or year.

Some ways that I use those back pages for organizing my homestead include:

• Yearly Goals:
  Usually, the week between Christmas and New Year I sit down with coffee, a candle, my favorite pen and I work on goals for the year. These goals get broken up into homestead goals, business goals, and personal goals. One year, some of our homesteading goals were to build a greenhouse and to put up the hail netting in the garden. A personal goal might be to work out more. I remember to look at those goals. I don’t look at them every week, sometimes I forget to even look at them once a month but just having that moment at the beginning of the year to write things down is a big deal for me. This really seems to make a difference with how my year will start.
• Garden Journal:
  Some of those back pages I like to use to keep garden notes on. We have a raised beds, but this would work even if you have an in-ground garden. One thing I always do is forget if I don’t write down what I put in the raised beds. There are 20 beds and they’re all pretty uniform so I make a simple sketch of my beds and then I number them. On the other side of the page, I write the number and what is planted there. I wrote little notes so that way I can do some crop rotation and I don’t have to worry about putting things in the wrong bed.
• Book List:
  I like to create a list of books to read at the beginning of every year. As the year goes keep track of the books that I have finished and add more. If I read one that’s not on the list I add it, this is kind of a fun way to track what I’ve been reading throughout the year.
• Animal Records:
  The back pages of my planner are also where I keep track of animal breeding and health records. This is really helpful to look back on to determine dates and what comes next.
• Big Project Lists:
  If I have a big project, I like to break it down in the back of the planner just because if I put it on scratch paper a lot of the time I find that I lose it. Breaking down a project is when I do this thing where I write out the main steps that need to happen and then I break those into baby steps. Learn more about how I break down a project in my How to Set Homestead Goals article.

I really depend heavily on my planner to help organize my homestead and life. In the past, I have limped along for a very long time with other planners. I have used a variety over the years and they have worked okay, but they were not quite exactly what I wanted.

This is why I decided to make my own, The Old-Fashioned On Purpose Planner.

The Old-Fashioned On Purpose Planner

Planners truly have been very pivotal to my success as a homesteader. I have not yet found a planner that actually understands what we need to have success and stay organized while homesteading.

The Old Fashioned on Purpose Planner is a real paper planner with spiral binding. It is and has all the things I described earlier! Everything I have explained about how I use my older planners, we created in the Old-Fashioned On-Purpose Planner.

Here’s a quick glance at what I have included in the Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner:

• Designed to simplify the life of a busy person who’s trying to keep all the balls in the air.
• Helps streamline all aspects of your lifestyle, manage all the projects, & master new skills. ?
• Quick-reference kitchen guides, areas for daily meal planning, & cheatsheets to save time & simplify in the garden, kitchen, & more.
• A 253-page, spiral-bound, 15-month planner dated for 2022, made & printed in the USA.
• Dated weekly & monthly spreads
• Durable cover with section dividers & tabs
• Monthly catch-all lists
• Inventory & tracking pages

Learn more about my Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner here. There’s a video-glance at the planner pages and even more details on what type of pages are included in the planner.

I’m really excited about how it turned out and I hope it helps you keep your homestead and life organized like it does for me!

Regardless of what type of planner you decide to use, I truly believe that actively using a planner (whether digital or print) makes a huge difference in keeping both the homestead and our lives organized.  It might take some persistence on your part at first to get used to actively using a planner, but once you make it a habit in your life, you won’t regret it.

More Homesteading Tips:

• How to Homestead When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
• How to Cultivate Community While Homesteading
• How to Start a Homestead From Scratch
• About Homesteading Stereotypes…

The post How to Organize Your Homestead with a Planner appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/

How to Start a Homestead From Scratch

We were newlyweds, staring at our newly purchased home and property. The house was tiny, the outbuildings were trashed, the fence lines were destroyed, and it was miles and miles from the nearest grocery store…

Our property was a disaster when we purchased it– falling down fence, a washing machine in the back pasture, and waist-deep trash piles in the barn and shop. BUT- we knew it just needed some sweat-equity to bring it to life.

We overhauled every single inch of the place (fence lines, gardens, pastures, landscaping, tree rows, siding, roofs, outbuildings, corrals, you name it…), so I feel like we know a thing or two about starting a homestead from scratch.

Our Prairie Homestead: the Early Years (aka when we had to redo the roofs on our outbuildings…)

Many of you are in the spot in life where you are getting ready to start a homestead or you’re looking at that being a possibility a few years down the road.

I love sharing what we have going on here at our homestead right now with you. Sometimes, though, it can be a little bit of a disconnect because we’ve been doing this for 12 years.

If you’re just getting started, trying to compare where you are now to someone that has been at it for a while can be confusing and cause lots of overwhelm.

A little over a year ago, my sister Jenna purchased 10 acres and decided to start homesteading. It made me think all over again about Christian and I’s early adventures on our homestead, and the challenges we faced in those first years. It got me thinking about those initial feelings and thoughts that can occur when you start a new homestead from scratch. 

While my goal here is to help you think through some important beginner homestead questions and thought-processes, if there is one major lesson you should get from here, please let it be this: you can’t do it all. So take a deep breath, take a read, and remember to take it all one step at a time. Ready? Let’s get started…

Love listening rather than reading? I cover this topic in-depth in this podcast episode here:

Why Are You Starting a Homestead?

