My pantry

Is due for an overhaul, a good painting out when the fridge is removed which is going to be some time off at this rate as I need to organise sheds for the bottom of the garden to put the freezers in out of the dining room so that I can put a brand new larder fridge into the dining room. There is a real need for this as I use a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit and currently do not have the correct storage that I would like for the  veggies.  Whether I will be able to do something with the outside shed at some point in this respect needs looking into as it is nice and cold.

 I would also like another larder fridge in the sheds long term especially with all the experimenting I want to do with regard to having a go at charcuterie and meat products and they need a cool place to be.  I also want to dabble a bit with the cheese making.  So an extra overflow fridge would be very handy.  Unfortunately at the moment we do not have room for an American style larder type fridge let alone for it to be plumbed in.

However once the sheds that is are all in place there will be room for extra shelving  and my WORK IN PROGRESS collection of Cadburys Roses sweet jars with the blue lids can be well and truly pressed into use as storage jars for my bulk ingredients.  It would free up an awful lot of space and with the fridge gone I could have shelving down to the floor and be able to walk into the pantry again.  Well that is my outline plan at the moment and if you have any of the said sweetie jars that you do not want  I might be willing to come to an arrangement with you over them.  Just pm me.  Collecting these jars I think is going to be a slow process but well worth it in the long run and would mean that I would be able to locate things quite easily when I needed them.  I originally had a couple of these jars for home made muesli and granola when the children were at home but the jars went sometime ago its funny how I have come back to it.  I use a lot of vanilla sugar in my baking as well so it would be good to have a jar full of sugar with several vanilla pods in to give the sugar full flavour. 

This pantry is more than serviceable just not big enough to get everything in and whilst it is not my forever pantry I intend to get the maximum amount of use I can get out of it and trying to practice today the techniques I am learning so that I get the most out of it in the days to come.  Ideally I want everything in one largish room.

I am starting to collect things that I know are going to be useful long term.  Things like vintage preserving jars specifically the large Kilner Dual Purpose preserving jars with the metal lids.  Why are you collecting those you say.  Practical reasons really although there is a little bit of nostalgia involved as well.  I grew up with these jars as my mum and my Nan both bottled fruit for the winter months and put up what they could afford to so that is the nostalgia element. However on a practical side even the small Dual purpose jars hold a good bit and the 2lb and 4lb jars are certainly roomier and have wider apertures at the top compared to the modern Kilner jars. 

But you can't get the seals for them - true but the Leifheit jars have the right ring size  and the replacement seals fit perfectly.  If you have original vintage rings for the jars but they are a little sorry and badly scratched or a little rusty they can be revamped by the Kilner Jar man but I will speak further of him in another post as I want to discuss which rings fit which jars, where you can get spares from etc. This will be information from  my own personal use and what I have found out as I have gone along.  Buying the older jars for me is brilliant as I am bringing something back into use again.  So the Kilner jar collection is growing both vintage and new.  So my pantry storage for my preserves is going to be stylish and charming but well sorted out.

I have also ordered a couple of black lidded sweetie jars as well.  I have ordered a Milk kefir and Water kefir kit the crystals and intend to have my own little fermentation corner together with the sourdough starters white and wholemeal and my ginger beer plant and possibly my apple pop.

I am also after a vintage pair of Victorian shop scales the wedge shaped one.  There was one on ebay recently for a very good price but was collection only.  That really scuppers me.

So I am seriously thinking and planning on what I would like and being very practical on the usage side as well.  no doubt I will think about something else as time goes on but we will see how things work out.  

Right will catch you later.

Pattypan

x