I hope you still have the spring cleaning bug, because this month your goal is to clear out your food storage clutter and organize it. No matter how organized you are, it’s a pretty safe bet that if you asked your kids to go get something from storage more than once this year, there are things that are out of place. And it’s a pretty sure bet that your inventory is 
not exactly accurate. So it’s time to clean up the shelves and organize the storage. Check packages for expiration dates and use anything that is close to expiring. Take a tally of what you have.
While you’re at it, check on your home canned and frozen foods. Check for signs of freezer burn and bring older frozen foods to the front so that they’ll be used next. Check canned foods for signs of broken seals (discoloration, bubbling, rust around the rims.) and plan to use older jars of food as soon as possible. Count up your bags of frozen food and jars of canned food.
Now take the tally of what you have in your inventory and compare it with your food storage goals for the year to see what’s lacking. How much of that shortfall will you be able to make up with what your garden produces this year? Did you find you ran out of preserved garden produce before the year was out? What staples will you want to replenish your long-term storage?
If you’ve been reading for a while, you already know that my favorite program for food storage inventory and planning is the Food Storage Planner from Revelar. (I wrote about it here. There’s a discount coupon code in that post.) But there are also several apps for tablets and smart phones that you can get. Many of these are free, so I hope you’ll try one. And if you still use a paper and pencil (like me) here is one you can download and print out.
If there were shortfalls (Note to self: Salsa.), factor that into your garden plan. (Plant more tomatoes and peppers.)
Also use this up-to-date inventory to start shopping grocery sales. When a sale comes along for something you need in your pantry, stock up as much as you can afford. If you have a good idea of what your inventory looks like right now, you can start working towards filling your shelves so that by summer’s end you have all the fruits, vegetables and staples that your family needs to get you through another year. 