Many people, especially in the last few years, have decided to make a change and start homesteading. Everyone has their various reasons why they have decided to make that change.

If you are reading this, it means that at some point, you probably came to that fork in the road where you want to get intentional about your future.

Start by asking yourself: where would you like to be a year, 5 years, or even 10 years from now? Consider writing down some homestead goals for you and your family for the next year and, while you’re at it, write down your long-term homestead goals, too.

Check out my How to Set Homestead Goals article for some inspiration here (or watch the video below).

Starting a Homestead from Scratch

When making the decision to begin a homestead, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are making the decision to relocate. It has always been my belief that homesteading is a state of mind and there are things that you can do no matter where you live (check out my Modern Homesteading Manifesto for more of my thoughts on that…).

If you are someone that lives in town, there is nothing wrong with doing homesteading stuff right where you are. There are so many things you can do with a small backyard or a limited amount of space. For example, my sister Jenna’s backyard was pretty small at their first house, but we talked about where they could put a garden and what else they could do.

There is a lot of potential for homesteading wherever you are. I’ve made a few videos about this, too. Watch as I show how I would make my parent’s 1/4 acre city lot into a small homestead. You can also watch as I show how I would transform the 100 year old house in our nearby town into a small homestead. Seriously, there are lots of modern homesteading skills and activities you can do, no matter where you live. I am a firm believer in this.

Homesteading in Small Spaces Ideas:

• Square Foot Gardening
• Raised Bed Gardening
• Herb Garden
• Container Gardening
• Laying Hens
• Cooking from Scratch (Check Out the Heritage Cooking Course  or My Cookbook)
• Local Food Sourcing
• Join a CSA
• Milk Shares
• Farmers Markets
• Learning about Food Storage

Note: Before buying live animals, check with your homeowner association or township to see what your rules are.

Relocating to Start Your Homestead

I am a really big fan of going with your gut and if it is telling you that you’re made for more, then it is time to take action. You are the only one who will know when/if it’s time to relocate and possibly buy new land for your future homestead (you might want to check out my tips here on 12 Questions to Ask Before Buying Homestead Property).

Relocating and choosing something unfamiliar and different can be a scary hard decision. Take a step back, think about your goals and imagine what your life will look like a few months after taking that leap. 

It is important to remember that not all homesteads or properties are going to be the same. Someone else’s dream homestead will look different than your own. You don’t have to have 10 acres or even 5 acres. It will depend on where you live, what your land is like, and lots of other personal factors.

Choosing the right homestead property depends on what your long-term goals are, but also what type of place you see your future self in.

The Feeling of Starting Your Homestead 

When we bought our homestead, that was the first time I had ever lived on acreage that was my own. It is such a crazy feeling the first time you realize it’s your land. It might seem surreal at first, like you are just visiting or on vacation.

That idea of “it’s too good to be true” faded maybe a year or two after our initial purchase, but I do remember the very first weeks of living on our homestead it felt like I was floating on a cloud.

Our place was just such an absolute disaster, with all of the trash, overgrowth, and nasty outbuildings. And yet, I would just stand in the barn stare at the land and think with happiness: I can’t believe it…I just can’t believe it. Starting your homestead will probably be a wholehearted experience that you will remember for a long, long time. 

Even now, I sometimes get that feeling of awe. Recently, one night at the golden hour where the air was soft, the light was beautiful, the kids were quiet and I just had to stop. I sat on the edge of the chicken tractor, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I got the chills and this feeling encompassed every part of me. At that moment, I knew that I was supposed to be here and this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

I truly want every person to experience that, and that is partly why I’m such a fanatic about what I do. Not everyone is meant to homestead on tons of acres, but it is an amazing feeling when you are fulfilling your specific purpose.

Overcoming Comparisons When Starting a Homestead

Many times when my sister Jenna was buying her property, she would say “It doesn’t look exactly like Jill’s” and didn’t fully realize it. When Jenna verbalized her comparisons unintentionally with me, I simply asked “Do you want exactly what I have? Does my homestead fit your dream?”

Jenna answered these simple questions and realized that even though her 10 acres didn’t look like mine, it fit her dream. When you find yourself comparing your dream homestead to someone else’s, ask yourself these same questions and answer them honestly.

Don’t get caught up in the comparison game; stick to what you know you want. In the long run, only your dream will make you happy. Need more encouragement? Read my thoughts on Homesteading Stereotypes here. Comparison and feeling a need to fit one type of “homesteading” image does more damage than actually being helpful. 

Sacrifices and Roadblocks When Starting a Homestead

It is fun to talk about the beginning of things, there is excitement and it’s also fun to talk about the ends/results, because it is about your victorious end of the journey. Oftentimes, though, we don’t talk about the middle of the process.

So many people don’t get to see the roadblocks and no one tells you about the ugly part where you think you’re losing your mind. You are stressed out, not sleeping, and feel like you’re going to war every day for your dreams. Sometimes you’re left wondering if it’s gonna be worth it and you ask yourself if you even want it anymore.

