SALT (Part Five): The Keeper’s Kitchen Pantry – Stocking a Gut-Friendly, Flavour-Rich Kitchen

There’s a quiet kind of joy in walking into your kitchen ( or 'wild' pantry as I call mine) and knowing you’ve got the makings of something nourishing, delicious, and deeply rooted in tradition. Around here, we don’t stock up just for convenience—we stock up to stay connected to the land, tthe seasons, our gut microbiome and in many ways to our grandmothers and ancestors.

Welcome to the Keeper’s Kitchen Pantry—a peek into the jars, crocks, shelves and cupboards that keep our kitchen humming during the tourist season as well as year round whether we are here in St. Shotts for part of the off-season or in Norway.

1. Fermented Vegetables – The Sparkle in the Jar

We keep jars of homemade sauerkraut, tangy apples and stone fruits, pickled cucumbers with dill, honey fermented garlic, and 'carrot cake in a jar' on hand at all times. These aren’t just condiments we add to our foods. They’re the living, breathing soul of our kitchen.

A spoonful of sauerkraut beside a roast, a few pickles on homemade pate and sourdough bread, fermented fruit on top of overnight oats, a heaping spoonful of red kraut on baked sweet potato or simply a spoonful of 'carrot cake in a jar' as an afternoon snack.

What can I say ..... these foods add instant umami. And your gut microbes will throw a party every time you feed them these foods.

TIP: Keep them in the fridge once fermented, and always use clean utensils—these jars are full of friendly microbes that you want to protect!

Red Kraut

2. Kefir & Cultured Dairy – Spoonfuls of Life

We’ve always got a jar of milk kefir brewing on the counter, plus homemade yogurt in the fridge. Stirred into oats, blended into smoothies, or dolloped onto soups—they add tang, creaminess, and gut support in one go.

We even make kefir cream cheese and cultured butter when we’re feeling fancy (or flush with cream). Kefir cheese is fantastic as the base of a dip. I often make onion dip with it, or add some of my roasted red pepper pesto. The possibilities are endless. It's also very good just with some garlic and herbs spread on a warm piece of sourdough toast.

Have you ever made butter? It's so easy to make it cultured as well. Just leave the milk out on the counter for 24 hours to let the culture develop, then make butter as usual with it. So so good and by having it cultured, it will last much longer in your fridge.

3. Kombucha – A Bottle of Bubbles with Benefits

There’s always a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast) floating in a jar somewhere at The Keeper’s Kitchen. We bottle kombucha with seasonal flavours—rhubarb-ginger in spring, blueberry-basil in summer, apple-cinnamon come fall.

Present it cold in wine glasses with a sprig of fresh herbs, and your guests won't even notice the absence of alcohol.

Kombucha

4. Infused & Finishing Salts – Little Jars of Intention

We make our own finishing salts using wild herbs as well as cultivated ones like thyme, rosemary and basil. A sprinkle of lemony sweetgale on pork or spruce-tip salt on roasted veg brings out the heart of the dish—and tells the story of the land it came from.

5. Vinegars & Brines – The Bright Notes

We also keep jars of different vinegars (like dandelion or chive blossom vinegar) to use in salad dressings, and slow cooked broths. Leftover kraut or pickle brine also makes a wonderful addition to a vinaigrette or marinade.

Don’t pour them out—these liquids are a treasure.

6. Dry Goods That Come Alive

Our pantry always has organic oats, lentils, beans, and flours—but the magic comes when you soak, sprout, or ferment them. We soak oats overnight in kefir, and often start a quick sourdough flatbread with leftover yogurt.

Even a basic pantry can be made to hum with life.

From Shelf to Supper – Cooking from the Pantry

The best part about a well-stocked pantry? You’re never far from a good meal. A smear of kefir cheese on sourdough with pickled onions. A baked sweet potato brightened red kraut. A cup of kombucha in the garden.

Food doesn’t have to be complicated to be deeply flavourful and good for your body.

Want to Build Your Own Wild Pantry?

Come spend a day with us at The Keeper’s Kitchen Inn and learn the art of slow food, fermentation, and flavour layering.

You'll experience:

👍 Hands-on fermenting and culturing demos

🌿 Learn how to turn everyday ingredients into nourishing staples

🧂 Taste your way through our pantry

💬 Go home with recipes, starter cultures, and the confidence to do it yourself

🗓️ Contact us to inquire about upcoming Workshop Dates:

🔗 Read more about workshops: www.thekeeperskitchen.com/experiences

Next Thursday: In our last post of this Six-Part Blog Series on Salt we’ll be sharing some recipes from the Keeper’s Kitchen Pantry such as our Red Kraut that showcase the power of fermented foods, one meal at a time.