Today’s February sky is amazingly sunny for a day so bitterly cold. Still, I can’t let that old sun fool me, his sunshine is unquestionably losing the battle with winter’s wrath. The weather apps on my phone continue to send out a familiar “ping” as they update me on expectations of more heavy snow, ice, and sleet. They’ve forewarned of potential power outages, the dangers of being outside, and a Level 3 snow emergency has just been issued…meaning county roads are now closed to all travelers except for emergency vehicles.
It’s -19 Fahrenheit now, and on days like this, there are two things sure to bring me comfort; first, is the warmth from a crackling fire. Well, that and a tin with everything I need to roast marshmallows! Nearby are cast iron skillets and a reflector oven reassuring me, should the need arise, meals can be prepared over that same fire.
Second, depending on where you live, you may call it a pantry, a larder, or a buttery. Today the words are used interchangeably, while “back in the day” a larder was for keeping foods cool (such as meat or vegetables), a pantry for maintaining dryness (sugar or flour), and a buttery for storing barrels.
Whichever word is most familiar, in a drafty old house on an icy day such as this, it’s just what’s needed. It’s assurance, it’s faith, it’s peace of mind that no matter what the weather is outside, there are goods stored to keep us nourished.
Believe me, I would be absolutely giddy over a huge, walk-in country pantry! Alas, in this old house, the small room next to the kitchen was most likely added years ago as a mudroom. True, it’s where friends and family still find their way in to visit, but lately, I’m doing my best to re-imagine it as a small pantry. And what better day to plan and dream? We have 15 inches of fresh snow outside my door…I’m not going anywhere!
I’ve been inspired by a wonderful friend’s 1885 farmhouse pantry – it’s so roomy! She cleverly added shelving to a room beside the kitchen, and now it’s absolutely perfect for keeping whatever is needed close at hand. Everything from aprons to spare egg cartons, appliances to baking needs fill this amazing food storage pantry, while a big window keeps the room bright & cheery.
Shelves holding her bread mixer and wheat grinder share space with 5-gallon buckets of oats, flour, sugar, and wheat berries. (Look at that mixer – it’s fantastic!)
She created loads of room for potatoes, garlic, and onions alongside containers of rice, pasta, and beans. There’s even a spot for her husband’s chainsaws, “Why not?!” she laughingly asks. And I agree! When winds and ice bring down tree limbs, or branches block the paths leading to the barn and chicken coop, a chainsaw is right by the door ready to be put into action.
Countless gadgets and accessories are lined up next to extra storage containers, glass jars, canned goods, honey, herbal tea, loaves of freshly-baked bread, and so much more.
I’m crazy about it all! But here’s what I admire most…she didn’t design this space because it’s a farmhouse-style trend or a current fad. She created it as a promise – a promise that says, “This family will be fed.”
And because I love all things old, I became curious about the pantries I’ve seen in the homes of historical villages. Those pantry shelves held butter crocks, jelly molds, salt crocks, butter paddles, kraut cutters, sausage stuffers, oil lamps, and cake crocks. Pantries with oodles of room for big items such as butter churns, milk and cream cans along with large bags of flour and sugar.
Hmmm, what about adding a dry sink for soaking beans or washing up after a little garden weeding?
Another dear friend who grew up in a farmhouse built in 1900, fondly recalls a room her family called The Little Kitchen…isn’t that sweet?
Used for food storage as well as food prep, it has a wall of floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall storage. (Be still my heart!) A cupboard is positioned at each end of the wall, with long, roomy drawers in the middle. Above the drawers is a counter, and then above that are shelves…imagine! There’s a stainless steel work island and once a coal stove could be found in the kitchen. I can just imagine the bustling around that busy room preparing meals for the family as they came in from milking cows or mending fences.
Every home can have the promise mentioned above – the security that comes from extra food storage and the ease of keeping what we use most close at hand. Whether it’s an urban apartment, an A-frame in the mountains, or a cottage in a small town, each one of us can have a pantry that fits our needs.
Your pantry doesn’t need to be a separate room you can step into; any size cupboard is a terrific place to start. It’s a spot set aside for just what you need. I found this cupboard in a used furniture store, sitting there unwanted, probably because it was so big (52”x33”x80”) and heavy (hickory!) It had been a canning cupboard in an old farmhouse basement.
Any type of cupboard will do – even an unused bookcase or modern wire shelving can become a pantry. Wander through local thrift stores, check out yard or garage sales, or glance over furniture ads. You never know what you’ll find, and don’t pass up a piece based on how it looks. A splash of color from a fresh coat of paint does wonders, or simply keep that amazing original chippy finish. Add some molding, stenciling, swap out the knobs, cover the shelves with patterned shelf liner or spare wallpaper. Whatever it takes to make it your own.
No room for a cupboard? No worries! Do you have an empty shelf in a closet, or how about adding some open shelving in the kitchen? Years ago I met a gal who pulled down old kitchen paneling, and instead of hanging drywall, she added shelves between the vertical wall studs…genius!
We can start small: fill plastic totes, spare picnic coolers, lidded 5-gallon buckets, baskets, glass canning jars, or stacking storage jars. No rules, it’s anything that works for you and the space you have.