Sometimes, things can get tough and when you’re buying property, there may be times when sacrifices will need to be made for your dream.

Budget-Friendly Sacrifice Ideas:

• Cut Back on Vacations
• Grocery Costs: Don’t Splurge on Things
• Clothing Costs: Buy What You Need
• Less or No Ordering Out

Choosing not to do something to save money for your dream can be uncomfortable and you will be missing out on instant gratification. In the end, though, once you have keys in hand and that feeling of “I can’t believe we did it!” you will know the sacrifices were well worth it.

Check out my article on Money Principles for Homesteaders to get a closer look at how Christian and I personally made our homestead goals work, especially in the early years on a strict budget.

Roadblocks: The Process of Starting a Homestead

The process of buying your house can be as stressful as preparing for one. When things disrupt the buying process or it isn’t going exactly perfect, people tend to get paralysis by analysis.

This can become a roadblock when there is a setback and then you start to think it wasn’t meant to be. Sometimes I think that can be true, but other times, it’s more like a test to see if you have the fortitude to push through it.

Christian and I have had plenty of roadblocks and failures along the way. Take a closer look at our personal homesteading failures here:

• The Biggest Homesteading Mistakes We Have Made (So Far)
• The World’s Worst Homesteader
• Killing My Garden with Bad Compost (AGAIN)
• Why We are Teaching Our Kids to Fail (my philosophical musings on failing)

Things never look how you think they are going to, and keeping that mentality of “I will not throw this away just because things are hard and scary” is a huge life lesson. In the end, if it’s not meant to be, it is important to recognize that there was something to be learned from the process. Nothing is a total loss as long as you realize that you have learned something.

Buying your dream homestead may not have any roadblocks; it might go very smoothly, so please don’t go into this thinking all buying processes are doomed from the start. Your situation can be as simple as an offer was accepted and the keys are yours.

I just really wanted to emphasize that if you do hit some roadblocks, don’t feel like you have to just give up. If it is something that you want and it is meant to be, it will be worth the hard work in the end.

Learning to Manage Your Fear When Starting a Homestead

I have mentioned on social media that we purchased a fixer-upper and more recently the soda fountain in the little rural town north of us. Both need a lot of work, but we had the vision to bring some life into this little town. It is ok to feel a little scared when making those big buys, but I knew it was right and everything went smoothly.

No matter how right or enchanted you feel at the time the keys to your dream are handed to you, there can be an anxiety that rises after. Thoughts like “what have we done?” start to surface. I have now come to recognize that little bit of fear when diving into something new as a good thing. However, there is also that fear based on “I should not be doing this“, which is a bad thing, and there is a difference between the two. Just remember that feeling some of that same weird fear when you first buy your homestead is perfectly normal.

You may find yourself questioning the decisions that you had already thought out, or perhaps you have let other people’s comments get into your head. This is nothing to be ashamed of and this cycle of fear is completely normal.

One of my favorite books, is The War of Art, by Stephen Pressfield, describes this type of fear. He says that the amateur feels the fear and expects it will eventually go away, but the professional knows the fear never goes away but they do it anyway.

This is something I think about every time I’m doing something uncomfortable. Buying a fixer-upper, investing in an opportunity, or doing any skill that I’m bad at. The professional knows the fear, has learned how to manage it, and keeps pushing through it. Your fear will eventually blossom into something beautiful but it is a part of the process.

Finding Your Homesteading Community

Another important part of starting a homestead is understanding that you are not an island. Find your people. If you are wanting to homestead, can, or sew, find people who will genuinely cheer you on.

I don’t mean the passive-aggressive friends who tolerate your weirdness but secretly think you’re crazy. Instead, find the people who are going to be your cheerleader, and pick you up when you’re discouraged. Look for those folks who will be excited when you grow your first tomato or knit your first dishrag. This is a really important piece and it doesn’t have to be right next door, it can be an online community of like-minded homesteading people.

Many people think that in order to build a community, it has to fit a certain model and the people that we are supposed to connect with are within arms reach. Communities of support can take all shapes and forms, it doesn’t change the depth of the connection.

Creating of finding a homesteading community can be scary and uncomfortable, and I actually talk in-depth about community in my article How to Cultivate Community While Homesteading. If you are a little nervous or interested in homesteading communities, give it a read.

Are You Ready to Start Your Homestead?

When you are ready to start your homesteading journey, please remember: don’t let others (or yourself!) to cause you confusion and overwhelm. Decide what you want your dream to look like, follow your gut and take action.  Starting can be exciting, but it also can be uncomfortable and scary. Push past the fear and I promise you will not regret the end results. 

More About Starting a Homestead:

• 7 Reasons to Start Homesteading Today
• 4 Questions to Ask Yourself BEFORE You Start Your Homestead
• How to Start Homesteading When You Feel Overwhelmed
• Homesteading With Kids: How We Do It
• The Story of Our Prairie House

The post How to Start a Homestead From Scratch appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/

How to Store and Use Bulk Pantry Goods

 

I have talked about how to be more prepared and resilient in terms of growing your own meats, milk, eggs, and vegetables.

But what about the things that you can’t grow yourself on your homestead or in your backyard? I’m talking, of course, about how to keep a well-stock pantry, full of flour, bulk goods, etc.

