My Old House: The Pantry

When you turn to the left from my kitchen, shown in this post, after entering the house through the mudroom here, you enter the tiny, 7 by 9 foot pantry room which is on the north side of the house. This is where I do my food preparation on a large piece of butcher block placed on the old enamel topped table. The wacky brilliant color of its legs adds some lilt to the surroundings. You'll notice the floor to ceiling paneling on the wall to the right; there is a lot of this original hand-planed beaded paneling in the house. It's beautiful stuff, especially after I removed layers and layers of old paint, leaving a blueish-green color showing.




The huge old farmhouse sink must be very old. It has a large wash basin and attached drainboard. This is probably where the pump for household water was, before an electric pump was installed in the cellar to get water from the dug well behind the house. I have an old well, lined with stones, about 13 feet deep. My most-used cookbooks are on the shelf above the sink.




Here's my funky kitchen storage; no cabinets, just shelving that was in the house when I bought it. It's not very pretty, but it works.




This cupboard is the great treasure that was left behind by the previous owners. It's a very old handmade piece and perfectly suited to the character of the house.




Here is a closer look at the paneling on the right wall, with the original rail and pegs that I use to hang some kitchen gear. I love this wall and the repetition of shapes hanging on it; its simplicity makes up for the chaos of the shelving across the room.




Each summer I dry some herbs from the garden and hang them in the kitchen to use over the winter: thyme, sage, two kinds of mint, and oregano. The old spoon, which I found among stuff left in the shed, is there because I like its shape and color; it adds a touch of additional beauty to a still life of dried herbs with circles of pot and bowl.