Quick and Easy Huckleberry Syrup

At least once a week I make French toast or waffles for breakfast.  Trying to find better alternatives to store bought 'syrup' .. and not being able to always afford real maple syrup, through a little trial period the past two weeks, I've come up with a winner topping.  Many homemade syrup recipes call for a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water.  By adding just a bit of organic corn starch, you can significantly reduce the added sugar.

Easy Huckleberry Syrup

scant 1/3 cup organic raw sugar
1 tablespoon sucanat (unprocessed sugar .. dark brown from retained molassas)
1 cup cold water
1-1/2 teaspoon organic corn starch
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla
1-2 tablespoons huckleberries (or blueberries)
. 

huckleberry syrup

homemade French (challah) bread toast with huckleberry syrup

In a small saucepan add the sugars, water, salt and cornstarch; stir well until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.  Bring to a slow boil over medium heat for about a minute or so until the syrup thickens.  Add the butter, vanilla and huckleberries and cook for another minute.  Makes 4-6 servings .. store any leftover syrup in the fridge and use within a few days.

Garden Playing

... catch up.  Looking at the garden, it is hard to tell that we got such a late start.  All but the corn is looking pretty good.  Here's what our bounty provided today.  The dark berries are a mix of wild black-cap raspberries and either wild blueberries or huckleberries.  Each day I freeze the berries (those that don't get eaten) to use in smoothies this winter.  One head of lettuce weighed two pounds and would feed an army or my family of eight several times over.  God's timing is perfect ... regardless of my lack of patience ;)

Stewed Rhubarb

We're still picking tender rhubarb.  The first stalks that grew this spring were big fat and green.    Now there seems to be a gazillion more slender bright red stalks.  I know you're not supposed to pick too many at a time ... and I thought that by now the plant would be less productive .. perhaps from the long spring, my plants have not realized it's summer yet.  Years ago, we would eat dinner at Knott's Berry Farm .. they serve a side dish of stewed rhubarb with their chicken dinners that was still intact after being cooked; mine always fell apart until I tried this method.

Stewed Rhubarb

3-4 cups one inch diced rhubarb
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (or to taste)

Place the diced rhubarb in a sauce pan and barely cover with water.  Add the sugar and bring to a boil for about two minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow the rhubarb to sit undisturbed for about an hour.  This allows the rhubarb to cook and keep its shape.  The juice will be a lovely pink. 

From Garden to Table ... the Tomato

Last year's garden produced an abundance of tomatoes.  However, I failed to make enough canned salsa to sustain my family ... even with heavy rationing.  I used a considerable amount of the tomatoes making ketchup ... and then watching it sit on the shelf month after month wishing it had been made into salsa.  We have a ketchup fiend in our home.  A small boy that was not expected to survive infancy.  He was not even expected to eat by mouth .. according to his GI doctor.  But this mom decided to take the (MAJOR) effort to get food consumed the optimal way .. by mouth .. and finally off tube feedings.  At age four the transition finally took place.  In order to help things along, salsa was used to waken up his taste buds ... and ketchup was used to dip finger foods into to make them more kid appealing.  This plan worked and today I have to chuckle as I often tell him NO MORE FOOD until the next meal.  We have been trying to ween him from Heinz ketchup ... and then on to an organic variety ... and now on to mom's homemade product.  Today was the day.  We were out of Heinz ... and organic ketchup (on purpose).  I sprang the homemade sauce on him this morning and told him it was BBQ sauce ... and that's all we  have to dip his home fried potatoes in.  I think a convert was made this morning ... and I can kiss the store bought version goodbye for good.  Let's hope my eight pints of ketchup aka BBQ sauce will last until this summer when I can once again labor over a hot stove to make the little fellow a healthier treat to the big ag alternative.  BTW .. just what exactly are 'natural flavorings' in store bought organic ketchup ... I fear it may be some MSG type additive as it makes me break out in hives.

Here is a good website regarding the production of organic farm tomatoes.  Although this is for large scale production, there is some good information you could apply to a home garden.

Picture ... Nathan .. my ketchup fiend! ... and possessor of an extra chromosome:)

Dressed Eggs

When my daughters were growing up we enjoyed cooking from the American Girl cookbooks.  They each had their own dolls with stories about pioneer and colonial American life.  The colonial cookbook has a recipe we adopted and renamed Felicity Eggs ... after the doll by that name.  Still a favorite today, these eggs are often requested.  Here is our version:

Ingredients:

2-6 eggs (depends on how many servings you want to make)
butter
salt & pepper to taste
nutmeg
a well seasoned cast iron skillet appropriately sized for the quantity of eggs you are cooking.

