I’m building a winter pantry from my small UK garden, using summer abundance to prepare for rising food prices without panic buying cheap processed food. In this June garden audit, I’m looking at what we can grow, preserve, freeze, dehydrate, ferment, pickle and store for real food security this winter.
This is the start of my Winter Wealth Pantry series: practical prepping for normal people, normal homes, small gardens and real budgets.
Food prices are still a concern here in the UK, but instead of waiting until winter and relying on expensive supermarket food, I’m trying to use what we have now: homegrown tomatoes, squash, beetroot, brassicas, herbs, local produce, family-grown gluts, wild food and homemade preserves.
In this video, I’m walking around the garden and looking honestly at what’s working, what’s failed, and what I need to plan better. We talk tomatoes for sauce, tomato powder, ketchup and soup; tiny but hopeful squash plants; beetroot experiments; brassica leaves for ferments and green powder; garlic failure; carrots; family food resilience; and how a small garden can still help build a better winter pantry.
This isn’t scary prepping, bunker prepping, or panic buying. This is normal-house, real-food, small-space self-sufficiency — one jar, one freezer bag, one harvest and one seasonal win at a time.
If you’re interested in UK homesteading, small garden self-sufficiency, food security, preserving food, building a pantry, gardening on a budget, or learning how to rely on supermarkets a little bit less, come and join us.
Let me know in the comments: what’s your first winter pantry job this summer? Are you freezing berries, drying herbs, growing tomatoes, planning ferments, watching the blackberries, or preparing for the courgette avalanche?
In this video:
* Dad’s homemade tomato soup from last year’s tomatoes
* Tomato preserving plans: sauce, soup, tomato powder and ketchup
* Squash plants and winter storage plans
* Beetroot preserving ideas
* Brassica outer leaves for ferments and super greens powder
* Garlic failure and plans for planting on time this year
* Carrots, fermented veg, pickles and winter staples
* The start of the Winter Wealth Pantry series
#UKHomesteading #WinterPantry #FoodSecurity #SmallGarden #PreservingFood #SelfSufficiency #BackToTheGoodLife #PantryPrep #GrowYourOwnFood #UKGardening
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This channel is all about real-life self-sufficiency — not the picture-perfect version. Hosted by Niki Wilkinson from Back To The Good Life 🌿
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36 Comments
Really nice episode! Yes, more of this please!
Pickle your carrots with dill and garlic. They are delicious! xox
If you cut the grass around the beds, or, even better. Dig up the grass and put a layer of wood chip,. Getting rid of long grass, gets rid of slugs & snails hiding places and you won't have to cut any more grass , as the wood chip suppresses it growing.. When the woodchip rots down, you can throw it on your beds, as a rich compost. Low maintenance idea. I'm really pleased I did it this year, it's been a game changer for me this year.
Great video & so relevant.
Check out Gaz Oakley's Beetroot & Chickpea Coconut Curry. Marinade beetroot in yoghurt, curry spices & a dash of citrus juice & then roast in the oven so they develop sweetness. Whilst that's happening, make a simple curry sauce with onion, capsicum, chickpeas & your favourite curry spices again. Combine everything together & allow to simmer until the flavours are combined & mellow. We're not vegan so we have it as a side with pork or chicken, or with another meat curry, rice, naan, thali-style.
Series please; love this video. Useful and motivating for us small yard city growers!
Definitely would love any videos that help me learn different techniques ❤❤ sorry about your carrots and garlic, maybe we should all be doing trades in our own area❤❤
I grow radish, it is absolutely lovely roasted! Need to boil first then roast with salt and pepper. It grows so quickly too!
I will make some beet root powder again this year. What a coloring agent it is! I love your humor and way with words! Cheers from New York state. 🎉
I don’t have room or physical health to grow tons, but things like onions hopefully will go cheap again at Christmas. I’m still using the Easter ones. My Christmas ones I chopped and froze alongside broccoli, swede and carrots.
Thank you for your great videos! Keep up the great work!!😊❤
Went strawberry picking, and made jam and froze some for smoothies. I picked my rhubarb and made an amazing rhubarb bbq sauce.
In a future video could you talk about how you can food in the UK? In America we have glass canning jars with two-piece lids. I have hundreds of quarts and pints, a large store of lids, etc. I save jars for other uses, but Ball canning supplies are easily obtained here. Thanks!
I did Exactly the same to my own Garlic, sadly😢
Although, I managed to get the Shallots in the garden on time, and they're looking good so far!!
This week, I am starting rhubarb wine, and starting to forage,
and also make a few jams and jellies,
I've got some goosegogs, that are very sour which I think means they have a lot of Pectin,
~ needed for jams to set,,,
at least that's what I remember being told!!😊❤
Thank you very much for sharing your videos, much appreciated!!
Andrea and Critters. …XxX…
Hello from Australia where we are in the depth of winter. Watching your videos brings me joy.
Well I am on the opposite side of the equator so already in winter, so this week I harvested my pots of ginger and tumeric. I just dehydrated the tumeric and ground it into powder for beautiful curries all winter and through the year. Maybe not quite enough to get through a full year, but I think definitely enough to get close, next year😊 it will be more than enough. Next is dehydrated greens for the green powder, we do that all year round.
My garlic was also a bit sad this year but i got a few bulbs so im content with that and will try better next season. As for winter preparations im starting to dehydrate onion tops as i give them a trim. Another YouTuber, Gathering Basket Homestead (?) has suggested that trimming the onion greens helps your onions bulk up so im giving that a go this year because who doesn't love big onions! Yes please to a series as i think it will help all of us get organised and give us some fresh ideas too.
