But with all the large meals and sweet treats comes the cost. For many of us, Thanksgiving is the starting point for the biggest spending season we’ll see this year. But why does this have to be, especially when many of us are currently sitting on a supply of delicious ingredients we could be using right now! And with the number one rule in food storage being rotation, what better time to begin rotating your food storage into your current cooking and baking needs than during the holidays?
For today’s Food Storage Friday post, we’re going to take a look at ways we can incorporate our food storage into our cooking and baking this Holiday season, while saving the costs we would be spending on the same ingredients we can find in our own food storage pantry. We’ll cover just a few points that can make our Holiday season a little less stressful, while saving us a few bucks along the way.
Look Before you Buy
With Thanksgiving just one week away, many of us will head out to the grocery stores this weekend to pick up all the ingredients needed to have a delicious (and large) meal. But before we head off to battle long lines and packed parking lots for a can of cranberry sauce, why not take a look in your food storage pantry? Many of the ingredients you need can be found in your own home. Looking to make Nana’s famous stuffing? Check your pantry. Your Honeyville Dehydrated Celery, Freeze Dried Sausage, and Dehydrated Carrots are just as effective (and delicious) as anything at the grocery store. How about the famous Green Bean Casserole? Your Freeze Dried Green Beans will work perfectly, and are sitting right in your pantry! Mashed Potatoes? Come on, you know your Honeyville Instant Potato Flakes are just as delicious and cook up much quicker.
And don’t leave baking out of the mix. With Honeyville Freeze Dried Blueberries, All Purpose Flour, and Buttermilk Powder, everything you need for those delicious pies and sweet treats are right in your own home just waiting to be used.
Didn’t use it all, Don’t Worry
Now that you’ve used your food storage in your Holiday preparation, the question that always comes up is “What do I do with the remaining products that I didn’t use, especially since I’ve opened it up?” Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In our Food Storage Friday #13 post we covered all the techniques you need to re-seal and re-store everything you didn’t use in your food storage. The key to remember is that worrying about opening the product should not be an excuse for not using it. You have that food storage, so use it!
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation
The biggest benefit of using your food storage during the Holiday season is that it helps you apply the most important technique to storing food. Rotation. Simply buying a few #10 cans and sitting them on a shelf in the basement for 15 years is not practicing effect food storage techniques. Continually rotating your food storage into your routine baking and cooking needs keeps your food storage from eventually becoming useless and also helps you get the most out of what you’ve purchased. Use this Holiday season as a chance to practice your rotating skills, while still having great tasting products.
This season is the time to reflect on what we all are grateful for. What better way to show your gratefulness for the food storage you’ve stocked up on by using it this Holiday season.
