How To Organize A Pantry For The Holidays

By Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife

Let me start off by saying that while I wish my pantry looked this way, it sure doesn’t, but I loved the image…

All this week we are talking about food, cooking and the upcoming holidays. Yesterday I shared some simple holiday crockpot recipes with you. Today we’re going to talk about how to organize your pantry for the holiday.

Start by going through your entire pantry and pulling everything out. I usually set everything on my kitchen table and the counters. As you pull things out of the pantry, keep a large trash bag close by and toss things that are either expired or you know you’re not going to eat or use.

If it is canned items or closed dry goods that you know you won’t eat (like that can of beets you bought a few months ago), set them aside in a different bag and donate them later.

Get out a rag and give your pantry a good cleaning while it’s empty. Last year when we did that, my husband ended up painting the walls of the pantry. It made a huge difference in the way it looks.

Once that’s done, it’s time to restock your pantry. Group things into like items. All baking mixes go in one section, all spices in another etc. This type of organization makes it easy to see at a glance if you have a particular item.

As you are going through your pantry items, keep a piece of paper and a pen close by and make a note of everything that you need to replace or stock up on. Many things will be obvious right away.

There are also certain ingredients that we only use around the holidays. There are certain spices, mixes and canned goods we don’t often buy. Now is a great time to see what you have on hand and replenish anything you know you will need in a few weeks.

A few years ago I didn’t do this. One of my holiday spices is sage. We use quite a bit of it in the cornbread dressing our family makes both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I didn’t realize that I was about out until the day before Thanksgiving. I ended up heading to three different stores before finding any dry sage, and then I ended up having to buy the most expensive brand. A little planning ahead can save you a lot of hassle and some money.

Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife

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