The Humble Pantry (& Why We Love It)

 The Humble Pantry (& Why We Love It)

“Mise en Place”

 

 Sauces in Pantry

 

The kitchen has always been the center of life and activity in our house.  A house that loves life and abhors wasting time, the substance and unit of measurement of life, will probably center around the kitchen.  Growing up, food was always special; when dinner was ready you came when called (the first time), scrubbed yourself clean (don’t forget that face!) and then sat down at a table (not in front of the TV).  The day’s hustle and bustle, homework status, and upcoming events were all discussed over prepared food—which had to emanate from the pantry. 

 

Mise en Place

 

The pantry is what holds our raw ingredients, it is where we go for inspiration when it is 6:05, you just walked through the door from whatever-event, and the kids are hungry.  When you are preparing a large meal to entertain at your house, you can probably appreciate a pantry with mise en place (the French way of saying “pantry organization”).  If you are lucky enough to have older family members or friends who lived through the Great Depression, then they can tell you that they measure their “wealth” by the contents of the pantry. 

 


I am sure that Chip and Dale though that they were very wealthy.

 

Before modern conveniences, the outgrowth of electricity and cheap oil, food had to be either eaten quickly or preserved by fermentation, dehydration, a root cellar, pickling, salting/brine, smoking or canning to prevent spoilage.  Entropy effects everything in the natural order.  The pantry was the supply chain for all food prepared and served in the house up until very recent history because there was not any such thing such as Ramen Noodles, Easy Mac ‘n’ cheese, Doritos or cheap frozen pizza (or the freezer to keep it in). 

 

This spring I had the opportunity to go with Chaya and the kids to visit Mount Vernon, the home of General George Washington.  The Founding Fathers were geniuses in their own right; in no small sense this is evidenced by their application of their talents and innovation to improve agriculture.  The detached kitchen at Mount Vernon was complete with a large hearth, plenty of preparation space and two adjacent rooms to serve as a pantry with one of them being sunken down deep to preserve food during the hot humid coastal Virginia summer weather.  Other tourists in the room discussed how it seemed so “primitive”; Chaya looked on in envy.

 

 

George Washington, Innovative Farmer

 

“Pantry” and “larder” are often synonymous terms, especially in England.  In the Middle Ages, foodstuffs were stored in built to accommodate large castle dinners and the inevitability of being under siege for long stretches.  The larder was a cool room, often a cellar, for storing meats and spoilable foods; meats were originally stored in barrels of crocks of rendered lard, hence the name. . . . Meanwhile, a buttery [or butt’ry] was originally a storeroom for large barrels or ‘butts,’ of beer, ale and large provisions. . . . The word pantry and related words like pantry man and pannier are derived from the Latin word for bread, panis.  The French stored their bread in a bread cupboard called a paneterie (Pond, p. 20). 

 

I am going to assume that if you are reading this that you a) care about the pantry like we do and b) are not currently under siege—so why put any thought into the humble pantry?  In the modern day our just-in-time Lean Six Sigma grocery delivery system “alleviates” the need for provisions to last you, the landed gentry whilst the enemy is not at thine gate.  The prudent homestead, in contrast, is well aware of the ebb and flow of food production during the annual cycle.  Zucchini in June—youbetcha (but not in January)!  And so the art and science of producing, preparing and preserving your harvest goes. 

 

Lack of Pantry Food Storage 

 

 If you endeavor to do that, keep following us in this blog and we can get you away from delivered fast food towards something more like this:

 Jehovah Jireh Farm

 

 

Wilson

Pro Deo et Patria

 

Works Cited:

Pond Seiberling, C. (2007). The pantry. (p. 20). Layton: Gibbs Smith.

 

Photo Credits:

         Unless otherwise stated below, photos are by Pantry Paratus.

 

Sauces on rack: Chiot’s Run via photopin cc

Syrup and Beans: sleepyneko via photopin cc

A Well-Stocked Pantry: Jehovah Jireh Farm (A featured farm on Pantry Paratus). 

 

 

 For Further Reading:

Wilson’s book review on The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest:   https://pantryparatus.com/blog/preserving_harvest/

 

Proviso:

Nothing in this blog constitutes medical advice.  You should consult your own physician before making any dietary changes.  Statements in this blog may or may not be congruent with current USDA or FDA guidance.

 
 

 

 

 

 

www.Hypersmash.com

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