My Pantry
photo courtesy of http://www.thekitchn.com
Keeping a well stocked pantry and fridge is key to whipping up a great meal anytime. Here are the things I keep on hand.
The Basics:
olive oil, coconut oil
red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar
good canned tomatoes, tomato paste
beans of your choice
rice (brown is best)
quinoa
spices, such as thyme, oregano, paprika, cumin, chili powder, dry mustard, bay leaves, whole allspice berries, peppercorns, herbs de Provence
good sea salt ( Maldon, Celtic Sea Salt) and pepper
kelp (or kombu)
pasta, your choice
anchovies
canned salmon and tuna (Wild Planet is a good source)
BAKING:
baking powder, baking soda
flour (I use organic white spelt)
raw honey /maple syrup, sugar (organic is healthiest)
spices for baking like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
vanilla extract
The Fridge:
good butter (I like Kerrygold Irish butter or Organic Pastures pastured butter)
heavy cream ( organic or raw), milk ( organic or raw if you can find it)
mustard
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
feta cheese
goat cheese
miso
pastured eggs (not hard to find, the big, better supermarkets carry them now)
carrots, celery
onions, lots of garlic ( not in the fridge necessarily)
fresh parsley and other herbs
lemons
The Freezer:
stock ( chicken, vegetable , beef)
frozen berries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
Parmesan rinds
bones!
A word about Bones:
Whenever you eat a meal which consists of bones of some kind, chicken, beef, lamb,pork, throw them into a zip-lock bag to be made into stock. Once you have a good amount, make stock. (my next post)
Farmhouse Kitchen 
I think the best tomatoes are in a box. Several good brands from Italy with “tomatoes” as the only ingredient.
I prefer Diamond Kosher. Nothing in it but “salt”— with no “anti-caking” additives.
Look for Italian anchovies in a glass jar. Or, better, the “white”, fresh ones, but they’re hard to find.
If you use wheat flour, King Arthur is good. Also Italian “000”.
I like to have mushrooms on hand. Prefer the ones gathered in the woods, but you gotta know what you’re doing. In any case, get them from deep, unfertilized woods only. Fungi absorb toxins. Commercially, Shitake, crimini, or portobello are good.
Look for cream without commercial thickeners. Whole Foods’ “365” store brand is excellent.
When i have the time, i make pasta— 50-50: 000 and semolina flour+eggs. You can roll it out by hand, but a pasta machine is great.
Maille mustard is a good compromise between spend-y artisanal and supermarket brands.
Looks like you have a nice selection in your pantry, thanks for your comment!
I want the flourless chocolate cake! Chuck
I have not found truly pastured eggs in my supermarket but have many farmers in my area. Labeling is tricky and we just can’t trust what we read on the package.
Have you had luck finding canned tomatoes in cans manufactured without BPA? This is a real concern for me and I have difficulty finding tomatoes in glass.
I also have concerns about BPA and switched to the brand “Pomi” for my tomatoes. They’re packed in aseptic cartons and contain just tomatoes, no salt or other “extras”. I recently heard that Eden Foods is now packaging their tomato products in glass.
Here’s a link: http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=191
Also Muir Glen is now BPA free, so be sure to check the can when buying, I’m sure they’ll label it as such.
And thanks for visiting my site and your comment!