The farmhouse pantry began as necessity. Whatever the garden and orchard produced in late summer had to last until spring, so shelves filled with jars, crocks and bundles of herbs. Today it is a pleasure rather than a duty, and a few jars made in season taste better than anything bought in winter.

Start with what grows in abundance. A glut of cucumbers becomes crisp refrigerator pickles in an afternoon. Ripe berries need only sugar, lemon and twenty minutes on the stove to become jam. Tomatoes can be roasted slowly with garlic and olive oil and frozen flat in bags.

Herbs are the easiest of all. Cut thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary in the morning after the dew dries, tie them in small bundles and hang them somewhere dry and airy. Once they crumble between your fingers, strip the leaves into jars.

Label everything with the contents and the date. It seems unnecessary in August and essential by February.

Finally, give the pantry a cool, dark shelf away from the stove. Light and heat dull color and flavor faster than time does. A well-stocked shelf is the best kind of insurance: a taste of summer whenever you need it.