Reorganizing the Pantry ~ 2021 Canning Goals ~

[@DoubleDHomestead]

My grown kids kept coming over and getting my salsa so one year I had a salsa canning get together and showed them how to make it. Then they got to take their share home and I told them "you know how to make it now, leave mine alone". Lol. It worked!

[@pinschrunner]

TIP: Put blackout curtains over your kitchen shelving. Keeps them from being affected by light. Allow circulation through the non-lighted end. ALSO, with all the little ones in your home and who might visit, it is best to put metal straps around the back vertical posts of the shelving on a few places INTO THE STUDS so that the units dont fall over or get pulled over by some kid stepping on lower shelf to reach higher shelf items. @Three Rivers Homestead

[@eilunedbeltane1373]

Just wrote the same message about curtains on IG and was about to add the other security tip you mentioned. We had lots of those shelves at home (not for canning, for books), very practical!

[@threerivershomestead]

Thank you! Adam is going to bolt them into the wall as soon as I add a few more shelves to each

[@pinschrunner]

@@threerivershomestead excellent! Don't load them up then strap them, strap them first

[@elizabethquirk5912]

Was just going to mention that it wouldn't be much to put a cloth over the shelves in the bedroom to keep it looking more like a bedroom (therefore more restful, promoting better sleep, and with a bunch of kids, you're going to need the best sleep you can get). I'm glad someone had the better suggestions including blackout cloth

[@carinthiamontana7069]

I was worried about the climbing too. Granted, the shelves will be very heavy with all the jars and won’t tip over easily, but still

[@carolwengel4640]

Jessica, don't worry about aesthetics. My food shelves are made from plywood (before the price hike) & cinder blocks & is very functional. When you live on a extreme limited income, you do what you can afford. We turned our living room into food storage (it's just my husband & me, so functional is fine for us). We live in Phoenix AZ & it gets terribly hot inside during the summer, so that room also has air conditioning. I love your shelves, I think they look very nice, especially with all the colors of the canned food. God bless your family! 🙏

[@traceyshomestead1938]

Another comment here - the canned foods in glass jars on shelves remind me of stained glass windows. Absolutely beautiful!

[@freelivingtennessee]

I just preserved my first food ever! Lol. Celery from the garden. Dehydrated the ribs and the tops. I’m so proud. Water bath Canning is next. I can’t wait

[@apiecemaker1163]

Yay you! You will love putting stuff in jars. You should also try pressure canning. There is so much satisfaction in hearing that ping when the lids seal. Good luck and have fun! 👩‍🌾👍👏👏👏 happy gardening.

[@threerivershomestead]

Yay!!!

[@heatherchrisco9106]

Congratulations on your first time canning! I remember my first time I canned I done water bath and made homemade applesauce and I was so proud. The more you can and use different methods and different foods the more you'll enjoy it!

[@kevinrehberg8758]

The GF and I have been canning together for 7 years and we STILL listen for the "ping".. It make the job go by so much faster if you can get two working together

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@kevinrehberg8758 yes not only faster but much more pleasant.

[@priscillasullivan5939]

It’s a spectacular display of the Lords provision for the past years. Great job done by all! Beautiful backdrop to your videos.

[@heatherfisher4756]

You can place a layer of cardboard on top of the jars on the shelf and stack another layer. Per the national center for home food preservation. This was a mind blowing thing for me!

[@katherinewhittenberg8919]

I can see the kids putting little twinkle lights around and through the shelves to make both storage areas art.

[@jenniferrescott1149]

It looks so nice and neat. Consider having your little sewer make some pretty curtains for your kitchen shelves so you can protect your food from sunlight

[@apiecemaker1163]

Great idea!

[@mariezafonte6473]

Your shelves are very aesthetically pleasing. It shows your hard work in producing beautiful food for your family. It's colorful and pretty!

[@bevann8624]

I have seen people get three shelving units to make two. The shelves from the third are used to customize the other two to prevent the wasted space above the jars. Just need make sure the shelving units can handle any added weight. Great helpers you have there!

[@Bluemoon-sd8vp]

Nice pantry !!! Good harvest !!! I love the way your kids help you.

