You want to have essentials on hand at your vacation home, but since you won’t be there on a regular basis, you don’t want to keep too many items that may go stale. How do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of at the end of the stay?
Pantry Items
Quite a few items are no-brainers – they keep almost indefinitely and are used often. There are four – I call these the fantastic four – sugar, salt, pepper and flour. Most kitchens can’t do without these and all of the items will keep for months.
As for storage of the fantastic four, you may want to rethink traditional salt and pepper shakers. Normal shakers have permanent, open holes in the top. The open holes, no matter how small they seem, can be an entrance for bugs. Consider buying some with lids. You can find shakers with lids that remain attached to the shakers when opened, or lids which pop or screw off. Just the though of bugs running through the salt and pepper gives most people enough incentive to switch to sealed shakers. When the house is quiet for months, insects explore places where they would normally stay away due to activity in the house.
Wide Mouthed Jars
An alternative to shakers is small wide mouthed jars with stoppers. Instead of shaking, you can pinch the amount of salt or pepper you desire with your fingers. The jars can be decorative accents for the table.
Sugar Bowl with Sealing Lid
Your sugar bowl should have a tightly sealed lid as well. You can leave the lid off while you are at your vacation home for convenience, but when you are away, cover tightly to keep critters out.
Flour should not be left on the counter in canisters unless the canisters have an airtight seal. You’d be surprised at how little room bugs need to sneak into food containers.
Other Food
There are many other items that will successfully last months if stored properly. Pasta, rice, beans, barley and oats will last for months and months and can be convenient to have on hand. Don’t leave them in the bags or boxes they come in. They may look completely sealed, but most aren’t. Some bugs can chew through the packaging. Buy well sealing plastic storage containers or glass jars with tight seals.
Items such as cereal, crackers and cookies have a shorter shelf life. If you will be visiting the home within one or two months, you may want to hang on to these foods – as long as they are stored in airtight, bug-proof containers. Otherwise, throw them out or give them away after each visit. You might want to plan a trip to the local food bank if you have several items you can’t keep.
Canned Goods
Canned goods are excellent to keep on hand at your holiday home. Consider keeping several full meal cans (such as beef stew, ravioli, etc.) on hand for those occasions when you just don’t have time to cook. Remember, your vacation is for relaxing: take advantage of conveniences when possible. Canned tuna, salmon, chicken and ham are handy for quick lunches.
Canned fruits, vegetables and pasta sauces are other great staples to keep in the cupboard.