Old-fashioned food storage, for regular kitchens

A pantry that gets you through winter, the way grandma did it.

I'm June. I can, dry, ferment and stash food in a 1950s house in Boise. Here's everything I've learned, mistakes included.

My pantry's secret shelfThe Lost SuperFoods: a guide to old, long-keeping foods. My honest notes are on the review page. visit the official page →
Pantry basics

How I Build a Three-Month Pantry Without Panic Buying

A shelf-by-shelf plan that grows a little every grocery run, so you never feel the bill.
Canning

Water Bath Canning for Beginners: The First Batch I Wish I'd Made

Jam, pickles and tomatoes: what's safe in a water bath, what isn't, and the gear that's actually needed.
Drying

Dehydrating Food at Home: Apples, Jerky and Soup Mix in Jars

What I dry every fall, how long it keeps, and the conditioning step most guides skip.
Old recipes

Pemmican: The Old Trail Food That Keeps for Years (How I Make It)

Dried meat, rendered fat and a little fruit. Here's the method, and why it fascinated me.
Old recipes

Hardtack: Three Ingredients, Basically Immortal

The Civil War cracker, how to bake it, and how to make it taste like something.
Storage

Root Cellar Ideas for People Without a Root Cellar

Closets, crawl spaces, buried bins and a cold garage: where your potatoes can survive winter.
Pantry basics

12 Pantry Foods That Practically Never Expire

Honey, salt, white rice, dried beans and the others my grandmother trusted, plus how to store each.
Fall

Every Way I Preserve Apples in October

Applesauce, apple butter, rings, pie filling and cold storage: one bushel, five methods.
Budget

An Emergency Pantry on $20 a Week

A 10-week shopping plan that builds two weeks of no-cook and low-cook meals for a family of four.
Fermenting

Sauerkraut in a Mason Jar (Just Cabbage and Salt)

The easiest ferment there is. Weights, salt ratio, and how to tell good bubbles from bad fuzz.
Storage

Mylar Bags and Oxygen Absorbers: A No-Nonsense Guide

How many absorbers per bag, what you can't store this way, and the iron-and-ironing-board trick.
Review

The Lost SuperFoods Review: Is It Worth It Next to My Other Pantry Books?

I compared it with the Ball Blue Book and the free USDA guide. Here's what each one is good for.

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