[@lissamurphy6979]

I absolutely love your content and family. You are by far my favorite channel and I am learning alot ❤! I like things to look esthetically pleasing but, my days of that are over hahaha. I'd rather have functional items and storage that will help my family and friends. So please do not be hard on yourself. You and your husband are doing a phenomenal job providing for your family.

[@smallspaceswithGloria]

I think your canning in the kitchen on shelves is beautiful 😊

[@ladyjoann1957]

There is nothing more beautiful than a shelf full of lovingly prepared food to feed your family! Job well done, all of you!

[@helenabaier7823]

I love how you do the best from what you have,you and your family warm my heart when l see your videos! The world needs more of people like you!❤️

[@sharonswisher7274]

I have a metal shelf holding a lot of my canned goods, dehydrated goods and spices. I took an expandable spring curtain rod and hung a curtain and it covers all but the top shelf. It keeps out the light and dust. No one evens knows what is behind the curtain unless I tell them or show them. Just a suggestion. Your pantry makeover looks amazing!

[@plansimplifysave1044]

I ordered an extra shelving unit and used the shelves in the two I had and just threw the uprights in the garage. You get double the horizontal space without increasing the foot print. You’ve got wasted space in height. A few more snap in shelves would be awesome.

[@kimprescott835]

Don't stress about too much. Nice to have extra varied over to the next year in case a crop fails or it's just a bad year for it.

[@loritanner4478]

Should have bought 1 more shelving unit. Then you could have put more shelves on the other 2 shelf units with the extra one.

[@gailsgardenherbsmore1605]

I think the jars sitting on the shelves look very home like and inviting.

[@joinmeinthedirt5186]

Looks so nice! I wish they would sell extra shelves to put more quart jars. I agree so much wasted space. I have 2 of them and love how your children pitch in to help.

[@loritanner4478]

Just buy an extra one to use to make more shelves on the other shelf units.

[@joinmeinthedirt5186]

@@loritanner4478 good idea!

[@apiecemaker1163]

Wow job well done. That looks awesome. So many hours of work and love on that wall. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say and coming from a fellow gardener and canner, that is very pleasing to the eye. Bungee cords and a vintage patchwork panel would look great if you did decide to cover it. But I admire all those jars as it is. God bless.

[@tracyconant4930]

Hello Three Rivers Homestead. I also have a homestead in Ohio. We are starting to cut back a bit because I am battling stage 4 metastatic lung cancer and it has spread to my liver. I will keep my chickens, my quail and a mini donkey and possibly a feeder cow and pig. I am in central Ohio just about 60 miles north of Columbus. I just heard about your channel from Living Traditions homestead. Looking forward to following along with your family.

[@grammyinthekitchen]

i think the food preservation shelves in your kitchen is very pleasing to the eye. i believe decorate the way you live. i wish my kitchen was big enough for my shelves, but very thankful for the spare bedroom i turned to our food storage.

[@angeliquemcniff3076]

Few tips: any scrap fabrics? Using it, cover the bucket row on the bottom with curtains, as it is the least aesthetically pleasing shelf and doing so will lift the soul. Since the jars are pretty and you get to visually see all your hard work, a cute skirt on the bottom will make you feel better. If the budget allows, order one more shelving unit and just use the shelves to lower the space between each of the new shelves. You could add a minimum of two shelves to each current new stacker shelves and delete that wasted space. I had these shelves in my garage and they will warp if a lot of weight is put on an individual shelf. Look for scrap lumber to even out the weight on the lowest shelves. Put scrap lumber on top of lowest shelves , below the eggs and buckets to evenly distribute the weight of the buckets. Other people mentioned strapping them to the wall-definitely do so. It’s great to see all this hard work. Thank you.

[@debbiemusgrove676]

I’ve noticed over the years that we go through phases. We might eat a lot of maybe corn. I stock up on it and then we don’t need it anymore. Good thing you can keep it for a couple years before it goes bad.

