We had some setbacks this week, but we’re hanging in there with our Grocery Store Rebellion.
At the end of Week 2, we ran out of milk. After choking down coffee without fresh cream, I finally broke down and went to our local co-op and purchased milk. Yuck. I really hope that our dairy farmer gets another cow soon, because this pasteurized stuff is for the birds. According to the sign at the co-op, it’s from a dairy that is not a factory farm type of place, so I went with the best option I could find.
In other news, a sudden heat wave one afternoon may have wiped out my fall garden. My transplanted seedlings were looking awesome, but now they are sad, wilted, and limp. I’m hoping to revive them, but it doesn’t look good. I might be back to square one with my garden, so I’m sprouting new seedlings in my utility room.
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Aside from these two episodes, all systems are still “go”. This is the time of year when fresh produce is at its most abundant. I’m spending a lot of hours each day preserving food so that we can maintain this Rebellion throughout the cold months. So when you see what I’m spending, it’s important to remember that this is not all food to be consumed right now.
The chicken area is nearly ready for its new occupants. I have to pee- and poo-proof the bottom of the coop and grab some hay. I have a feeder
and waterer on order. Tomorrow, we are attending a foraging class, then hitting the feed store. This is so exciting!
This week, I traded some of my home-canned vanilla peaches and a jar of jam for 15 pounds of fresh organic pears. (I love the barter system, and as I get to know local farmers, more opportunities for this are arising.) As well, I made the rounds to my favorite farms and orchards, and made a stop at the co-op.
Here’s what we ate this week.
Read more at Nutritional Anarchy…
This week was 1 of 3 case lot sales our store has each year. I therefore took advantage of some of the good specials that fit into my idea of what is needed. 24 cans canned milk, 24 cans mushrooms, 1 bag flour, 24 rolls TP, 12 cans chicken noodle soup ( for sick bay), 4 pk frozen peas (we had a crop failure this year. only able to freeze 8 c.)
Most of what we have been eating this week has been rolled oats & fresh raspberries or raisins for breakfast, Veg. soup from garden prduce for lunch & supper was meat from freezer & veg. & fruit from garden. This week we had 1st corn from garden & last night 1st ripe tomato. Afternoon snack break..Buns & bisuits with 1/2 freshly groung whole wheat flour with honey or home made jam or popcorn & juice. Keep up inspiring us Daisy & about your heat wave disaster don’t give up, it might come back but if not it is a lesson learned. I lost some new plants a few years ago to heat & now I always put wooden shingles or something similar on west & south side of my peppers & tom. until well established & that seems to help.
Preserving this week included freezer 2 person servings…13- gr./yel. beans, 3 cauliflower, 10-2c raspberries. Canning…high bush cranberry jelly…8 c., dill pickles 10 qt. bread & butter pickles 12 pt. raspberry juice 10 qt. Also 1 gal of cabbage / carrot refrig salad was made. ( Lasts 6 wk. in frig) Also since we only have 1 to 2 weeks before we get 1st frost yesterday we picked some of the big tomatoes even though they are green so it won’t be too much rush went frost is predicted. Some were starting to turn colour.
Hi Daisy, please share your foraging info with us. I have books and pics but no “hands on” experience because it seems that every time I get the chance there is not enough rain, too much rain or something that causes the classes to be cancelled.
I’m new to prepping, and thought a 72 hour food kit would be a wise investment. I spent $27 with Food 4 Patriots, and promptly received….several soups and a rice dish! 3 days of soup? Yuk! I found the following, in re: their 72 hour pack; #1 Insufficient amount, (16 servings,)#2 nutritionally unsound, artificial flavors, msg, ect., and #3 their 100% guarantee still leaves me out $6 bucks, as I have to pay for shipping. I want to purchase at least one month of survival food. Please suggest a reputable company with which to do business. Thanks, in advance for your help. They should have labeled it “Soup 4 Patriots!!!!”
Jeff,
Try ordering from the LDS website. You do not have to be Mormon to order from here. The food is canned for long term storage and the prices are very reasonable.
Here is the link.
http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706237_-1_N_image_0
Love, love, LOVE this challenge! I have been asking myself WHYYYYYY I spend so much money at the grocery store. The gardens are coming on (we have a very short growing season where I live), we raise our own beef, chicken, pork & eggs…and I have a milk cow! We can’t grow fruit other than apples (and, in fact, I found your blog as I was about to leave the house to pick up the 100lbs of peaches I ordered. I can these every year, but had NO idea you could do anything useful with pits and skins!) – so I have an excuse for buying some of that. Thanks for the further encouragement to cut out the grocer!
I want to… I just can’t afford it. Yes, I know, the benefits outweigh the cost, but your week’s budget for groceries? That’s what I have left over in a month… (Most of my paycheck goes on life insurance, cell phone, internet, and rent. That doesn’t include things like shampoo… 4 bills… T.T) Plus here in Canada, food costs more. Even the ‘fake’ stuff costs double… I’ve looked into getting organic and such from farmers, but a lot won’t sell because they’re scared of legal repercussions and the ones that will are cashing in on the healthy food ‘riot’… In the store, I pay $6 for 5 lbs of ground hamburger on sale. From the only place within an hour from me, anti-biotic free, gmo free, organic, free-range ground hamburger is $5 per lb…
We do have our own garden, but our entire yard is only the size of a single garage… We get a bumper crop of tomatoes each year, and we just put in a herb garden. I’d like to get a place in the country and get chickens and a Dexter cow, but land is horribly expensive here…
Anyway, enough about my problems. I just wanted to say thanks for all the info, keep up the good work, and thanks for giving me a kick so I got out of the “I give up” mind frame… I don’t see how I can go healthy and self sustaining, but I’m going to continue to look for ways.