Hello everyone and welcome back to Wicked Quail and Pork Homestead- the blog. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook! We are a small family farm operating on a 3rd generation property. Prior to us purchasing the property from my grandfather, it was a beef farm. However, with 4 other beef farms nearby, and my strong opinion on chasing cattle and fixing fences.. we have changed it around a bit.
We have been raising swine for 8 years, we mentor anyone looking to get into the pork and piggo industry. Recently we switched to registered Idaho Pasture Pigs. We also have poultry, turkeys, ducks, and quail. I think we may start leaning more towards the birds on the business end of things.
I am happy to say we have our meat rabbits back, that's one of my favorites due to sustainability and cost. We also recently brought in dairy sheep! Yum!
We are a small family with 2 kiddos, that love all things outdoors. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer, and we'd like to say.. Welcome, friend!
It's that time of year when I need to go through my pantry and work through what we have in order to make room for the upcoming garden season. Things like canned string beans (it's a good thing it's soup season), canned cherries, and of course all of the jams and jellies still sit on my shelves. Over the next 2 months, I will be making a lot of fruit-flavored muffins, and cookies, and eating a lot of bread with jam!
In order to accomplish moving through our pantry regularly, there are some things I have to keep on hand and try really hard not to run out of.
Keeping a well-stocked pantry is SO important if you plan on keeping your family fed and happy through any circumstance. The most simple ingredients can provide snacks like muffins and cookies, breads to fill bellies during dinner, and home-cooked meals even when the budget is tight. So let's go over the list and costs of these items.
-Flour
Flour will provide the basic base for anything you need home-baked. You do not need store-bought snacks and bread if you have flour!
-Sugar
Sugar is just as basic but necessary as flour! It can also add a sweet taste to anything your kiddos might find bland when working with just what you have on hand.
-Baking soda/powder
If you plan on doing anything with the flour and sugar these items will more than likely be needed. I keep a full quart mason jar of each on hand.
-Cinnamon and Nutmeg
This one might seem a little weird. HOWEVER if you do not have anything else to flavor baked goods, oatmeal, breads, desserts, etc.... these two spices are amazing!
-Rice
Rice can stretch a meal and act like a filler in soups, stir-fries or seasoned as a side. It is cheap and worth the investment. We keep about 4 gallons of rice on hand.
-Salt
Seems pretty basic, but if you don't have an extra container of salt on hand you could run out in a tight budget situation, leaving you without anything to really bring the flavors in your dish out. A high-quality salt will also add minerals your body thrives on to your diet.
-Peanut Butter
You may already have peanut butter on hand but do you have extra peanut butter? Always have an extra peanut butter and jelly hanging around! They don't need to be cooked to eat and both can add flavor to baked goods and snacks.
-Cornmeal
Cornmeal and the ingredients above will give you the option of making quick, yummy cornbread or muffins as snacks or to add to a meal. Sometimes it's nice to switch it up from the basic yeast roll.
-Cornstarch
Put down the gravy mixes! Mix cornstarch with the juices from any meats you cooked for a delicious gravy to go with the meal. Use it to thicken up your soups and stews as well!
-Beans
If your family will eat beans, keep extra on hand. They are excellent protein, they store forever, and they can be added to so many dishes! I even saute mine up with my eggs in the morning!
-Vanilla Extract
Mock vanilla extract is so cheap there is no reason not to have it on hand for your baked goods!
-Cooking oils
Even if it's just cheap vegetable or canola oil. Have it on hand in the pantry. Baking and cooking on a budget or in an emergency will be much better with it!
-Paprika/Garlic powder/Parsley
I swear even if you don't have any other spices in the cabinets... having these on hand will make any dish taste good. Use together or separate.
-Brown sugar
Bake cookies, spruce up oatmeal, or rub down a pork roast with it!
-Oatmeal
Oatmeal is self-explanatory. But aside from basic oatmeal, you can make no bakes, baked oatmeal, granola bars, toppings for pies, and much more.
Alright guys, so I went on Walmart.com and added two of everything listed above to my cart. If you were to buy a "for now" and "for later" of each of the items you would only spend just over $47! Pantry staples are the cheapest staples.
Here are some extra things that we personally keep stocked up to assist with meals and baking.
-Chocolate chips
-Pumpkin puree
-Canned fruits
-Cereals like Chex and rice crispies that can be baked with.
-Powdered sugar
-Cream of mushroom soup
-Condiments that we enjoy and don't can ourselves
Please do not feel defeated if you can't afford to buy all of these things in the organic version. We certainly did not buy organic baking or cooking supplies at the beginning and just recently found it in our budget to switch to organic cane sugar. Homemade something is better than homemade nothing!
If you are looking to get into bulk organic buying, see my Azure link!
Until next time, happy homesteading!
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