I harvested 556g of oregano from 3 plants a month or so ago & dehydrated it. When I looked up the price of fresh oregano (because we also use it fresh) it was £60 a kilo! So my 3 plants basically gave me £30 worth of herb. It’s also almost ready to harvest again. And I am sure I’ll get a third harvest too. i did the same with parsley.
Herbs are a really worthwhile crop to grow & preserve for later use.
A couple of years ago I got given a potato sack full of beetroot by a friend who had a glut on his allotment; we made beetroot chutney. It was absolutely out of this world. Once a jar was opened it was gone!
Dehydrated beetrrot is great you can add the powder to cakes and bakes add into soups or smoothies. Home made pickled beetroot is really differnt and I make it sweeter then the shops. Roasted beetroot is lovely too. I dehydrated a lot of courgettes a few years ago and they went into everything pasta sauces cakes etc. I haven't had time to do much in the garden this year although have all the plants I've been doing a lot of extra shifts at work so waiting for two days off in a row where I can just enjoy the garden
I dry canned mince meat with a little bit of vegetable boulin (only ever canned in a broth) they came out much nicer and the other day we really fancied a bolognaise so got a jar of mince a jar of caremiliesd onions and garlic a a couple of jars of home canned tomatoes and a jar of home Cannes peas and 30 mins and the most delicious dinner. I have been focusing on trying to can proteins as that is just unobtainable at some points to buy fresh. I have a fair bit of chicken done this way but I always put some stock and water in the jar so you have two products. And I am sad for your garlicine has died too this year! One of the best treats is garlic scapes from my elephant garlic but not this yesr 😢
Totally agree with you ive been doing this for number of yrs and garden doing amazing just pulled my garlic i plant in November carrots um I gave same relationship with them as you but just pulled some chantenay and success sandy loose soil.
I can't wait to go and forage for blackberries. You're so right that quality food is the best way to save money in the future .
I've started growing food again this year (after moving house 2 years ago and putting it off). My garden isn't perfect, but I did have the (crazy?) good sense to bring my homemade compost with me when I moved, so I had some good compost ready and waiting. I'm also in the UK.
I was strategic like you taught in this video – cherry tomatoes, courgettes and onions (the three most consumed vegggies in my home) were my priority choice. The variety of cherry tomatoes I think were the disgusting ones are doing the best 🙁 I also have sungolds and Tiny Tims. They all seem a bit stunted except the possibly-disgusting-ones. I also tried growing some garlic this year. Not much – just five as I've not grown it before. And one is growing. My onions seem really happy, and this year I'm also trying to do a few flowers for the first time – Dahlias and Sunflowers. Slugs are eating the sunflowers but I'm hoping they'll survive long enough to bring a little joy. I'm thinking it may also be time to get some asperagus seeds. Takes 2 years to start producing spears, and I'm not sure if I've missed the window on planting them for this year, but it will save money down the line (and it's one of those lives-forever, produces like crazy plants if well looked after/conditions are good).
I'd love to learn canning with already-owned items. It honestly scares me a little as I know if done incorrectly, it can make your seriously ill/kill you via botulism. I also don't want to have to buy a pressure cooker that won't fit in my TINY kitchen, and I'd love to try and reuse glass jars for items I've previously bought instead of having to constantly buy for-canning jars/cans if I successfully get a glut.
I think also a "what to plant now for winter feasts" by month could be a good video.
Carrot and beetroot coleslaw is very yummy. Wave if you want the recipe
Please can you share your tomato soup recipe?
Pretty sure I saw you both Saturday sat at second stage at download wanted to say hi but I was rushing to main stage. Love your videos so inspiring I’m on my first year of growing veg and you really inspire and motivate me to keep going!
Last month I made rhubarb crumble ice-cream as well as giving loads of rhubarb away. Yesterday I attempted to make strawberry jam from our strawberries, tastes good but doesn’t look picture perfect but what the heck it’s mine! Thank you for your encouragement for when things don’t grow according to plan 😊
Roasted beetroot…beetroot jam. Courgette bread with omega 3 walnuts – the raw bread mix is kept in single portions in the freezer then into the breadmaker machine when wanted or gifting! Great down to earth advice, Nikki
On Sunday I froze 3 tayberries 🤣 my son in law said in disbelief “ did I just witness you putting 3 lonely berries in the freezer?” I said “yes, you know the 50 jars of tayberry jam I made last autumn? Well that’s how I amassed the fruit to make it, it starts off with 3 berries and ends up being several drawers full” 😂 and as Christmas approaches and your husband moans that there no room in the freezer for Christmas party food 🤣 you are forced to get your arse in gear and put on Bob Marley “we Jammin” whilst you make the most amazing jars of deliciousness 😘
Any suggestions for a ginormous bed of sage? I’ve frozen it in olive oil and made sage smudge sticks but the plant is humongous 😂
On a side note, now’s the time to pick and dry female nettle seeds as protein powder ❤
After watching Huw Richards 'Amazing Way To Use Nettles' I am now growing a patch of nettles (that's my excuse for poor weeding!!) and my next ferment to store will be nettles to make plant feed. Looks easy (and fun) to do and won't feed us but the plants that will feed us. Ditch that fake bright blue stuff I have been using.
Have you tried making some borscht? You may like it.
I'm loving your videos, I love that it's so realistic to normal British household, it makes me feel so better about growing in my small garden!
I don't suppose you could do a video on how you can using reused glass jars? I'm a complete canning beginner and would like to dabble in it without buying the proper canning jars 😬
What the .. is the glut? Gluten?😢
Harvested my first batch of redcurrants this weekend, in the freezer until all picked then jam making. Also I grow Roma tomatoes for sauce which are easy to grow and bush plants. The cherry tomatoes are for eating yum.
What happened to your chicken house you were building? Did I miss a video?