The Pantry is Ready for the Season

I've quietly been preparing for the end-of-year holidays for months.  I can't remember when I bought the ingredients for the green bean casserole, but it was probably in April.  Brisket was $5 a pound one day, so that went in the freezer for Chrismukkah.  Nearly every grocery day, I spent about $10 on items I knew I would use by the end of the year.  By spreading out the purchases, I won't have any big hits to the grocery budget.

In some climates, people stock up for winter every year as a routine.  Those are the people who get snowed in, or maybe certain items are delayed by storms.  Winter colds of every origin are more prevalent, and so are power and water outages.

I don't have those problems where I live.  Sometimes a storm will cut out internet or electricity for a few hours, but that's about it.  This makes my "winter" preparation mainly about snagging items I know I will use at a good price and checking the expiration dates first.

There's also the home canning.  When the Presto arrived, I no longer hoarded the canned sweet potatoes I picked up on clearance last year.  I'll need to can some, which is about 6-8 pounds for a load.  It's going to cost half the price of a can in the store if I time it right.  I'm not canning as though I won't be able to get to the store, but just to take advantage of sales to make items I would be buying anyway.

I did make the mistake of not buying half priced mincemeat in January, but I'm leaning toward making a Torta Caprese for Chrismukkah dessert.  Maybe I'll get lucky and some store will actually sell the pastries so I can have one or two for the season.

I do roll my eyes at myself when I glance at the corner of the pantry where the holiday-themed groceries have accumulated.  But then I remember how much cheaper they were six months ago than they are today, so it was probably a good choice.  It has been very hard not to break into the fried onions.  I should have bought two.  If I find more at a good price, I'm getting them and munching.  I also want to make pumpkin baked goods.  It's finally that time of year when no one questions it.

One thing I can break into is the cranberry sauce.  I still have a lot from last year.  I'll take a jar to Thanksgiving and make cranberry brisket for Chanukah.  I still can't believe it's so late that the first night is also Christmas.  At least that means I have the day off.

Is this too much food to have on hand for one person?  Probably.  Almost definitely.  It's still nowhere near the mess I started with in my mom's pantry because nothing is sitting until it spoils.  I have been very careful about dates, rotating, and putting already-purchased on the meal plan.  But if all I have to buy between now and January is fresh produce and dairy, I'm good with that.  Means more paycheck left over for gifts and parties.