What I Buy in September to Fill My Pantry for the Year

Key idea: buy for the whole year (not just the week)

• Prices drop dramatically in September because produce ripens all at once and stores can’t sell it all fresh before it spoils.
• The “trick” is to stock up then and preserve/store food so you don’t pay higher prices in winter.

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Pantry stocking plan (what to buy & how to store/preserve)

1) Winter squash (butternut, acorn, blue Hubbard, pie pumpkins)

• Buy: about $1–$2 each (as described); cheaper than later months.
• Don’t treat like summer squash:
  • Don’t wash
  • Don’t refrigerate
• Cure first:
  • Leave out in a warm spot for 1–2 weeks (counter/windowsill).
  • This toughens skin and seals small nicks.
• Store cool and dry afterward:
  • Back bedroom, closet, or stair landing
  • Not touching
• Shelf life: 3–4 months, sometimes until spring.

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2) Onions

• Buy timing: fall harvest (September/early fall).
• Storage rules:
  • Keep cool and dry
  • Ensure air circulation
• Avoid:
  • Don’t keep them in the plastic bag (traps damp → softens in about a week)
  • Avoid the fridge—refrigerated onions get rubbery
  • Store away from potatoes (prevents both from spoiling faster)
• Best containers:
  • Open basket, old mesh bag, or paper sack (top rolled down)

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3) Potatoes

• Buy timing: September–October main crop; best prices.
• Storage rules:
  • Dark
  • Cool
  • Slightly humid
  • Good airflow (avoid plastic; use something that breathes)
• Avoid light:
  • Light causes potatoes to green and sprout
  • Cut off small green parts; discard heavily affected ones
• Container suggestions:
  • Paper sack, cardboard box, old drawer
• Optional “mother’s trick”:
  • Put one apple with potatoes to slow sprouting (costs one apple to protect the whole bin)

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4) Apples (keeping fruit)

• Buy timing: orchards “coming in” now.
• Storage conditions:
  • Cold, dark, slightly damp (cellar/unheated garage/cold back porch)
• Prevent spoilage spread:
  • Remove bad apples quickly—one rot source can ripen everything nearby
  • Option mentioned: wrap individual apples in newspaper to prevent contact

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5) Tomatoes (end-of-season preservation)

• Important: don’t store fresh tomatoes—they won’t keep.
• Instead, preserve them for winter use.
• What to buy:
  • Farm stand “seconds” / ugly / blemished tomatoes that are cheap because they must be moved before frost
• Preservation options:
  • Canning tomato sauce
  • Freezing (described as easier)
    • Core, cook down into sauce, freeze in bags laid flat
• Goal: winter meals (soups, stews, pasta) taste like “real summer tomato.”

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6) Peppers (freeze raw/simple prep)

• Storage approach:
  • Wash, cut as you’d use them
  • Spread on a tray to freeze so they don’t clump
  • Bag after frozen
• After thawing:
  • They get softer, so they’re best for cooking (eggs, chili, skillets), not fresh salads

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7) Cabbage → sauerkraut (kraut)

• Technique:
  • Shred cabbage
  • Salt it
  • Pack tightly into a jar or crock
  • Salt draws out liquid to form its own brine
  • Let it sit and sour on the counter for a couple of weeks
• Claimed benefit: fermentation/salt helps prevent unwanted “bad stuff” from taking hold.

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8) Garlic

• Buy: whole garlic while it’s cheap.
• Storage:
  • Keep dry and cool
  • Braid hung in the kitchen can last most of a year
• Reason: spring prices are higher for small prepackaged cloves.

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More seasonally timed add-ons

Root vegetables

• Buy cheap in September:
  • Carrots, beets, turnips—keeps a long time in cool storage

Stock up on dry goods (pantry staples)

• September is also used to stock:
  • Dry beans, rice, flour, oats
• Storage:
  • Keep dry goods in tight-lidded jars to keep bugs out
  • Cool, dark location
• Shelf-life emphasis:
  • Dry beans can last 1–2 years and are filling and inexpensive

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Core philosophy: no special gadgets required

Every item described can be stored with:

• baskets, paper sacks, cardboard boxes, cool dark corners
• simple curing/freezing/free fermentation

No vacuum gadgets, fancy containers, or special packets required.

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Call to action (small starting step)

• This week: start with one thing
  • Buy a few winter squash, cure them on the counter, then store in a cool closet
• Next fall: expand based on local availability

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Notable locations/products/speakers mentioned

• Locations/storage spaces: back bedroom, closet, stair landing, cellar, unheated garage, cold back porch, cool cupboard/pantry/cellar step
• Products/foods referenced: winter squash (butternut/acorn/Hubbard/pie pumpkin), onions, potatoes, apples, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage (for kraut), garlic, root vegetables (carrots/beets/turnips), dry beans/rice/flour/oats
• Author/speaker mention: the speaker references their own book/website (“link right underneath this video”) where they claim to document preservation methods.