Keeping a well-stocked pantry and buying in bulk is a major key to your family’s food security. And keep in mind that bulk food buying doesn’t just have to be for your long-term storage; it can also help you with your working pantry as well. 

Making fewer trips to the grocery store by saving time and money through bulk buying and storing is, in my opinion, a great thing for all modern homesteaders to try and accomplish. You don’t have to live on a farm in order to have bulk foods stored up in the home.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing a bulk food storage expert on my podcast. Let me just say, I was thrilled and excited going into the interview because there have been SO many questions about bulk food storage that I could never really answer.

You can listen to my interview with bulk food storage expert Jessica, from Three Rivers Homestead on my Old-Fashioned On Purpose podcast (it’s available wherever you like to listen to your podcasts). You can also take a listen to it right here:

However, I also pulled out some of the important questions from the episode in case you prefer to read instead of listen.

What is Bulk Buying Food Storage?

When bulk buying, there are two categories to focus on: your working pantry and your long-term food storage.

A working pantry is where you will keep the things that you use weekly or daily. The items in your working pantry will be cycled through, and they might not be in large quantities or have as long of a shelf life.

Long–term bulk food storage are the items that you are storing away for emergencies or food shortages (I don’t think any of us will ever forget the great Toilet Paper Shortage and Yeast Shortage of 2020…). Long-term bulk items are usually in larger quantities and can be stored out of sight for long periods of time.

What are the Basic Essentials in a Bulk Food Storage Pantry?

Modern food culture has become about specialized foods that are premade and prepackaged. However, our ancestors created food and meals from basic ingredients and that is what this type of bulk food storage is all about. Getting back to storing and using basic ingredients and whole foods.

A basic essential bulk storage pantry should focus on all the things that you will not be able to grow or produce yourself. This can include grains, sweeteners, leavening agents, and plant-based proteins. All these basic ingredients are extremely versatile and can be used to create any meal.

When you are looking to buy in bulk for long-term storage, it is best to buy items in their rawest whole forms. The whole versions store better than their refined counterparts, for example, buy wheat berries instead of flour, and dry corn instead of cornmeal.

Bulk Food Storage Essentials:

Grains:

• Wheat Berries (This is the Hard White Wheat Berries I like to get, and this is the Soft White Wheat Berries I get for pastries)
• Corn
• Oats
• Rice

When you are using whole forms of grain like wheat berries or corn, a grain mill will be required to transform them into flour or cornmeal.

Sweeteners:

• Honey (I love this raw honey)
• Molasses
• Maple Syrup (this is one of my favorite maple syrup companies)

Baking:

• Yeast
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Salt (I LOVE Redmond’s Sea Salt)

Protein:

• Lentils
• Dry Beans

What are Wheat Berries?

When it comes to storing grain, people tend to have a lot of questions, especially about wheatberries. Wheat berries are the whole form of all wheat products. This basic form of wheat is ground down or refined into other forms, an example of this is when wheat berries are ground in a mill to create flour for baking bread.

If you are interested in learning more about grain mills and grinding your own flour take a look at my article on How to Use a Grain Mill to Make Your Own Flour From Wheat Berries

Hard & Soft Wheat Berries

There are two main categories that wheat berries fall into, you can either have hard wheat or soft wheat.

Hard wheat berries are generally used for making bread because they have a higher gluten content. Soft wheat berries are used to make things that require a fluffier texter like biscuits or pastries. Both types can come in a white or red variety. Red wheat berries are darker in color and have a stronger flavor. White wheat berries are lighter in color and have a milder flavor that does not overpower other ingredient flavors when used.

Check out my wheat berry article for tons of extra details on the different types of wheat berries and how to grind them and use them.

What Foods Should Not be Bought in Bulk?

Foods that are high in oils should not be bought in bulk quantities. This includes brown rice, nuts, and ground flours. Brown rice has a higher oil content than white rice, nuts just have lots of oils, and once wheat berries are ground down the oil starts to go into the flour.

If you would like to store foods like this, do it in smaller quantities and for less amount of time.

What Locations Are Best for Long -Term Bulk Food Storage?

A root cellar is an ideal location for any long-term storage, but not many modern homes have been equipped with them. Your storage location should be dark and cool with a consistent temperature. The ideal temperature range should be between 40- and 70-degrees Fahrenheit.

Long-term food storage doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it just needs to meet the light, moisture, and temperature requirements. If you are not sure what storage space you have, look at 13 Root Cellar Alternatives and Top Tips For Storing Vegetables Without a Root Cellar to get some different ideas.

Different Bulk Long-Term Storage Locations:

• Closet
• Basement
• Outbuildings
• Crawl Spaces

What Containers Should Be Used for Bulk Food Storage?

When deciding what containers to use for your bulk food supplies, you must know if these items are going to be in your working pantry or long-term storage. A working pantry will have different sizes and ways to store items compared to long-term storage.

Depending on your needs a working pantry can have food stored in different-sized food grade buckets, glass jars, or the original containers. Long-term bulk storage will almost always be stored in large food-grade 5-gallon buckets.