Directions:

Carefully crack your eggs (one by one) into a well buttered heated skillet trying not to break the yokes.
Season the eggs with salt and pepper .. then add a small amount of water (1 teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon depending on the quantity of your eggs).  Cover the pan and cook over low heat for approx. five  minutes until the whites are set but not hard.  Uncover and place about 1/2 teaspoon of butter on top of each egg and place under the stove broiler for about one minute (check after 30 seconds) ... until the yolks are set.  Sprinkle the tops with a little pinch of nutmeg.  Don't be weirded out by the nutmeg ... it's really good!  Enjoy

copyright free pic from here

Breaking (from store bought) Bread

Whoever said store bought food is a convenience?  You have to go to the store to buy it.  You have to worry about what harmful ingredients are in it.  You have to pay more for an inferior product.  Baking bread at home becomes second nature after a few months of diligent practice.  After you develop the skill .. then you can fine tune your production to, perhaps, include freshly ground wheat.  You can also use up a lot of leftovers as a portion of the ingredients.  You are in charge of quality and quantity control.  At the Thrifty Garden/Home we bake approximately two loaves of bread a week.  This is plenty for our family of four.  Enough for sandwiches to pack in lunch boxes.  Plenty to have as a special treat with dinner.  Leftover bread is first turned into croutons then French toast.  My family has bread preferences.  Adding a small boiled/drained/mashed potato gives a good moisture balance.  A small amount of leftover cooked oatmeal or yogurt will add moisture as well.  Today's loaf I added leftover whey for the liquid and 1/2 cup of sourdough starter.  This won't be a true sourdough bread as I added a package of yeast.  My sourdough starter needed to be replenished to keep it going.  By adding the 1/2 cup I added much flavor to my bread and will have a good fresh batch of starter for use tomorrow.  By practicing baking bread you can stop relying on recipes and you will be able to improvise your loaf with leftovers.  Once you  become familiar how the dough should feel ... recipes can be put away for your standard loaves.  Now and again I will bring out a baking book when it's time to master a new bread making skill.  For our sandwich loaves I often add a few teaspoons of dehydrated onion flakes, some caraway seeds and dried dill weed.  Are you a bread baker?  What is your preferred loaf of bread?

Uses For Stale Bread

Being a thrifty homemaker means making use of food items that many folks would stash in the trash.  Stale bread is often thrown out ... I know because I used to throw away my fair share or feed it to the birds ;(  There's the obvious thrift of making French toast or bread pudding.  How about bread stuffing?  Baking three loaves of bread a week can often leave leftovers ... at a minimum ... stale heels.

THE true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments, of time, as well as materials. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it ... The Frugal Housewife, 1830

How about a recipe called Harvest Pear Bread Pudding ... or Tuscan Bread Soup.  Italians make a Bread Salad.  Birds Nest Toast ... we call at our home Egg In A Hole.  I leave you with a few websites to check out.

What To Do With Leftover Bread/Cooks.com  

Uses For Leftover Bread Never Go Stale/Anchorage Times

How do you use up your leftover bread? 

copyright free image found  here

Easter Sunrise

.... service was awesome!  It's a beautiful sunny morning in the North Woods of Idaho.  The MacFrugal family will be having our Easter dinner on Monday when we can partake in the celebration as a entire family.  Yesterday's weather was dismal with snow, hail, rain, sleet.  Perhaps today, we will have an egg hunt outside.  Enjoy the day.

Day After Easter Dinner Menu

smoked ham with a brown sugar mustard glaze

cheesy potatoes au gratin

angel eggs

ambrosia

asparagus

homemade dinner rolls

fresh banana cake and coffee for dessert

Banana Cake Recipe

In a bowl, whisk together:

2-1/4 cups cake flour (I'll use half ww pastry & unbleached white flour)

1/2 tsp. double acting baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Cream in a large bowl

1/2 cup butter

Add gradually and cream until light:

1-1/2 cups sifted sugar

Beat in one at a time:

2 eggs

Prepare:

1 cup lightly mashed ripe banans

Add:

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the banana mixture.  Stir the batter after each addition until smooth.  Bake in greased round cake pans about 1/2 hour.  When cool, place between the layers:

2 sliced ripe bananas

Spread the cake with:

a white icing

If served at once, this cake is good without icing ... just sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream.  

