Organising the pantry and cellar

In short

• Stores need six climates: cold and damp (cellar), cold and dry (onions), warm and dry (squash), dry and dark (store room), cold larder (meat, lard, cheese) and the freezer.
• Dry food doesn't go in the cellar. Flour, grain, dried fruit, herbs and beans need 5–15 °C (41–59 °F) and humidity below 60 %.
• One metre (3 ft) of shelf 30 cm (12 in) deep holds roughly 30 jars of 720 mL–1 L or 50 jars of 370 mL in one layer.
• Heavy at the bottom, light at the top; the lowest shelf 10–15 cm (4–6 in) off the floor, containers 20–30 cm from the wall.
• No poison in the pantry: 6 mm (¼ in) mesh, traps, a cat, closed containers, 48 h in the freezer for dried food.
• Curing salt, lime, cleaning products and fuel never on a shelf with food.

What's inside

Chapters

1. Six climates in one house
2. What goes where
3. Dry food doesn't go in the cellar
4. Shelves: measurements and load
5. Containers for every store
6. Layout: zones and order
7. Rodents and insects without poison
8. The freezer as part of the pantry
9. Safety in the pantry and cellar
10. The pantry by size of homestead
11. Most common mistakes
12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

• Shelf calculator
• Container and freezer calculator
• Sketch of the pantry and cellar
• Map of places
• Shelf plan
• Equipment and budget
• Calendar for organising