Food grade buckets that are used for long-term storage should not be used alone; your grains should be placed in a mylar bag then stored in the 5-gallon bucket. In the pantry, because you are in and out of your bucket all the time a bag is not necessary, but you may want to consider a gamma lid or a Smart Seal Lid (I LOVE these Smart Seal Lids from True Leaf Market).

What is a Gamma Lid aka Smart Seal Lid?

A gamma lid is a special lid that creates easier access to your food stores by screwing on and off. You can often find them at local hardware stores, but sometimes they will be sold at bulk food stores as well. Some bulk food suppliers will offer these lids as an option when you purchase your bulk food in a 5-gallon bucket.

I love these Smart Seal Lids from True Leaf Market. They come in different colors, which is not only fun but also great for being super organized (example: you can use different colors for different types of food).

Where to Find Food Grade Buckets for Bulk Storage?

Food grade buckets are pretty easy to find at a local hardware store. If you would like to find them a little cheaper you can always ask bakeries or restaurants if they have any they would like to be rid of.

You can also purchase Food Grade Buckets from True Leaf Market if you want to be more confident in the source of your buckets.

Why is Oxygen an Important Bulk Food Storage Factor?

Oxygen is an important factor when it comes to the freshness of long-term bulk food that has been stored. It is not as important for things in your working pantry that will be opened more frequently.

An important tool that can help lengthen the shelf life of your long-term bulk food items is an oxygen absorber. When an oxygen absorber is used, foods that would normally go bad in a year will now last approximately 10 years. An important rule to remember when using an oxygen absorber is that it can not be placed directly in a plastic food-grade bucket.

Your long-term bulk food and oxygen absorber should be placed in a mylar bag, then put into your food grade bucket. Plastic will leech oxygen through it, so placing the oxygen absorber directly into your bucket will cause it to compress.

• I get these oxygen absorbers from True Leaf Market
• I love these mylar bags from Lehman’s store.

When Should You Replenish Your Food Stores?

Storing bulk food will do you no good if you don’t go through what you have and let it go bad. Once a year, it is a good idea to go through everything that you have, try to use your stored up grains, and move the supply around.

One way that has been suggested to me in the past was a “shop your pantry challenge”. This is when you do not go grocery shopping and use only what is in your working pantry. The idea is that once your challenge is over, you will be able to move your long-term items into your working pantry and replenish your long-term food storage.

My best tips for you here is to be intentional and get creative with the things that you have; and these types of challenges can help you do just that. You will be forced to try new things and look up new recipes, and you never know what you will find or like along the way.

Where to Get the Best Deals on Bulk Food Items?

There are a few options when you are looking to buy your bulk food storage items. There are food co-ops like Azure Standard. Azure Standard is a very well-known food co-op where you can buy in bulk, they can ship items to you for a fee or you can find a drop-off site near you. I LOVE using Azure Standard for my bulk grains, beans, and other pantry staples.

Bulk food stores are an anther option and Amish bulk food stores are also a great option if you have them in your area (check out my post on Finding Local Food Sources for some tips to find local small bulk food stores).

Buying in bulk saves you money, and time since you will be making fewer trips to the grocery store. It is always a good idea to investigate what is available for bulk buying in your area.

How to Prevent and Control Pests in Your Bulk Pantry Goods

A common long-term food storage pest that likes grains is weevils. If you find that you have a bucket with weevils, the solution depends on your comfort level and how bad the situation has become. If you are not comfortable with the idea of getting rid of these pests and keeping your grain, you can always feed it to the chickens and start over.

If you are ok with getting rid of the bugs and keeping your stored grains, you will need to remove the grains and clean your container inside and out. You never know where those tiny eggs are hiding in there.

The next step to getting rid of bugs is to place the bag of grain into the freezer for up to 3 days to kill any live bugs. Next, take the bag out to thaw for a day or 2. If you are using this in your panty without a mylar bag and oxygen absorber, you will want to place it back in the freezer to kill the next hatch.

Long-term food storage containers with mylar bags and oxygen absorbers don’t have bug problems because of the lack of oxygen. Your pests can’t survive in a no-oxygen environment.

To help prevent pest problems in the bulk food pantry, you can add bay leaves to your buckets or place cloves, rosemary, or garlic next to your grains on the shelf. (Don’t add cloves or rosemary directly to the bucket, it could change the taste).

Mice can also be a big pest when it comes to food storage, that is why it is not a good idea to leave grains in their original bags. It is a good idea to check on your long-term food storage occasionally, to check for signs of mice. (They will chew on the plastic buckets to try and get to your grain).

Do your best to prevent pest problems in your bulk food storage, because it is a huge disappointment when all of that hard work gets spoiled by little critters.

Are You Ready to Start Building Your Bulk Food Storage?

If you are inspired and want to dive into building a well-stocked pantry, start small so that you don’t lose that momentum.

A few final tips that may make your bulk food journey less overwhelming are:

• Start building your pantry one grain at a time and focus on what your family will eat.
• Begin your bulk food storage journey by first building up your working pantry that you use day to day before you start working on your long-term storage.

Happy Bulk Buying!

