✅ Crunchy Kitchen Food Safety Checklist

Because food safety is the real homestead flex, darling

☐ Freeze new flour, rice, oats, or grains for 3 days to kill any pantry pests
☐ Store all dry goods in airtight glass or plastic containers
☐ Date and label everything – including homemade mixes and preserves
☐ Toss canned foods with rust, bulges, leaks, or dents near seams
☐ Never eat from home-canned low-acid foods unless pressure-canned properly
☐ Rotate pantry stock – oldest to the front, newest in the back
☐ Clean out fridge weekly – mystery fuzz is not a condiment
☐ Don’t sniff moldy food – you can inhale spores (gross!)
☐ Toss moldy soft foods completely (bread, berries, jams, cooked rice, etc.)
☐ Cut off at least 1 inch around moldy spots on hard cheese or firm veggies
☐ Never reuse old jars for canning unless they seal tight and are damage-free
☐ Always sterilize jars, lids, and utensils before preserving food
☐ Wash produce thoroughly – yes, even the “organic” kind
☐ Keep raw meats far from veggies in fridge and prep areas
☐ Use separate cutting boards for meat and everything else
☐ Don’t taste-test something you’re already unsure about
☐ Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (or sooner in hot weather)
☐ Never store food in old takeout containers with unknown plastics
☐ Trust your instincts – when in doubt, toss it out
☐ Teach your kids the basics of safe food handling too (start young!)

🧠 Smart. Safe. Crunchy.

You can be holistic and still use common sense. Ferment with love, preserve with wisdom, and for the love of your gut health - no expired yogurt experiments, please.