Solomon once wrote that with much knowledge comes much sorrow. I have found this to be particularly true when it comes to health. Every day we learn of something new that is bad for us and something new that our bodies just can't live without! This is all fine and good when your budget is massive, but what to do when you are trying to feed your family nutritiously on little money and lots of love? As oils and vinegars are a big part of our budget (and health), I thought to share my take on this pantry subject. I am by no means saying this is the way to go, I am merely sharing how we balance it.
Going back to the Bible, we see the use of olive oil in many ways. I still believe this to be the most healthiest of oils! First of all, there is no such thing (yet) as a GMO olive and secondly, it is rich in the healthy fats the body needs. The most beneficial is the extra-virgin, cold-pressed oil. However, this is a very pricey oil and we use this only for raw purposes such as salad dressings, coleslaws, pasta salads, drizzling, etc. Extra-Virgin olive oil is not meant for frying and you are actually damaging the oil when you heat it. Using this oil only on our raw foods helps to stretch it while still allowing us to nourish our family with its numerous health benefits.
Unfortunately, olive oil goes rancid rather quickly (at 6 - 12 months depending on the harvest date on bottle) so we maintain a smaller inventory of it in our pantry. Store away from direct sunlight, in a cool area and immediately replace the cap each time you use it to ensure freshness.
Extra-virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil is the latest and the greatest oil on the market right now. It boasts so many benefits and a simple Google search can give you all the scientific wonders. However, this oil too is very costly! While we do purchase a fair amount of coconut oil, we restrict its use for making healthier dessert options like cup of golds, peppermint patties, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, raw snack bars, etc. There are many delicious things you can make exclusively with this oil because of its hardening properties and flavor and we attempt to utilize it specifically in these areas. Unfortunately, we can not afford to cook our daily meals with coconut oil though it is excellent for this purpose should your budget allow it.
The shelf life of unrefined coconut oil is about 2 years (some claim even longer) if properly stored away from direct sunlight in a cool location.
Now, what to do for all that daily cooking and baking when you are on a budget? This is a tough one ladies. When butter is an option, we use it. Regarding oils, I choose the more affordable ones such as grapeseed, light olive, and high oleic sunflower oils. These we use in making breads, pizzas, muffins, etc and for frying up tacos, stir fries and such. Though these may not be the "perfect" choice, sometimes we homemakers must be practical with our limited pocketbook resources.
These oils should keep for 1-2 years (unopened) in a cool, dark place.
These oils should keep for 1-2 years (unopened) in a cool, dark place.
When it comes to vinegar, please know you can stock up to your heart's content! It does not expire. It is an excellent preparedness food since you can always clean with it, pickle with it, can with it, make medicinal tinctures and oxymels with it, and so much more if times got tough! This is one ingredient I make sure we are always well stocked in and it is so affordable that there is no reason not to.
We typically use the balsamic vinegar for salads and the red wine vinegar for vegetable marinades. Raw apple cider vinegar is excellent for your health and can be used in medicinal tinctures and oxymels (as mentioned earlier). Along with housecleaning, the basic white vinegar can be used to make frugal salad dressing and is always a back up for any of the aforementioned items.
We typically use the balsamic vinegar for salads and the red wine vinegar for vegetable marinades. Raw apple cider vinegar is excellent for your health and can be used in medicinal tinctures and oxymels (as mentioned earlier). Along with housecleaning, the basic white vinegar can be used to make frugal salad dressing and is always a back up for any of the aforementioned items.
Shelf life of vinegar: Indefinite.
To make it more affordable for our pantry, we purchase large containers of these items and decant them into smaller, recycled glass bottles. For convenience, I like to add bottle pourers (see pantry photos below) to each bottle and print up labels to identify them. This also makes them more attractive for setting upon the table as condiments. And if I might add, it simply makes me smile when I peak into my pantry and find them there!
We are sharing the labels we prepared in case you are interested (just press the download button HERE and "save" and "print"). These are courtesy of World Label and created by Cathe Holden. You will find printable sticker paper on their website as well should you like (though I just used a glue stick to apply ours). Note: I am not affiliated with World Label but am passing on the credit due.
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| A peak inside our pantry. |
With this system, our family can afford to have the health benefits of the extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive and coconut oils without breaking the bank. To use these quality items in recipes which are actually being cooked, you are killing a lot of the beneficial properties which you are paying for in the first place (defeating the purpose and the price in my way of thinking). This is how we attempt to balance frugality with health. I do understand that you can invest in your health by paying a bit extra on food, however, some of us simply are not able to make that kind of investment no matter how prudent it may be (especially if one is attempting to live debt free, you either have the cash to make a purchase or you do not).
With that being said, what are your thoughts on all of this? Are you surprised someone would take the time to talk on this subject? For some reason, I was highly interested in this topic. I know there are a lot of knowledgeable health experts and I would to hear your opinion on this. Also, I know there are a lot of frugal minded women and I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you are both, please do share as well!
With that being said, what are your thoughts on all of this? Are you surprised someone would take the time to talk on this subject? For some reason, I was highly interested in this topic. I know there are a lot of knowledgeable health experts and I would to hear your opinion on this. Also, I know there are a lot of frugal minded women and I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you are both, please do share as well!
