How I Provision

We have three freezers - the side-by-side on our refrigerator, an upright and a chest freezer. We also have 3 (rather small) pantries. I try to keep things organized in each but my husband, who is retired, manages to mess it up when I am at work. So every month I need to go through the pantries and the freezers, and sort things out. It's a good practice to revisit what's stashed, and it is an integral part of long-term menu planning.

Yes, long-term. We live 45 miles from the nearest comprehensive grocery store, although there are Mom and Pop stores nearby that stock milk, bread, eggs and an assortment of overpriced, tired vegetables and fruit. They're fine for emergency back-up, but we don't shop there. So we plan an entire day devoted to re-stocking our pantry and freezers once every month.

Actually it takes 3 days!

I make up a master shopping list for everything we need to buy to produce a month's worth of our standard meals. Then, to satisfy the need for variety, I pick out several new recipes to try and add those ingredients to the list.

The first day I get my lists together, followed by the pantry and freezer inventory, where I cross off the ingredients I already have. At this point I make adjustments to use up whatever is losing its freshness - and if we have 3 chicken meals one week, that's OK. After the inventory, and updating my lists, then I clean out the fridge. I don't scrub it, just take out leftovers and nearly empty bottles, to make enough room for shopping day.

That's because we cram most of what we buy into the refrigerator once we get home from shopping, to keep it chilled until we can portion it out on Day 3, which usually falls to my husband because I only get 2 days off at a time. 

We portion on day three because at the end of day 2 all we want to do is collapse on the floor. We usually fill 2 large coolers and 2 insulated bags and it's just a terrific project to shop and haul all this stuff. We don't do it all in one store, either - usually we hit a big box, a grocer and specialty stores too. 

After 13 years in a rural environment, we find the intensity of crowds and traffic in the city to be very draining. Whenever I think I'd like to live in town again, shopping day cures me of such ideas.

My husband has begun portioning our freezer goods in small batches now so we avoid leftovers, since we are very bad about eating them. 

All in all, I think we eat healthier this way - it's all planned, home-cooked food with very little processed food, primarily oils and sauces, with the largest focus on frozen or fresh veg and fish, chicken and a little beef.  

Cucumbers and Bibb Lettuce

 
In summer, I grow vegetables - carrots, lettuce, salad greens, cherry tomatoes, melons, corn and squash - but haven't had enough growing space to produce a surplus. Some day I will. In fact I may be able to increase my gardening area next summer. I'm excited about it!

Carrots

 So that's how I provision. We save money on gas by making only one trip, we limit the potential for random acts of bad nutrition by making wise choices and having to live with them, and we portion control as soon as we process for the freezer.

How do you provision? I welcome any comments or ideas on the topic!