The confusion around food labels can feel endless, especially with non-perishables. With so many options available and new ones popping up all the time, where do we even begin to narrow it all down, never mind find new ones to love?
We’re breaking down a few core concepts of a healthy pantry (and label terms to look out for) with the founders of farm-to-doorstep delivery service, Out of the Box Pantry, who is helping us stock up on brands and products we can trust…
From non-GMO to gluten-free to fat-free and “all natural,” figuring out which labels we want to eat is complicated. And it’s not just about the label, but the practices behind the label and the intentions of the makers and growers. Which brands are genuine and which just look genuine? Aisles at the best supermarkets may seem full of great choices, but they can also leave you with lots of unanswered questions and a sense of bewilderment.
We source products from trusted vendors we have known and worked with for years whose standards we share and whose efforts allow us to deliver the very best. Our pantry box deliveries are made with many different food standards in mind and we have selected three that we stand behind because they are friendly to the planet, nutrient dense and delicious: biodynamic, heirloom and wildcrafted.
About The pantry Box: Out of the Box Pantry offers a convenient way to stock your pantry with the best quality staples. Not only are you protecting the environment by supporting these practices, but they are also some of the tastiest products you can find.
Boxes are a hand-picked variety of five full-size organic, wildcrafted, biodynamic and heirloom pantry items – from cooking oils to jams, grains, nuts, condiments and more – delivered straight from the farm to your pantry. Accompanied by monthly recipes that are included in each pantry box, you will have everything you need to squirrel away a well-stocked pantry of amazing items that will make your kitchen (and every meal) complete – and at the same time protect and nurture our biodiversity, small-scale growers and makers,and sustainable practices.
Order by December 8th to guarantee delivery before the holidays!
3 Keys for A Healthy Pantry
Biodynamic:
Biodynamic is like certified organic with a spiritual blessing. Whenever we can buy biodynamic, we do because biodynamic agriculture is a holistic, ecological and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food and nutrition. It has been practiced for nearly a century, on every continent on Earth. Look for the label from “Demeter,” the largest certification organization for biodynamic products.
Heirloom:
With plant and animal diversity decreasing at an alarming rate, we always prioritize supporting biodiversity by buying heirlooms whenever possible. From Gravenstein apples, to Blenheim apricots, to heirloom tomatoes, to Sonora wheat or Shackamaxon beans, heirlooms come from seed that has been handed down for generations in a particular region or area, hand-selected by gardeners for a special trait. Heirloom vegetables are open-pollinated, which means they are pollinated by insects or wind without human intervention.
Wildcrafted:
There are some very basic items we also look out for and they will never have any labels on them, as they grow in the wild. Wildcrafting is the practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or “wild” habitat, for food or medicinal purposes. We also consider some items like honey and sea salt in this category.