[@wandahershey9227]

Beautiful love all those filled jars. Love the shelves. Have a blessed day

[@karenw9996]

Hello, Sara(h?) from Living Traditions suggested your channel and I'm really liking it! I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see that you have food left over - I'm not good about rotating through everything rather than buying/making more and so often I feel like I'm the only one out there who 'can't get it right' - it's good to see someone as accomplished at preserving as you are who still struggles. It gives me hope!

[@momof2momof2]

i love using jars for storage too, for so many reasons tfs 🥰💐🌵🌸🌞🏜️💗✝️

[@michellecollins290]

I’m always impressed with your hard work Jessica. I hope it’s very much appreciated by your husband and children. You are an inspiring woman, thank you.

[@tbraverman]

Love your channel. Heard about you from Sarah from Living Traditions. I love your no wasted mindset. Thanks for all the great ideas. ☺️

[@virginiamesko6369]

Your children are such great helpers and it teaches them teamwork and skills for life.

[@jackieburnett6881]

That turned out wonderful! It looks beautiful to me with just seeing all the jars different colors! Your children are sooo precious they all pitch in and help!!!!

[@donaldcadwell3911]

Maybe consider checking with the shelf manufacturing company about ordering a few ( 1-2 ) extra shelves to add to what you have. By lowering a few existing shelves to just above your jars, you can add an extra shelf or two per unit. Or...some thin ¼"-⅜" plywood on top of the jars themselves to use up the wasted upper space.

[@MissChievousRN]

Over the winter, you could paint and stencil the edges of the shelves and run some ribbon thru the holes on the uprights. Everything you do is beautiful❤

[@marystevenson3310]

It looks great we have very little extra space also and like you the run off is under beds and in closets we have shelves in the dinning room and I find I go to it more often very pretty and a lot of hard work in your jars with so love

[@tammysarrazin7078]

4 more videos and im all caught up to what you are posting back yeah me have a great day hugssss from Canada

[@susan-almosta_farm8823]

I love the shelves and think all these jars full of goodness is the most beautiful decor. :)

[@traceyshomestead1938]

That's really brilliant to keep a small section available close by and just restock it! I have a small set of shelves in our dining room that I like to use but space is very limited there. I could keep a little of each food there and store the rest in harder to reach places! Also, thanks for doing the meat canning video before. I now have beef and chicken canned and it was a godsend during a weekend when I got a stomach bug and couldn't cook. You rock!

[@marshanunley5197]

I just discovered your Channel and have been catching up. I reside in Kentucky but spent a lot of years in the Dayton Ohio area.

[@whiskeywomanwhisks]

Lois great!🙌🏻😍All my pantry storage is in my bedroom🤪. Gotta do what we gotta do! I’m thinking about doing curtains of some sort to hide it🤷‍♀️

[@cookingonthefarm]

New subscriber here coming from living traditions homestead. Love them and she said i would love you. Cant wait to watch this. Maybe next year i will join. I just started canning last year. God bless.

[@sharenwin3675]

I have put up curtains when I had storage shelves in the kitchen.

[@tonyalambert8874]

You are such an inspiration and I love your channel

[@barnrazedbyjesse6893]

I love your shirt! Mom to the seventh power💕 All of us math nerds are rejoicing 👏

[@pennyshanafelt4459]

I think your shelves look near, clean , and well organized!

[@jenboyles5381]

I am the same way about that empty space. One option is lightweight items like paper products or towels.

[@heatheryoung9949]

First time watching, enjoyed!

[@justpatty7328]

Looks great! An idea I would suggest, only if you are not happy with the visual appeal yourself. You could make curtains for the shelves to drape around and string by wire. With you and your girls enjoying sewing, it would be a snap.

[@justpatty7328]

I also have one of those shelves, just off the kitchen. They are a blessing.

[@teresakeith5539]

A beautiful display of your love and commitment to your family and their health♡ No need for pretty shelves when the contents are sooo wonderful♡♡♡

[@annaking9213]

Great helpers !

[@kristiebaker7125]

To me home canning of the Most esthetically please. I love how your kids ate so involved and effective. Proves that love OS the beat teacher. Thanks for all the inspiration! Kris in Orlando

[@daniellelepard3081]

I'm cleaning my pantry this Saturday in preparation for the challenge! Can't wait to get started!