Ok, now that I’m armed with inspiration, it’s time to gussy-up my little 5’x9’ mudroom. I have a tall pie safe and a dry sink I will definitely use, but I need to get that room in order. I still have to keep in mind it’s how everyone comes into the kitchen, so two doors and a window are taking up space…I’ll just have to get creative. With the weather the way it is, this will be a plot and plan kind of day!
So tell me, do you have a pantry you love, or did you grow up in a house with a country pantry? Did you create a pantry from a freebie cupboard that was just too good to pass up? Maybe you added a vintage screen door to a bookcase? I can’t wait to hear your ideas and suggestions!
Well, I’m off to sit by the fire and imagine the possibilities…that seems like the best way to warm up on this frosty winter day. And while I’m there, it’s high-time I checked off a few Sisterhood Badges – the Farm Kitchen, Get it Together badge seems a terrific one to begin with!
I’ll see you next month, with more “tails” from the farm.
I want a large pantry so bad. I need it and yet, there is literally no room in this home for one. We only have three small closets, one in each bedroom. UGH!
Oh Carol – I absolutely understand! The closets here are dinky, except the one in the family room which someone added, and it’s full of coats and boots. Let’s put our heads together and brainstorm-do you have room for a skinny cupboard? How about a small, critter-proof outdoor shed – keep it close to the house similar to an old-fashioned summer kitchen? I know you’ll get creative and find a wonderful idea – let me know!
We sold our little farm in the country last spring and moved into town. Our very old farm house had a wonderful pantry and we enclosed a small porch and opened a doorway from the pantry into that area and it became the ‘far pantry’ for lack of a better name. I had so much stuff! With an empty nest I didn’t need to do all the canning, baking and cooking I had been used to doing and didn’t need all that space. So we sure had to downsize and now I have no pantry in our tiny home in town, yet we have everything we need to be a warm and welcoming home where friends gather and coffee or tea are always a moment away. So I guess I’m still a Farmgirl but just in a new location!
Marge, I LOVE the idea of a “far pantry” how clever to create that space! I’m sure it was so handy whenever you needed supplies. And what works for you now is as it should be…as you said, warm and welcoming, that’s what matters most. As MaryJane always says, “Farmgirl is a condition of the heart.” So no matter where we are, we are Farmgirls – through and through!
I’ve had all kinds of pantries over the years. We were a family of nine and lived an hour away from a big grocery store, so it was imperative to have food storage. There was a small room off the kitchen that served us well. In those days I ground wheat and made bread. The grinder sounded like a jet engine and it was nice to be able to shut the door. In one of our houses the pantry was under the stairs. Now, as empty nesters, we live out in the country again. There is a long utility room off the kitchen. We have a washer and dryer and laundry sink on one side with the water heater at the end corner. On the opposite side is a long set of upper cabinets with tall open shelves in the middle where I store large canning jars full of dry goods and pretty baskets for extra canning stuff, paper goods etc. My buckets of wheat, oatmeal and dog food stand under the upper cabinets. There is room to hang clothes from the dryer and we have hooks for jackets right by the door to the outside carport. We have a deep freezer right outside that door. This house was built in 1970 and full of dark paneling. It took us 4 coats of white pant to transform our pantry. Now I love it! The idea is one can use spaces for multi purposes.
Susan, your utility room sounds ideal…all at your fingertips; everything you need is so handy! Food and water storage is a must for me…not that the grocery is far, I just like to have that “secure” feeling right down the basement steps. And oh yes, that dark paneling…WHY? I have the same in a back hall…I’m afraid to pull it down, knowing that either the nails or glue will probably take the plaster off the walls with it and I’ll have more of an issue…painting may just be the solution; thanks!
Oh, can you please show us how your completed pantry turns out? I always seem to pick up good ideas, seeing others thought out plans. And thank you for the beautiful snow pictures. In North Carolina, we get some snow, but it melts the next day or so. Many thanks!
Hi Anita! Absolutely, I’ll share the mudroom/pantry when I’m all done…right now it’s still a bit chilly for painting or shuffling things about, but when it warms up a bit, you can be sure that’s what I’ll be working on! Did you get a bit of snow from this last storm? I heard it was really snowy in some parts of North Carolina!
Never enough storage space! Our country home is only 35 years old and I wish I had included a pantry in the planning. I use the basement for our extra freezer and have shelves there for canned goods, empty jars, extra paper goods, etc. I lack enough room in my kitchen to store every thing I need. I turned the closet that is in the hall near the kitchen to a mini pantry. I purchased a metal rolling rack with 5 wire shelves. It’s used for crock pots, air fryer. waffle iron, food processor and things that don’t fit in my kitchen cupboards. The closet is still large enough to hold some coats and cleaning supplies in one end. Outdoor wear and boots are in the built-on garage. Unfortunately you don’t have that option, but I’m convinced that you’re going to come with something clever!
