I have been patiently waiting for the new bulk foods store Dutchland Foods to open it’s doors in Marion. The rumored opening is sometime in August, but I have not really seen anything official.
This new store opening in Marion is a pretty big deal.
The town of Marion has been without a grocery store for a while now, and personally I am super excited to have another bulk foods store option in the area. I love to shop in bulk, and I usually do all my pantry stock up shopping at Sauder’s in Seneca Falls which is a haul for me. Having a closer bulk foods alternative will be fantastic!
Why Bulk?
Keeping a well stocked pantry helps me avoid processed and prepackaged foods, save money, and make my family real food meals. Oh, and and I really hate grocery shopping.
A while ago I started to experiment with homemade substitutes and pantry staples, and found that many foods that my family consumes daily or weekly can be made from scratch with basic ingredients at a fraction of what it costs to buy prepared. I have shared a few of my favorite recipes here and am planning on sharing more in the future, but today I thought I would share my 25 Essential Spices for your Pantry, and a few shopping and storage tips.
Before stocking up
- Start by taking inventory of the spices you already have on hand.
- Weed out any spices that have passed their prime. Generally speaking, any ground spices over 1 year old should probably be tossed. They begin to lose their potency after about 6 months. Although I always use the highly scientific “sniff test” to gauge freshness, and determine if I should keep or toss.
- Round up storage containers and labels. Store spices in airtight containers. I prefer glass jars, and use mason jars and Anchor Hocking Glass Country Comfort Jars
. The plastic cases or bags that bulk spices come from get messy in your pantry pretty quickly.
The 25 Essential Spices for your Pantry
- Basil
- Oregano
- Bay Leaves
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Dill Weed
- Cinnamon
- Ground Mace
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Cloves
- Cloves
- Allspice
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Coriander Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Celery Seed
- Ground Mustard
- Black Pepper
- Cardamon
- Chili Powder
- Parsley- I love dried parsley, but really don’t consider it essential. But because I use it so often I wanted to include it here. It’s great for adding a color to dishes and livening them up. I dry my own from my garden to use in soups, stews and sauces all winter.
These 25 herbs and spices will cover a lot of ground, from everyday homemade convenience mixes to baking up sweet treats around the holidays. But I have put together a few of my favorite seasoning mixes using these spices and herbs:
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Trisha
Monday 25th of August 2014
Thanks for the suggestions but I do believe that #8 and 9 are the same as #19 and 20. Did you happen to mean garlic salt and onion salt? Just wondering.
Jennifer Morrisey
Monday 25th of August 2014
Trisha, thank you for catching that! I must of omitted 2 things while I was trying to organize the list a little. I rarely use garlic salt and onion salt, I like to be able to adjust the salt in recipes indepently because I have a family member on a sodium restricted diet, but I agree under normal circumstances those are usually pantry staples :-)
I had to go back through my pantry and try to figure out what I left out, and have come to the conclusion it was Mace and Dill. Mace I use in some recipes like apple pie, apple sauce, and cakes. It tastes a lot like nutmeg, but a little lighter and sweeter.