[@thankfulblessings2412]

Great video. I understand not liking the wasted space above the quart jars. On the Uline webcite you can buy extra shelves in different sizes. You can check it out to see if they have the size you need. Hope that helps. Blessings to you.

[@jjvv8650]

Congratulations!!! Turned out great!! My mother also stored in a space that did have bright light and put up a drape to cover the area to prevent direct lighting. Nice family project!!!

[@glendaharding4884]

Your canning is incredible!! What an inspiration you and your family are! God bless.

[@kathyherbert2423]

Thank you for sharing your life you have a wonderful life thank you

[@freanaburks5067]

I am just so interested in your channel. I just love what you are doing. I love to garden and would love to find a better way to do so then just freezing.

[@leslieparker8568]

I once used a shower curtain to go over a shelf of a similar size. It might block out some of the sunlight and add a little decor. Even though I love the open shelf look. :) Good luck in your upcoming canning season!

[@countrymousesfarmhouse497]

I think all those beautiful jars look great in the kitchen. The older I get ,the more practical things I see true beauty in. Grape juice looks stunning. I'm sure the kids will welcome more jelly . Or even frape slushies. Lol. Thank you for sharing xxoo

[@kellyhale2778]

Things go smoother with alot of good help!

[@juliekraft4102]

Your food storage shelves look just fine and well organized. 👍

[@kennithompson2398]

Beautiful, you and your family have done a great job! Very inspiring! God bless!

[@heatherchrisco9106]

Thanks once again for another lovely video! I always look forward to your videos! Hope you have a blessed day Jessica!

[@ItsJess2220]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing! 😊

[@aramintaverwys1934]

Always so happy to see a video from you!!! God Bless your August with canning GOLD!!! YAY 💜💛💚

[@drcnty5462]

It looks wonderful, great job:)

[@gailelizabeth14]

Love the shelving! For me, with all those beautiful colors of the canned food on them, they look gorgeous! Decades ago, out of necessity, my mom did something similar. She eventually found some roll up bamboo blinds there were inexpensive and hung them from the ceiling. She is still using them to this day. I look forward to seeing what you preserve this year!

[@carolwengel4640]

Gail LaCroix, those roll up bamboo blinds sound like a great idea.

[@debramccain8621]

You are a goddess ! I love your videos and love you are teaching your children these skills .

[@lorimiller2664]

Team work!💕🙏

[@60cmad]

I don't know if it would work with those shelves (I have the wire ones), but, when I put mine together, instead of putting the bottom shelf clear at the bottom, I put it high enough so that I could put buckets directly on the floor between the "legs"...I wasn't sure how stable it would be, but, so far it's been that way for about 3 years and is amazingly sturdy, plus it gave me another shelf for jars...

[@mimipacheco4559]

I did the same with my metal shelves. That way I had an extra shelf for jars!

[@carolynmoody9460]

GREAT LITTLE HELPERS.. BLESSINGS 💖

[@deborahcrutchfield5022]

The shelves looks very nice . I have 2 of them in my Laundry room . Store cooking appliances and canning jars , some buckets . I really like it.

[@jenniferrosario1489]

First time here. Found you through Living Traditions Homestead. Subscribed. Going to do the challenge. I'm behind onde day but I'll preserve something on September 1st to make up for it. Thank you for the inspiration

[@lindacasey1126]

Hi! Consider the sunlight bock drapes to protect your canned food from the light! 🐝

[@kygal2873]

You're doing a great job! This coming from a newbie. I will be watching your canning videos. God Bless

[@carolwhisenhunt7504]

Loved this video! You are such a blessing. I want to strive to be more like you. I learn so much. Thank you for sharing. I can't wait till next video. Be blessed.

[@ronco7596]

Keep up the great work.

