Get Your Pantry Ready for Fall — 12 Things to Buy Now

Pantry prep strategy (buy on your calendar)

• Stores price items based on demand (“their calendar”), so the goal is to buy during the cheapest late-summer/fall window before prices jump.
• Late August–September is the best time to stock a pantry because:
  • Gardens/farm stands have lots of produce
  • Stores clear summer stock to make room for holiday markups

12 things to buy now (key details + how to store)

1) September canning clearance (main clearance “hack”) - After Labor Day, stores often clearance canning supplies to free shelf space for Halloween candy. - Watch for: jars, lids, rings, pectin going on major discount (often ~half off). - Why it matters: - Canning season isn’t over—September/October are still major canning months (applesauce, pears, tomatoes, apple butter). - Even if you don’t can, jars are excellent dry storage (and can be cheaper than plastic containers). - Practical rule: - Keep buying from clearance when you see canning goods—jars/rings don’t expire; flat lids keep for years.

2) Butter (freezer stocking) - Tip: Butter freezes well. - When it’s on sale between now and October: - Buy 6–8 sticks (not just one). - Keep it in the wrapper and freeze. - Benefit: - Use “August-priced” butter during the holiday baking surge.

3) Local honey (during harvest) - Buy during the current honey harvest; bigger containers (quart/half-gallon) are usually better priced than small jars. - Honey doesn’t spoil; it may crystallize (that’s normal). - To re-liquefy: - Place the jar in warm water.

4) Rice (buy bulk; avoid the price trap) - Bulk/large bags cost far less per pound than boxed rice. - Buy plain white rice in a large sack and store in a sealed container for years. - Note: - Brown rice has oils and goes bad sooner (about 6 months), so buy brown in smaller amounts.

5) Spices before the baking aisle markups - In November, small spice jars (e.g., cinnamon) can become big markups partly due to packaging/branding. - Buy now in the bulk/discounter form: - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, etc. - Storage/quality: - Ground spices won’t spoil, but they lose potency (fading). - Buy fresh, cheap, and for this season.

6) Apples (“seconds/utility grade”) - Many orchards sell discounted “seconds”: - funny shapes, spots, hail marks (same edible apple inside). - When to buy: - September–October window; after that it’s typically gone until next year. - Use cases that don’t care about appearance: - applesauce, apple butter, pie filling, dried apple rings.

7) Onions & potatoes (big sacks; store correctly) - Buy 50-lb sacks of potatoes and large bags of onions while they’re cheap (harvest glut). - Storage conditions: - Cool, dark, dry, with air movement - Basement corner, unheated closet, garage (if it won’t freeze) - Not the refrigerator - Key rule: - Don’t store onions and potatoes next to each other - Onions make potatoes sprout faster.

8) Winter squash (easy “no-work” insurance) - Farm stands often have lots right now at good prices. - Types: - butternut, acorn, and other hard winter squash varieties - Storage: - Keep on a shelf in a cool room, not touching. - Don’t wash: - Washing removes the natural coating that helps them keep. - Selection: - choose with stems intact; avoid soft spots. - Longevity: - often 3–4+ months.

9) Oats (buy large; prevent pantry pests) - Buy rolled oats in bulk/big canisters/bags. - Move to jars to protect from pantry moths: - pour into pantry-safe sealed containers. - Avoid: - flavored oat packets (same oats + sugar but much higher cost). - Suggested use: - breakfasts all winter and also for baking (cookies, meatloaf, bread).

10) Dried beans (bulk + realistic rotation) - Why now: - before soup season when people suddenly remember beans. - Value: - 1 lb dried beans makes roughly ~6 cups cooked (about the yield of ~4 cans sometimes less). - Storage: - jars with tight lids. - Caution: - Older beans take longer to cook and may not fully soften. - Best practice: - buy what you’ll eat in 1–2 years, rotate stock.

11) White vinegar (buy the gallon, not the bottle) - Use: - window cleaner, rinse aid, fabric softener, weed killer, and later pickle brine. - Buy: - gallon jug (cheaper per ounce). - Storage: - keeps essentially forever. - Purchase suggestion: - grab two gallons when cleaning/canning hit together.

12) Salt (plain canning/pickling salt) - Buy: - plain canning/pickling salt or regular big-box salt (not pink fancy salt). - Buy enough: - typically two big boxes, store one in the back until spring. - Must-know: - use non-iodized salt for pickling/canning. - iodized salt can cloud/darken brine. - Why it’s on the list: - salt supports brining, pickling, curing, baking, and even ice-off steps.

“First step” action for this week

• Do two things this week:
  • Buy 1 gallon of white vinegar
  • Buy 1 big box of plain salt (under $10)
• Then:
  • walk the clearance aisle at your store.

Notable locations/products/speakers mentioned (end)

• Locations/ideas: basement corners, unheated closets, garage storage
• Products/items:
  • plain non-iodized canning/pickling salt, white vinegar (gallon jug), bulk rolled oats, winter squash (butternut/acorn), seconds/utility-grade apples, local honey (quart/half-gallon), large sacks of potatoes/onions, jars + flat lids + rings + pectin clearance supplies, big-sack white rice, dried beans
• Speaker/creator references:
  • the advice is delivered by the video narrator (including lines like “today I’ve got 12 things…,” “I finally wrote it down… it’s a book… on my website,” and “next time I’m going to show you…”)