BY RACHEL BITTON

We are always tackling a project around here. Whether it’s making bad animal decisions or building something new, we always have something to do. My husband really should learn to run far and fast when I bust out the measuring tape. Bless that man for all he must figure out for me — like the time we brought home two old grain silos from East Layton to make an outdoor kitchen or when I had to have that 25-foot-tall antique windmill for a yard decoration that required a crane, twice. I get to dream, and my husband has to actually figure out how to make it work.

I don’t know why, but when you get to adulthood, some of the best things in life are having a favorite spatula and a pretty pantry. I put a lot of time and thought into designing the pantry in our home – from the antique barn door we were gifted from my husband’s grandma to the rolling library ladder I spent months shopping for. I wanted this pantry to be highly functional but also beautiful. Yay adulthood!

After the earthquake in 2020, I knew our pantry shelves needed a bit of an upgrade. I spend most of August and September canning and freeze drying all the goods that come out of the garden. It works well because my husband knows how to buy chips, lots of chips, to eat all the red and green salsas I make. “It’s a team effort,” he says as he happily eats chips and salsa every Sunday afternoon.

To repay me for my salsa-making efforts, I decided I wanted rails on some of the pantry shelves to save all my hard work, in case of another earthquake. My food organization mentality is “if I can’t see it, I won’t use it.” So, I requested copper pipe rails after seeing someone else use them on a bookshelf. I had some copper baskets in the pantry, so I knew the copper would match perfectly.

We bought 1⁄2” copper pipe from the plumbing section of a home improvement store and found copper closet rod hangers on Amazon to complete this project. The total cost was under $60. Not only did it pretty up the pantry, but it will also help keep my canning jars safe. Special thanks to my neighbor, Cheryl, for helping with the photos. Now, onto the next project…I wonder if my husband will add a chandelier to the pantry?