More About Food Storage and Pantry:

• Check out my Pantry Tour Video to see what my storage looks like!
• How to Manage Your Garden Harvest (Without Losing Your Mind)
• Cooking with Salt: Your Questions Answered
• Water Glassing Eggs: How to Preserve Your Fresh Eggs for Long-Term Storage
• My Favorite Ways to Preserve Food at Home

The post How to Store and Use Bulk Pantry Goods appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/

How to Store a Year’s Worth of Food for Your Family (Without Waste and Overwhelm)

We try to store at least a year’s supply of food in every possible nook-and-cranny on our homestead (someday, maybe, we’ll get more organized about it and have it all in one location…).

As a homesteader, I understand the need for self-reliance and food security, and both have a pretty big role in this lifestyle. I also firmly believe that you don’t need to be a Homesteader, Emergency Prepper, or Survivalist to take control and store a year’s worth of food. 

In the last few years, many have struggled through a pandemic, natural disasters, and shortages across the country. I think now more than ever it is time for people from all walks of life to start thinking about how to take control of their food supply.

When it comes to long-term food storage, I can’t offer you a one size fits all solution because there isn’t one. However, what I CAN do is explain different details that will help you learn how to store a year’s worth of food and help customize it to fit your needs.

Storing food long-term is no simple task and there are many things to consider before diving in. To have success with your long-term food storage, you will need to start with a well-thought-out plan and hopefully end with a well-stocked pantry.

Why Store a Year’s Worth of Food

Everyone has their reasons for deciding to stock their pantries for an extended period of time. If you are still on the fence about why you really want to start storing food long-term, here are a few reasons to help you decide.

1. Save Time – Storing food whether it be for a week, a month or a year will help save you time in the long run. Having food stored on hand will minimize the time you spend at stores, and in some cases minimize the time it takes to prepare meals.
2. Save Money – When you buy items in bulk you are saving money because most times the price per unit is lower than when purchased individually. Growing your own produce can save money as well, you are paying for the cost of seeds or transplants.
3. Emergencies – Emergencies can be natural disasters, a pandemic, the loss of a job, or a major injury. Many things can fall into this category. Having your food stored long-term means that you will have less to worry about at the time something like this occurs.
4. Environmental Friendly – Buying things in bulk and preserving uses less packaging and causes less waste. Canning jars can be used over and over again, and there are now reusable lid alternatives. 

We buy Redmond’s Fine Sea Salt in a 25 pound bag. It’s cheaper to buy in bulk and we use it for so many things (fermenting, preserving, and from-scratch meals) that it made sense to get a large bag.

Where to Begin When Storing a Year’s Worth of Food

If you have decided to take control of your food security and would like to attempt storing long-term, my best advice is to start small. Many make the mistake of jumping in both feet first when it comes to long-term food storage and then they end up overwhelmed and with food waste.

Tips Before You Start Storing Food:

• Don’t try storing an entire year’s worth of food from scratch. Start small: plan for 1 month of storage and then build from there.
• Keep track of your inventory and storage space.
• Buying in bulk can save you time and money.
• Store a few key ingredients at a time in bulk, and then move on to a different one.
• If you have never preserved your own food, ease into it. Don’t depend on home-preserved food entirely until you have learned the ins and outs.
• If buying fresh produce in bulk, buy in-season to help reduce the cost.
• Have a Plan! Figure out what food you will store, how much you will need, and how you will store it.

It took me a few years to get to this point: making a meal for supper that was completely created from food made solely on our homestead.

How to Create a Customized Plan to Store a Year’s Worth of Food

Before you jump in and start buying or preserving your storage items you should start with a plan. This plan will help you get organized and prevent overwhelm. Grab a pencil and some paper, take some time to write everything out (or check out the back pages from my Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner)

Creating Your Customized Food Storage Plan:

(1) Set Realistic Actionable Goals
The beginning of any great plan starts with setting goals and having a clear idea of what you would like the outcome to be. Start by writing down your short-term goals, long-term goals, and what is motivating you to take action.

(2) Write Down What Your Family Eats
Figure out what recipes and foods your family uses most and focus on these. The goal is to store things that your family will eat.

(3) How much storage space do you have?
Your goal is to store a year’s worth of food, but you should consider how much storage space you have and where you can create more if needed. 

(4) What Does Your Inventory Look Like?
Start your food storage process by going through your pantry, freezer, and root cellar (if you are lucky enough to have one) to see what you already have on hand. You will want to take everything out, go through what you use, and what you can get rid of.
Note: Organize your Pantry/Freezer, and then create an inventory sheet to keep track of what you have and what you need. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just a piece of lined paper will do.

(5) Store-Bought, Homegrown, or Both?
During the planning stage, you should decide if you will be growing produce, raising meat, preserving yourself, or buying everything. You can do all these things or only a few. If you can only raise chickens but are set on farm-fresh produce you can go to a farmers’ market. There are so many combinations and options, that is why customizing your plan to fit your situation is so important.

My Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner is the PERFECT way to organize homestead and schedule. The front section is a yearly planner and in the back, I included pantry inventory and food storage sheets, as well as other helpful organization charts and sheets to help balance the busyness of a modern life with a homegrown lifestyle. 

Last year’s planner SOLD OUT quickly, and we are currently printing new ones for the 2022 year. So stay tuned to my Instagram stories to learn when the new planners are available.

