Remote Living Pantry Staples

I had everything ready for the perfect bath. Bath oil and salts, a book and a cup of tea laid out on the bath caddy. I turned the tap, but nothing happened. No water. Not even a trickle. 

I wandered through the house in my slippers and bathrobe, trying every tap, with no luck. There was no water.

This lasted three full days. A burst pipe had caused a significant leak at the back of our house in the utility room and the leak had spread. The affected area included our laundry room washer and dryer, the freezer, and the pantry. Plumbers came from Whitehorse to resolve the issue, and once the pipe had been patched, I was confident that our water woes were behind us and the area would be as healthy as it had ever been. I was so wrong. 

The leak was so severe that it had caused the backside of the wall to disintegrate from water damage. Unbeknownst to us, mould was growing inside the walls where the leak had eaten away at the drywall. The baseboard pulled away and the floor bubbled up giving the appearance of a partially deflated balloon. Most of this damage was invisible to us.

It takes time for repair work to get done, and up here in remote Yukon it takes more time. We lived three days without water, which is completely doable. We lived many months with a crumbling wall, a buckling floor, and thriving mould, all the while optimistically holding onto the promise of imminent repairs.

When I lived in the city, I didn’t have a pantry. More than that, I didn’t think about things like pantries. Sure, six months or so into living on my own, I may have invested in salt and pepper and some olive oil. Perhaps I’d saved some take out soy sauce packets. But I had no concept of ‘stocking up.’ Anything I needed was a hop, skip, or a jump away available in one of the plethora of nearby grocery stores. The move north involved a sharp learning curve. Food storage, I now know, is essential.

Work did begin in our utility room and this work meant we had to dismantle and move everything out of the affected area. The freezer became the centerpiece of our living room and the pantry was moved into the office. It was a lot of work, but it meant things were being fixed and it was no problem because we’d be away and when we got back the house would be healthy and repaired.

Not so.

It takes a long time for work to start and it takes a longer time for the work to be completed and it takes an even longer time when the job is bigger than what was expected. The freezer stayed in the living room. The pantry stayed upstairs. And we made do until finally, finally, 13 months later, the some of the repairs were completed, yay!

Then it was the rebuilding, restocking, rearranging and as I did this I thought about abundance and preparedness, need versus want, luxuries, necessities, and doing without. Our pantry is well-stocked. I feel very fortunate.

We travel to Whitehorse for supplies every six to eight weeks, so preparation and organization are critical. Without the option of take-out, big box, specialty, and corner stores, the fully-stocked pantry is tantamount to survival. Not only do we need the ingredients to cook and bake from scratch everything we’ll eat in the long stretch before the next trip, and longer still in case of emergency, we also need alternatives. In case we miscalculate and run out of milk or butter or eggs, we need powdered milk, oils, dried egg white, Chia seeds, flax seeds, and so on.

A snapshot: 

• Olive oil 

• Sesame oil

• Peanut oil 

• Coconut oil 

• Avocado oil

• Rice vinegar

• Sherry vinegar 

• Balsamic vinegar 

• Apple cider vinegar 

• White vinegar 

We stock up on lots of extra oils and vinegars, as they’re used in so much! Having oil on hand means you can make anything from salad dressings to mayonnaise! We go through a lot of vinegar and have even started making our own apple cider vinegar. Here’s an easy recipe. 

• Canned beets

• Canned carrots 

• Canned corn 

• Canned mushrooms 

• Canned tomatoes (whole, diced, and crushed)

• Canned pumpkin

• Canned legumes (we also keep lots of dry legumes on hand)

• Jams, jellies, and preserves

• Jars of pasta sauce (When I don’t feel like making it at home. I know, I know.) 

• Tomato paste (sometimes we buy it canned, but we also like it in a tube)

• Pickles 

• Roasted red peppers

• Coconut milk

• Beef/chicken/veggie stocks (in Tetra-Paks) 

• Tinned tuna and salmon 

When possible, I can our own vegetables, and make jams and preserves. My favourites are this canned beet recipe and this cranberry chutney recipe. I pick cranberries in the late summer and early fall and the chutney is a perfect treat for the winter months. Broth is easily made at home; however, I like to have some premade broth on hand. 

