One challenge we faced living in the country was learning how to purchase and store food that fits our lifestyle. We enjoy trying new recipes but often struggle to find special ingredients in our small town. And shipping to our upland home isn’t an option since delivery trucks won’t navigate our long, dirt road. So, we must plan our supplies, making good use of our fridge, freezer, and pantry. After all, who wants to spend their time off driving 20-30 minutes to shop for items that might not even be in stock?
I’ll break down how we stock our refrigerator, pantry, and freezer. But first? A few items to consider:
- Mice (and assorted friends) happen in the country. Limiting access to food is the best way to keep unwanted guests at bay.
- Rural grocery stores are not urban grocery stores. Enjoying difficult-to-find ingredients in your upland kitchen means shopping strategically and often bringing items with you.
- Try not to overstock perishables. Tackling a major fridge-purge every time you leave your country home is miserable and wasteful.
- It’s a nice rule of thumb to have a few ingredients on-hand for two occasions: 1) unexpected hors d’oeuvres with friends, and 2) a dinner option for when we arrive late to our home and everyone’s on the verge of “h’angry.”
Stocking the Fridge
- General tip? Buy small portion sizes of dairy products. In a house that is sometimes unused for longer stretches of time, small (but multiple if necessary) portions of items such as yogurt, milk, cream, sour cream, etc. are far more efficient. And when left sealed, keep much longer in the fridge.
- Butter freezes well. So use one stick at a time in the fridge.
- The “baking soda thing” works. Keep an open box in the fridge to prevent odors and swap it out every 3 months.
- Condiments. This is an obvious one and all the hamburger/hot-dog fixings are a must. There are a few additional items you’ll always find in our fridge that are not available at our upland grocery store, including:
- A high-quality bottled dressing that can double as a marinade. Our family loves the Greek-style dressing from Gazebo Room for exactly that reason. Brianna’s Real French Vinaigrette is another versitile option.
- Sriracha
- Capers
- Chili crisp. Lao Gam Ma is our favorite hands down. We use this as a condiment for just about anything. And you can toss it with pasta for a quick, flavorful dinner.
- Gochuchong paste
- Soy Very’s Very Very Teriyaki. We never purchase pre-marinated meats, which our local grocery seems to be stocking more and more of. We make our own in many cases, but this marinade is fabulous as a quick fix!
- Lee & Perrins Worcestershire. Because….don’t bother with substitutes. Not only is this a must-have for game day bloody mary’s on the couch, but the umami kick can enhance just about any dish needing a little extra heft.
- Pepper jelly. We prefer a good kick and there are two brands that I swear by to help make quick, wildly popular hors d’ouevres. Stonewall Kitchen’s Hot Pepper Jelly is unparalleled. And Melinda’s makes a Pineapple Jalapeno Jelly that we bake with coins of Turkey Kelbasi as a go-to high protein quick snacky bite or a fun hors d’oeuvres with friends around the fire pit.
- Sambal Olek. We cook a lot of asian-inspired cuisine and this stuff brings the heat we crave. We can’t buy it within 60 minute of our upland home.
- Hard cheeses keep for months if stored properly. Wrapping them in wax or parchment paper and storing them in a loosely sealed bag is best. And the cheese drawer will further help regulate the humidity. Good, affordable cheeses are very difficult to buy at our local grocery store. You’ll almost always be able to find exceptional blocks of parmesan, gruyere, and sharp cheddar in our fridge that I replenish from the city or during seasonal country markets when local items are more readily available.
- Cream Cheese. I prefer the low-fat since you don’t have to soften before using. And honestly? I can’t taste the difference. A brick of cream cheese topped with heaps of pepper jelly and served with crackers is an hors d’oeuvres classic for a reason! It helps to have an attractive, shallow serving dish since it’s not exactly “a looker”.
- Whole Greek yogurt and/or sour cream.
- Carrots. Used as cruidités or tossed with sesame oil, salt/pepper, and roasted on a sheet pan at 425 for 20 min or so.
- Lemons and limes.
- Fully cooked sausages. We like turkey kelbasi but you do you. Quick stir fry? Grilled, sliced, and served with a grainy mustard as a snack after a day of hiking? Baked with pepper jelly as an hors d’oeuvre?
- Bacon. Because, duh.
- Eggs. If you can buy them locally? They’re even more fresh and will keep longer. Eggs can last up to a month in the fridge.
Stocking Your Freezer
- Ground meats. Stored by 1 lb. portions in flat bags. We hunt deer and store venison this way. Great for ground beef, lamb, turkey, etc. They stack efficiently and thaw in a snap.
- Butter. Move one stick at a time into the fridge.
- Chopped onion. Every time I cut an onion, if I don’t use it all? I dump it in “the chopped onion bag”. That way, if I’m ever short an onion or don’t want to run to the store? It’s in my freezer door.
- Edamame in the pod. We munch on edamame often as a quick hors d’oeuvre with flake salt.
- Julliened peppers (can be bought pre-cut with onion in most grocery stores and sold as a stir-fry blend.) Can be used as stirfry, as topping for grilled hot sausage sandwiches, as fajita filling, or chopped into soups, stews, or just about anything.