Organizing and Creating Your Long-term Storage Space

Before you worry about what and how much to store, you need to be sure that you have the space to store your food long-term. During your planning a list of storage space and existing inventory should have been made, now it is time to create, clean, and organize these spaces.

Note: When it comes to storage space it doesn’t have to be normal try to use what you have and get creative. Need proof? Check out my various storage areas around the home in the youtube video (above).

There are many different places you can store your food items, so consider the following spaces when deciding how much space you have to store a year’s worth of food. 

Different Storage Space Ideas to Consider:

• Cupboards
• Pantry /Larder
• Root Cellar
• Closets
• Basements
• Extra Refrigerator
• Freezer
• Outbuildings

You also can organize your larger storage areas by breaking them down using smaller containers. An important thing to remember is to label your containers so there is no confusion in the future.

Containers to Help Organize Your Storage Space:

• Baskets
• Crates
• Totes
• Boxes
• Shelves
• Glass Jars
• Food Grade Buckets

Once you have figured out exactly how much space you have for storage, it is time to figure out how much food your family will need to store. Will your storage space be able to hold the amount of food required? Let’s find out!

What Food Should You Store for Your Family?

One of the major mistakes people make storing food long-term is stocking up on non-perishable items without considering what will get eaten. As mentioned earlier it is extremely important that you focus on storing things that your family will actually eat, because this will prevent food waste in the future.

In your plan (mentioned above), you wrote down favorite recipes and looked at foods your family consumes regularly. Now, you need to break down these recipes into basic ingredient lists, so later you will know what to include when buying or preserving.

If you are buying the majority of your stocked food you need to focus on things that have a long shelf-life like canned goods, pasta, rice, and dried beans. No one wants to stock up on something then find out it has spoiled in a short time.

Long-term Food Storage Items Include:

• Grains (Wheat berries have a longer shelf-life than ground flour, but a grain mill will be needed)
• Oats
• Rice
• Dry Beans
• Pasta
• Canned or Frozen Vegetables
• Canned Sauces
• Dehydrated Fruits
• Dried Herbs
• Nuts
• Peanut Butter
• Honey
• Salt
• Fats and Oils
• Canned or Frozen Meats

How Much Should You Store for a Year’s Worth of Food

There are different methods and calculators (check out this helpful food storage calculator) out there that can help you get close to an estimated amount to store for a year’s worth of food. These can help, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so you will need to adjust to customize the amount for your situation. For instance, if you have growing kids, they may eat enough for two people compared to their 40-year-old mother.

Other Things to Factor in When Deciding Your Amounts:

• Seasons – One thing that sometimes gets overlooked is the seasons. For example, if you eat vegetables with every meal, you might only need canned vegetables while fresh produce isn’t available.
• Age – Remember to consider the age of everyone in your family when customizing your amounts.
• Health – Health can be another determining factor when it comes to the amount someone will eat.

Different Methods for Figuring Out How Much You Need:

Method #1: Favorite Recipe Breakdown

Break down your favorite recipe into basic ingredients, and then multiply these by 12, now you know how much to store if you eat this once a month per year. Once you have stored that one recipe, you can move on to the next and continue until your calendar is filled with meals.

How you break down your recipes depends on how basic you would like to get with your ingredients. If you make everything from scratch, your list will include more items.

Example: Spaghetti Night

1 – 16oz Box of Noodles x 12 = 12 Boxes of Spaghetti Noodles
1 – Jar of Spaghetti Sauce x 12 = 12 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb – Ground Beef x12 = 12 lbs Ground Beef
1 – Loaf French Bread x 12 = 12 Loaves of Bread

Note: This example is for a basic store-bought spaghetti dinner, with time and experience you can break this down further into the most basic homemade versions (like homemade pasta and homemade French bread)

Method #2: Food Per Person Per Day

Write out how much and what each family member usually eats per day, then multiply these findings by 7 and you now have an idea of how much is consumed in 1 week. Use your one week and build up to 1 month, and then a year.

Method #3: Batch Cooking

Batch cooking is one of my favorite ways to store food and save time. If you are planning on making vegetable soup for dinner one night, just make extra, and then either can or freeze the extra soup for dinners on different nights. You may not be able to batch cook for an entire year, but if you continue doing that for a time you can build up to it.

Using batch cooking for your long-term storage system again requires that you break down your recipes into the basic ingredients and multiply the amount of each ingredient by the amount you are making.

Example: Vegetable Soup Ingredients x 4 = 4 Dinners = 1 Vegetable Soup Dinner per 4 months

Ever since last year’s flour storage, I buy wheat berries in bulk and grind them into flour whenever I need it.

How To Build Your Food Storage

Tip 1: Buy More at a Time

In the beginning of your food storage quest, buying truly in bulk can be a struggle. There are a few different ways you can go about buying extra as you go. My number #1 tip: Focus on one product and start buying extra every time you are at the store in order to build up a supply and then move on to another.

You can also focus on one recipe that your family enjoys and buy your ingredients for it, and once you have your set amount, move on to the next one. This method can be continued until you have all your desired meals.

Tip 2: Buy In Bulk

Become a member of a large store such as Costco, where most of the things you will be looking for will be sold in bulk. When you are truly buying your items in bulk this will save you both time and money.