• Cardamon

• Anise (including star anise)

• Cinnamon

• Nutmeg

• Fenugreek

• Allspice 

• Caraway

• Chili powder/flakes

• Turmeric

• Juniper berries

• Cloves

• Saffron

• Coriander

• Cumin 

• Dill 

• Fennel 

• Curry powder

• Thyme

• Rosemary

• Oregano

• Ginger

• Mustard seed

• Tarragon 

• Paprika 

Spices. Put it this way, my spice drawer rivals the selection in the grocery store. Having said that, I must add that I take care to ensure the spices remain fresh. As much as possible, I buy whole and grind them as I need them. Many I store in the fridge or freezer. This isn’t a comprehensive list of our repertoire but it certainly covers a snapshot. 

• Chickpeas

• Black beans

• Lima beans

• Kidney beans

• Navy beans

• Red/green lentils

• Mung beans

• Beluga lentils

• Soybeans (I try to buy organic where possible with grocery items, but definitely ensure the soybeans are organic)

We eat a lot of legumes and always have a selection of both canned and dry beans in our pantry. Legumes are versatile and can be used as the focal point of a meal or as a side! They go into salads, stews, casseroles, and dips. And trust me, homemade hummus is simple to make and far better than store-bought! 

• Basmati rice

• Brown rice 

• Wild rice

• Quinoa 

• Barley

• Pastas (egg noodles, fusilli, lasagna, orzo, penne, spaghetti, gluten free noodles)

“Why was the dietician kicked out of the casino?” A – “He was caught counting carbs.” Recently, we’ve started making our own pasta. Delicious and not that difficult! 

• Peanut butter

• Almond butter

• Tahini (if you have tahini and chickpeas on hand, you can make hummus!) 

• Almonds (slivered and whole)

• Walnuts

• Peanuts 

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sunflower seeds

• Chia seeds (great as an add on, or for desserts like chia pudding) 

• Flax seeds (you can use flaxseeds for additional fibre or to make an egg substitution)

We like nuts, but I’d say we might love seeds even more. We use pumpkin seeds on just about everything and II use nuts, especially almonds, in a wide variety of recipes. A food processor allows me to make almond flour and almond paste when needed. Proper storage of nuts, seeds and butters is important to prevent them going rancid.

• Ketchup

• Mayonnaise

• Mustard (both yellow and Dijon)

• Hot sauce(s)

• Hoisin

• Thai red curry paste 

• Salsa (though this can easily be made at home!)

• Soy sauce 

• Braggs Liquid Aminos

• Worcestershire sauce

• Fish sauce

• Harissa

I don’t want to be making stir fry and find out I have no fish sauce!

• Sweet potatoes

• Potatoes

• Dried mushrooms, like foraged morels

• Onions (red, yellow, and white)

• Shallots 

• Garlic

• Ginger

• Butternut squash

• Acorn squash 

• Lemons

• Oranges 

• Apples

• Assorted fresh fruit that can be stored outside the fridge

While most of our produce is kept in the fridge, thing that can be stored in a cool and dark area of the pantry are high on the list of necessities. Squash is a favourite. 

• Milk powder 

• Shelf stable almond milk 

Milk powder is great for baking and for making yogurt!

• Bread flour

• All-purpose flour

• Pastry flour

• Self-rising flour

• Almond flour

• Coconut flour

• Tapioca flour

• Buckwheat flour

• Sorghum flour

• Potato flour

• 1:1 gluten free flour

• Oats 

• Cornmeal

• Xanthan gum 

• Baking powder

• Baking soda

• Chocolate chips

• Cocoa powder

• Icing sugar 

• Cornstarch

• Active dry yeast

• Extracts (vanilla, lemon, almond, mint)

• Raisins 

• Dried fruits

• Coconut flakes (unsweetened)

I learned soon after moving north, that you can make most things you’re craving. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh bread or cinnamon buns or a batch of ginger cookies!

• Honey

• Maple syrup

• Granulated sugar

• Brown sugar

• Light brown sugar 

• Agave syrup 

• Popcorn kernels 

• Pectin

• Panko breadcrumbs 

• Nutritional yeast 

• Crackers, like Eve’s crackers 

• SodaStream canisters 

• Ground coffee and coffee beans

• Assorted teas (and of course a good supply of black tea so we can make our own Kombucha)

 And, of course, the now-and-then little extras, the indulgences like ingredients for S’mores, seasonal treats, new things to try. 

The dismantling and rebuilding of our pantry made me reflect on remote living now compared to remote living in the past. We have a vehicle; we have a heated home and running water. We have electricity and a connection to the greater world through internet and phone lines. I think with admiration and amazement about the people of the past and the many, many people in the world today who do without. I think about how very fortunate I am.