I love the colorful leaves, the cooling air, the cozy sweaters, and the food.
Fall is naturally a harvest time. A time to gather food and clothing for the long cold days ahead. While I don't have a garden to harvest this year, I have found myself rearranging cupboards, trying new recipes, and filling the can rack and the freezer, with the hope to establish a three month food storage.
Three Month Food Storage
These are foods that our family eats on a regular basis that can be stored on the shelf or in the freezer (my interpretation), for at least three months. For example, in my freezer are bags of broccoli, French beans, cherries, garden burgers, and so forth. There are spices, pasta, oats, and flour in my cupboard. My can rack has black beans, navy beans, chick peas, olives, pumpkin, tomatoes, pineapple chunks in juice, and a few other fruits.
On a typical day, I will be combining short-term foods, like eggs and fresh vegetables, with items from my three month storage to create meals. If we empty the checking account and produce bin before payday, if we get snowed in, if the baby has a fever, if I just can't make it to the grocery store, I know where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are coming from. I feel at peace knowing I can make soup and bread for my family tonight. Dinner can be stretched for unexpected company when cans of fruit become a side dish in a serving bowl, or frozen vegetables are steamed in the microwave.
Fall Flavors
Back to school makes me think of peanut butter and jelly. September is time for apples, and it wouldn't be October without pumpkin. On a blustery day, a hot bowl of soup is heavenly.
Of these recipes, the most requested has been the Peanut Butter and Jelly Breakfast Shake. Full of protein, calcium, frozen cherries, and sweetened with jam, all this needs is a side of toast. My four boys love it.
Our most versatile recipe is Oatmeal Pancakes. We've been known to eat pancakes for dinner.
These are all recipes I look forward to making again and again. Enjoy!
Fall Food Storage Recipes
- Oatmeal Pancakes
- Applesauce Syrup
- Apple Pie Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Breakfast Shake
- Black Beans and Sausage (with Rice)
- Pumpkin Sausage Soup
- Lentil Harvest Soup--see a video for Alton Brown's version
- Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Hummus
You're welcome to share as many copies as you would like, provided it's for noncommercial use.
If you try these recipes, please comment to let us know what you liked or didn't like about them. Any other suggestions for cooking with fall food storage are welcome, too.
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