Tip 3: Grow Your Own/Homegrown

If it’s possible for you, grow your own food, and that can mean produce, meat, eggs, honey, or anything that you are producing yourself. If you have the time and space, you can grow a year’s worth of produce to preserve. Keep chickens for meat and eggs or maybe someday work up to buying and raising a pig (watch how to figure out the cost of raising your own meat here).

Growing your own produce and raising your own meat is great because you know exactly where your food supply is coming from.

If you have your heart set on growing your own produce you will need to consider:

• Your Growing Space
• Growing Zone/ Climate
• What Vegetables Your Family Needs
• How Many Plants Needed

When growing your own produce, you will have to figure out the number of plants you will need to plant to be able to preserve a year’s worth. If you are a gardening and preserving beginner, it might be easier to focus on one crop starting out.

Tomatoes are usually a go-to example because it is such a versatile fruit in many different recipes, you have your tomato sauce, tomato paste, pizza sauce, and even sun-dried tomatoes to name a few. To get enough tomatoes for any of these tomato products you will need 3-5 plants per person.

To get a better explanation, watch my video Know Exactly How Much to Plant to Feed Your Family where I talk you through an equation that helps me figure out how much to plant.

Tip 4: Preserve Your Own Storage Items

Preserving your food does not necessarily mean growing your own food, although they do go hand-in-hand. To preserve your own goods, you can buy them from farmer’s markets, roadside stands, or from a local producer directly.

If you have decided to take the leap into home preserving, then you should know that there are different methods. You can use just one method or a combination of them, whatever will make things easier on you in the long run.

Preservation Methods to Choose From:

(1) Canning
The Canning preservation method is one of the most used for long-term storage. Depending on what you are planning to store you can hot water bath (learn how to water bath can) or pressure can your items. There are rules that should be followed, and canning safety should never be taken lightly.

Here are a Few of my Favorite Canning Recipes:

• Canning Chicken (How to do it Safely)
• How to Can Tomatoes Safely at Home
• Canning Peaches with Honey and Cinnamon

If you think that canning is going to be too difficult or require too much fancy equipment, I can help with that! Learn how to can with my Canning Made Easy Course and also take a look at my tips on How to Can Food with No Special Equipment.

CANNING MADE EASY COURSE:

If you are a canning newbie, I just revamped my Canning Made Easy course and it’s ready for YOU! I’ll walk you through each step of the process (safety is my #1 priority!), so you can finally learn to can confidently, without the stress. CLICK HERE to have a look at the course and ALL the bonuses that come with it.

(2) Freezing

Freezing works well for certain types of vegetables and most meats, the downfall to freezing is that in an emergency where power is lost your freezer will not be working. This is also a method that may require some blanching before your things get moved to the freezer.

Here are a Few of my Favorite Freezer Recipes :

• How to Freeze Green Beans
• How to Freeze Tomatoes
• No-Cook Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

(3) Root Cellaring/Cold Storage

This type of storage isn’t for all kinds of produce, it is used for winter squash, carrots, potatoes, beets, and other vegetables that like to be kept cool and in the dark. You don’t have to have an actual root cellar to store things this way, but it helps.

Here are some helpful Root Vegetable Tips:

• 13 Root Cellar Alternatives
• Digging Up and Storing Potatoes for Winter
• How to Grow Your Best Onion Crop Ever

(4) Dehydrating

The dehydrating method is when you use a dehydrator or oven to remove the moisture from the chosen food. Foods that are dehydrated can be great additions to soups because many can be restored by adding water. Dehydrated foods do not take up as much space as other preserved foods, so this can help if you don’t have much long-term storage space.

A Few of My Favorite Ways to Use a Dehydrator:

• Dehydrating Bananas: Easy Tutorial
• Simple Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes

(5) Fermentation

This method of preservation has been used for ages and because of the salt brine used it is one of the safest. Fermentation is also a very basic method of preservation, only salt, vegetables and a jar are required.

A Few of My favorite fermenting Recipes

• Homemade Fermented Pickle Recipe
• How to Make Sauerkraut
• How to Make Milk Kefir

I have personally use each of these food storage methods, and using a combination of each of them really helps achieve your food storage goals.

Never preserved anything before? That’s ok, learn more about each method and how to preserve your harvest here.

Are You Ready to Start Storing a Year’s Worth of Food Your Family?

The idea is to try and store enough to get you through one year, if you are new to food storage, just remember that the best way to prevent disappointment and waste is to start small. Create a customized plan that works best for YOUR family and decide what you will need to buy or produce yourself.

I hope your food storage journey is successful and that you are able to take control of your food supply. It is a great and satisfying feeling to finally be self-sufficient and prepared. 

More  Long-Term Storage Tips:

• Water Glassing Eggs: How to Preserve Your Fresh Eggs for Long-Term Storage
• The Best Resources for Safe Canning Information
• My Favorite Ways to Preserve Food at Home
• Top Tips For Storing Vegetables Without a Root Cellar

The post How to Store a Year’s Worth of Food for Your Family (Without Waste and Overwhelm) appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

Via Gardening http://www.rssmix.com/