Thinking Ahead

As Autumn approaches, it is getting that time of year when I start thinking about sustenance through the winter.  Now that I've returned home to homeschool and be with my kids, I want to be particularly organized so that I can help our family live within our means.  I also have a tendancy to want to have items at hand quickly when I get in the mood to make a soup or stew (which I seem to be doing constantly during the winter).

Financially, we definately eat out less when there is good food close at hand.  This also means healthier meals - ones with more "real foods" in them (ie. veggies, fruits, grains, etc.).  Spiritually, this helps us align with the natural rhythm of the year by taking advantage of the summer harvest to store for winter use.

Right now, I am basically doing some thinking aloud as I put down my intentions for how I want to organize our winter storage.  Here is the list I want to start working on in September/October.  That will help spread the cost and time out over 2 months as I collect and store the items. By the time November hits, I like to have the majority of such items as below obtained and put away.  This helps me to then relax a bit and enjoy the holiday season without worrying about it.

Freezing:
ziplocs full of chopped carrots, celery, bell peppers, seasonal mixed veggies (beans, squashes, peas, corn, etc.)
herbs - like chives from the garden
meat on sale

Canned:
large cans of soup stock (at least 3 cases full)
small cans of diced tomatoes w/ chili peppers
fruit - peaches, pears, apples...maybe also plums, cherries
hot peppers
pickles

Stored:
sacks of potatoes, onions, winter squash/pumpkin, garlic, ginger
several containers of soup bouillion and soup starters
barley, dried split peas, dry pasta and dry beans
rice
spices

As I think of more things, I'll come back in and edit this list, but this seems a good place to start.  Time to start scouring my sources for food pretty soon - just a handful of weeks of harvest left for many items on my list.