TanksHill...Roll on!!

[2dream]

I have major pantry envy. That is a great use of space.

 

[Dace]

Wow Gina, that looks great! What a great use of a free day and dead space

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks you guys. There is actually no door on the space yet. We have one and my dh is going to build a frame for it. I don't like the direction of the swing though. I am going to look for something cheap on CL. The space was not actually empty to start. It held a couple trunks of STUFF I had from when I was a kid and some college keepsakes. Snow boards and suitcases. I sorted and threw out a bunch of stuff. Now I need to find a place to store the extra stuff. Its like the Tetris game in my garage. You just have to turn things the right way to figure out where they will fit.

Last night I move my 5 gallon buckets along the right side wall. Stacked 3 high. Closed the space up but opened shelving in another area. I think I will also put my extra canning flats and rings in there. Not the jars though, I have too many of those.

Oh, and I still need to get the pumpkins in there.

Last night my poor dh was tired and sore. I think I will give him today off.

gina

 

[TTs Chicks]

very cool - and the jars look so pretty all lined up - I know it feels great to look in there and say "I did that!"

 

[murphysranch]

Its absolutely beautiful. I now have shelving envy!!!

<runs to find DH so he can copy Gina's design....>

 

[deb4o]

Nice-very nice,

ingenious use of space!

and your jars are all so pretty!

 

[freemotion]

I have a partial closet under stairs that is where I store dishes and my active ferments and kombucha. I have louvered doors on it. Those are pretty cheap and can often be found used or free on craigslist, and allow air flow....and allow me to smell when my kombucha is ready!

Mine doesn't go all the way back, and I really want to make some shorter cupboards at the bottom of the stairs.....

Your closet is amazingly wonderful!!!

 

[ORChick]

That looks wonderful; what a great use of space. My major pantry storage is under the stairs too, but unfortunately it is actually under the landing between two half flights of stairs. So I have to go down on hands and knees to access it. I figure that I will either die early or live forever with all the exercise I get in this house -- I have recently built shelves in the *stand up* area, before the part that I need to crawl to. Makes things a lot easier.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

WOW!!! thats really great.. hum... wonder if we could do something similar...

GREAT WORK!

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks again you guys. My only worry is that if we do ever get a big earthquake that staircase is in the middle of the garage under the house. I probably won't even be able to get to all the food.

Ok so today's adventures included a birthday party at sil's house. She did a combo for all 4 of her kids. Fun fun fun!!!

The good part, I raided her fruit trees. Now just so yo have a bit of background. There were 4 acres at the end of a road. This was an experimental orchard put together by Univ. of San Diego I think. There were mangoes, macadamia nuts, lemons and some other tropicals. The property was sold and 4 houses were built. SIL has a huge tree that fruits White Sapotes. Every year she says come pick them, her family does not eat them. So while there I noticed the tree was starting to drop its fruit. It's loaded with softball size fruit. They are so interesting, they have a soft custard like banana- ish texture. This is what I found on them.

http://www.google.com/search?source...UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLJ_enUS376US376&q=white+sapote

I really want to find a way to preserve some of this fruit. Is anyone familiar with it? Any ideas? They say best eaten fresh. I am thinking maybe jam. I just don't know.

Ok so second story. macadamia nuts. Were talking 4 to 6 trees loaded with lime size nuts I am raiding those trees. I need to figure out the easiest way to harvest, dry and crack those babies.

Any advice on those? I have a macadamia nut tree. Usually I pick the green husks off the ground after thy split, then crack the hard nut inside. But raiding her trees would result in huge amounts.

Ok, maybe I should start small.

What do you all think???