- Garlic & Ginger. Trader Joes sells frozen grated garlic and ginger in little portions. It keeps beautifully, melts from frozen into whatever your cooking, and doesn’t have the vile “jar-lic” taste. It is admittedly less powerful than fresh, but perfect in a pinch! Alternatively, you can mince and freeze your own on a rainy day if you aren’t lucky enough to have a Trader Joes near you.
- Puff Pastry sheets. I most often use these to whip together an easy tomato or mushroom tart. But honestly? The possibilities are endless.
- Emergency frozen meals. I am not a fan of prepared foods. It’s not even a health thing for me. I love preparing and eating good food. But it is important to find and stock a few emergency frozen meal items for those times when you just….can’t. We are lucky enough to have a local bakery in our little upland town that stocks the best individual chicken pot pies I’ve ever had. You buy them frozen and you bake them from frozen. Ready in 45 min. If you can’t find them in your community? Try making and freezing your own. If not your thing? California Pizza Kitchen makes excellent frozen pizzas that are becoming more easy to track down in rural groceries.
Stocking Your Pantry
- First, I think of a pantry as more of a concept than an actual room. It’s about storing items for use in the kitchen out of sight. Some are entire rooms, such as a butler’s pantry or larder. Some are walk-in closets. Some are large cupboards. Some are simply lockable containers you can hide beneath furniture as a way to simultaneously store items while protecting them from hungry little critters. Whatever you have to work with, stocking items in an organized and mouse-proof fashion will save you a ton of headaches and make visits to your upland home far more relaxing and fun.
- Baking Supplies and wide-mouth sealable containers in which to store them. Baggies are not adequate, as mice have teeth. Rubbermaid sells good sets. Pyrex does as well if you prefer glass. Le Creuset sells attractive options for frequently used items on countertops. The trick here is to keep things fresh and safe. Pantries are the main target of mice and ants. And once they find them? It can be a true hassle to eradicate the problem. Best to prevent it altogether.
- Flour
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Good vanilla (not readily available in rural grocery stores)
- Chocolate chips
- Ready-made pie crust. I always have at least one on-hand for an easy dessert
- Bread crumbs. I always have Italian and Panko on hand.
- Granola or protein bars. To throw in pockets for hunts, hikes, or commutes.
- Dried Pasta. Most rural groceries have only the most basic brands. I find Barilla to be the most reliable. But bring yours from wherever you find good dried pasta. It keeps well but move to a container.
- Marinara Sauce. Rao’s or Carbone’s are now more widely available and quite tasty. Obviously over pasta for a quick bite, but if you’re creative? Can be used in so much more.
- At least one can each of Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, and Tomato Paste.
- Canned broth. Chicken, beef and just a few vegetables for us. I find I waste the cardboard containers don’t stock these.
- Box of Ghirardelli brownie mix. This stuff is so good, I’ve stopped bothering with making my own.
- Oils. I always have avocado, sesame, coconut, and olive oils on-hand. A few notes:
- Olive. I am brand-loyal (but admittedly not as picky as some) when it comes to my olive oil and our rural grocery stores don’t always stock it. I buy it because I find it to be versatile and affordable. But I’m sharing the name with you here (Terra Delyssa) because I find it stays fresh for quite a while after opening–which not all brands do.
- Sesamee. I use sesame oil most famously to roast carrots on a sheet pan with salt/pepper. But it is one of the most versatile an flavorful additions to a range of dishes. La Tourangelle Toasted Sesame Oil is especially yummy. But I’ll often stock up on others when buying items at an asian market in the city.
- Vinegars. Apple Cider, balsamic, red wine, and rice wine are always on-hand at our homes. I also store a large container of white vinegar under the sink for cleaning and it’s available for cooking in a pinch.
- Crackers. I avoid large boxes unless we’re around for a while.
- Lentils. I found a simple lentil soup that I can pull together quickly, freezes well, and when served with a crusty bread? Makes an excellent meal.
- Jasmine and Basmati Rice. I bought a simple rice cooker at Walmart and I use it often. I also buy the Rice Select brand because it comes in a sealable container. I may venture into other brands once I dedicate a storage jar or three to this humble, functional pantry staple. I also keep a few pre-cooked microwavable rice packets on-hand for emergencies.
- Wild Rice. Keeps forever and is a spectacular addition to any upland game meal.
- Dark Chocolate. I buy large bars and store them in containers. They keep for up to a year. You can melt them for hot cocoa. Chop them into cookies. Pack them for picnics. Serve them broken into jagged pieces on a wooden board with some dried fruits and cheeses as a fabulous dessert. The sky is the limit.
- Cashews. Easy to roast with rosemary for a quick hors d’oeuvres.
- Dates. I love these little nuggets sautéed with flake salt as an addition to a cheese tray. Stuffed with goronzolla and wrapped with bacon. As an addition to a dessert. Or as a dessert itself. They’re versatile as heck!
- Coffee and Tea. Again, rural grocery stores and not urban grocery stores. So come prepared.
- Small bottles and cans of soft drinks and water. Coke and gingerale are widely loved but are also nice to have on-hand if you’re feeling under-the-weather….which often seems to happen when all our little upland stores are closed. Twenty-four-hour convenience stores are not a “thing’ everywhere, you’ll learn. Small bottles of club soda and tonic water minimize waste and accommodate cocktails.