[@UrbanOasis7]

I am so glad you will be including this challenge here on KZbin. I found you from that challenge on Instagram last year, but have since deleted my account. It is very inspiring, and I love the challenge of preserving something every day in August! This is my first year ever canning, and I am learning so much.💜 One thing I was thinking about regarding your shelves... Could you have made the bottom shelf higher so that you could store your 5 gallon buckets on the floor underneath? That would free up another shelf for your canned goods. Love your channel. Thank you for taking the time to teach oh so patiently, and thoroughly. I've learned alot from you! May the Lord bless you!💗

[@kristenwillmarth8646]

Can I echo what P&J M said above? I so enjoyed your challenge last year on IG as well, but deleted the account to focus on my spiritual walk with the Lord. I feel a little overwhelmed with missing my spring garden, but my summer garden is finally getting underway, so we are getting ready to can green beans. Today I finally got a full freezer bag of okra, and I’m canning my third case of salsa tomorrow. Praise the Lord! Looking forward to August! Good to see you!

[@bobbiesamuels2557]

God bless you and your family

[@JustTheTwoOfUsHomestead]

Looks great! Function over decor is how I roll 😉 I started water glassing my eggs since your video/tutorial and so grateful to you for sharing your wisdom (I’ll have LOTS of eggs)

[@kulickfamilyfarm4333]

Hi Jessica! I think your pantry looks AMAZING! I love seeing all your little helpers. I was wondering if you could share your recipe for your BBQ sauce or share a video of you making it next month for your every bit counts challenge? I’m excited too see those videos! You’re such an inspiration. You’re helping to motivate me to keep moving forward!

[@lynnbarnes1184]

If you don't like looking at them and you're worried about the sunlight being on the food, you can go to the thrift store and pick up some cheap sheets and make some magnetic curtains for your shelves.

[@HomesteadTessie]

everything looks great !

[@pauaolson]

Beautiful! ♥️

[@reneenewfrock9131]

Beautiful!!!

[@eliseshrabel5394]

I think it looks ahhmazing! Loved watching your precious bunch helping you. Totally second the curtains to help protect the jars and it might also add that element of "pretty" you mentioned. Though the colorful jars are very pretty too imho! 🥰🥰😍😍😘

[@kathyknowles1445]

Hi, I’m a new subscriber to your channel, found you through living tradition homestead. I’m excited to follow you! I love canning and always look to improve my technique

[@preppedforeternityhomestea2848]

Nice pantry!! . You’re doing great with your pantry and preservation!!

[@shannonjensen9915]

I think this is so pretty!!! We are in the same situation right now, and I love how realistic you are and love this so much! I’d love to do a before and after food storage tour! Now and after you can produce for this year!

[@angieromano5182]

I LOVE your shirt!!!! 😂😂 Thank you for sharing this video with us. ❤️ This is a project I have to work on this week too. It can be overwhelming but you’ve given me some great ideas!

[@hollyann2606]

love your shirt! I have one similar that says boymom 7.

[@lindajoe9862]

Hi Jessica...I loved the canning challenge last year that Sara told us about....I'm going to join the challenge again and I subscribed to your utube today. Happy canning 😉😉😉

[@jojo-tz2ym]

Your kids are the best.

[@brendaferrier8132]

I made you a spread sheet that I printed out that keeps track of everything I can on it,. Columns are as follows: date item canning, quantity used/ purchased, cost if any, amount of product done. The last column I complete just prior to starting our new canning season. This column is what you had left from the previous year. This helps to know how much you actually used and if you ran out early you need to make more this year. Hope someone finds this helpful

[@melissanash6801]

Not sure what the weight capacity of your new shelves is, but just a caution that you might want to reinforce. Half my pantry came crashing down in Nov 3 years ago. It was horrible. The shelves were at their fullest from a great canning season. Utterly devastating. Better to reinforce than lose all your hard work.

[@lindadean6909]

Very 👍 thank goodness 😅 it’s done

[@wendyhall8834]

Hi I'm new to your channel and is awesome watching you and your family work together in the videos! You are so knowledgeable about so many things to do with homesteading! I love it! So is the shelving attached to the wall to protect crawling baby and children from pulling shelving unit down on themselves?

[@cassiareece4310]

It looks so beautiful to me! I love it-well done, Mamma! X