Deanna, I couldn’t agree more…never enough space. Hmmm, or do I just have too much “stuff?!” I’m right there with you…I use the basement for all the same things you do. Great idea to use a closet for a pantry…that’s just what we farmgirls do: get creative! An attached garage would be nice…the barn is a bit far for safe food storage…and a playground not only for barn cats, but other “night creatures” as I call them! I’ll keep you posted, it won’t be fabulously big as it still needs to be a mudroom, but I’m trying to work out the details – thanks for sharing your ideas!
Really? You guys are still that cold?? We actually made it above freezing today (very different story tonight but I’ll take it.) We always seem to have a February warm-up but then March and April “happens.” Ahhh…pantries or whatever moniker by which they are known… I did not grow up with one nor do I have one now but the good news is that, growing up, I didn’t know such things existed and, now, I no longer need one (although convincing myself the latter is the case is another story altogether.). I grew up on my mother’s family farm that was built by her grandfather and his brothers (and, trust me…they were not builders by trade). Looking back, it’s astonishing to me that my mother grew up with 13 siblings in a house so small. One small closet in the entire house (upstairs under the eaves so it slanted and did not offer much room). The kitchen was teeny…one could barely turn around in it without bumping into someone else if there were more than one person in the room…and 3 very, very, small bedrooms (remember…no closets…) The “pantry” (i.e., where the canned goods and canning equipment was stored) was a two-room root cellar (yes, complete with a dirt floor) that could only be accessed from the exterior of the house and going down a flight of broken cement steps. (Not fun in the freezing cold or with mountains of snow.) When I married and moved here, my house wasn’t much larger…but we did have more closets and a proper basement. No pantry, but I kept pantry-type things on some make-do shelving my husband made. When we finally added on, the plans were thrown together hurriedly (don’t ask) and we didn’t have a lot of options so, believe it or not, still no pantry. I had more room in the basement for pantry-type things (and had/have a small, narrow cupboard for canned staple items) and had cupboard space added in the laundry room for things I used/needed regularly (crockpots, oversized baking dishes, serving dishes, etc.). Now that I’ve acclimated to my spaces, I don’t need it… I’m alone and never entertain anymore so don’t need to preserve, can, etc. (although I do a few things that I can’t live without) and should get rid of 80% of the other “stuff” I have. But….”should” and “will” are two different things. (Sorry for the length of this…yikes.)
Hi Robin, well not that cold any longer…would you believe we’ve had a 70 degree swing? It’s absolutely awful today…50 degrees and muddy, wet, slippery, foggy. I’m just going to build a fire and ignore it all! Ick, I’ll take the snow any day over this.
You have to keep all those details written to pass down – fascinating family history! Closets here are small as well…one curves to match the curve of the stairs and one is certainly no more than maybe 18 inches deep. Still, so intriguing to me. Ahhh a laundry room…that would be a luxury. The remodeling done here (before my time) or “remuddling” as I call it, combined a 1/2 bath and laundry room under the back stairs…it works, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hit my head emptying the washer. And so it goes!
I have what I call “pantry envy”, as there is no pantry in this house at all. At least, not yet. What a timely post. I am at the moment, planning on taking one of the walls of our office, which is open to the kitchen, and turning it into a recessed pantry with IKEA cabinets. The only other spot we have to create one is inside the laundry closet down the hall from the kitchen, which is not ideal. The funny thing is, my son had the exact same idea about putting the pantry in the office without me even saying anything. It must be the right place! I will be placing my wheat berry buckets along with all of the other foodstuffs we have. I love the idea of the screen doors, but haven’t yet decided on that. I agree with you, that pantries are a symbol of sufficiency, independence and abundance in our lives. I can’t wait to see your new space! Blessings…
Love that Daisy, and I totally get it. Pantry Envy…oh how I’d love a big, walk in room, shelves on each side, clear to the ceiling! Oh well…not sure what folks did in 1864, but unless it’s hidden behind a wall, I don’t see one here. And who knows, my dream is to pull down those icky kitchen walls…maybe I’ll discover a secret surprise! Looking forward to seeing your new pantry…let me know when it’s all done, I need all the ideas I can gather!
Mary! Your marshmallow tin…. I love vintage tins and I really love marshmallows… but I’ve NEVER seen a marshmallow tin. I’m going on the hunt now! That is just the coolest!
I love this pantry post. My pantry is in my laundry room… a really fun shelving system that my husband built to look old and it has a red screen door! One of my favorite things in my house!
Hugs…hope you warm up soon!
Dori
Oh wow Dori, you’ve got the screen door? And it’s red? You’re a mind-reader! Have you posted a photo? I NEED to see it!
I found the tin in a nearby antique shop…I think there are oodles of companies that used to sell them in tins…mine is showing it’s age, and the lid is a little “wonky” but still, it was just calling my name…you know how that goes. Good luck…let the search begin!
Glad you’re making it happen! I’ve wanted a pantry for YEARS and the dream is finally happening. We stole 5′ from our huge main floor bathroom (not sure what the previous owners were thinking – a bathroom 17′ wide??) to create a dedicated pantry right next to the kitchen. We’re nearly done with the walls & ceiling, next will be paint and wallpaper, then finally building out the shelves. I hope to have it functional by early spring.