Recipe adapted from:  The Joy of Cooking Cookbook

copyright free image from here

Cultured Buttermilk & Ranch Dressing

On keeping and making cultured buttermilk:  This is one of those good for you additions to food that is very effortless to 'keep going' with an endless supply for very little cost.  At least once a week I start a batch to use as the base for ranch dressing or as an addition to homemade bread or smoothies.  No cooking is involved.

To make cultured buttermilk you need some buttermilk or a powder starter to make your first batch of starter at home (see here for source).  You basically take one part of (live) cultured buttermilk and add three parts fresh pasteurized milk  (1/4 cup buttermilk to 3/4 cup milk), place in a mason jar and mix with a plastic spoon. Fasten a paper coffee filter over the top with a rubber band.  Let this mixture culture at room temperature for 12-18 hours edit: up to 24 hours is OK the longer it sits out the tangier the flavor (70-77 F) in the warmest spot in your house (probably the kitchen).  I set my jar in the barely warm oven on my 'proof' setting.  You could set yours in the oven with the pilot light or oven light on (away from the bulb).  Keep away from drafts. Once the buttermilk is set (not runny) replace the filter with a regular lid and put in the fridge for six hours before use.  Stir before using.  Make sure to save at least 1/4 cup to start your next batch.

To make another batch, you repeat the above directions. This should be done once a week (no longer than seven days).  For larger quantities, just remember the ratio of 1 part buttermilk to 3 parts milk. After doing this a few times, it really becomes second nature and effortless.  It is recommended to not use metal when making cultures.  Plastic or wooden spoons are fine.

Buttermilk (Ranch) Dressing

1/2 C buttermilk

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

salt and pepper to taste

fresh or dried herbs (I use either parsley or thyme .. just a few pinches to taste)

1 small or medium clove of garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Whisk the above ingredients together well in a bowl.  Adjust seasonings.  Store in a lidded mason jar for up to one week.  Mix before serving.

If you don't have lemon zest or juice, you may substitute a little bit of lemon pepper seasoning to taste.

This recipe is easily doubled.  Just use the 1:1 ratio of buttermilk to mayo ... and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Read about buttermilk's benefits here

Copyright Free Image found here

Everything Soup

The past two weeks I've made some pretty good soup with already made chicken stock I have in the freezer as the base.  Then to be super thrifty I add leftover rice or pasta along with some carrots and whatever leftover little bit of veggies we have in the fridge.  Add some dehydrated onion/garlic ... and herbs.  Last week I added frozen garden zucchini and a little bit of cooked pinto beans ... with some Mexican seasonings ... the kids just raved about the soup and didn't mind that they were eating up the leftovers ... Of course I told them about the leftovers AFTER they started raving about the soup;)  Watch out Campbell's Soups... Mrs. MacFrugal is cutting out a bit of your profits ... and feeding her family food without JUNK preservatives and loads of salt.  Do you have a way of incorporating leftovers into a 'new' and exciting meal for your family?

Image from here

All Things Buttermilk

When you have a continual supply of cultured buttermilk at your disposal ... and you want to keep it fresh by recharging a new batch each week ... it's good to have a few recipes to make use of it.  We often include buttermilk in fresh/frozen fruit smoothies ... and it's a great addition to homemade bread dough.  Today I'll post my recipe for buttermilk pancakes.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

1 large egg

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix the buttermilk and egg ... slowly whisk in the melted butter.

Cook on a lightly oiled hot griddle (med-high heat- use a little butter or 1/2 tsp bacon drippings if you make bacon).  Test the griddle with a drop or two of water ... it should sizzle/dance.  Using a 1/2 cup ladle, spoon the batter in rounds on the griddle.  Cook until they just start to bubble and are a tiny bit dry around the  edge.  Flip and cook on other side.  Keep warm in preheated oven until all pancakes have been cooked.  Serve with maple syrup. Makes about 8-9 6-inch pancakes.

Photo credit:  Carl Larsson 

How to make cultured buttermilk

Fresh Horseradish

... is so delish!  Last week I made a trade with a neighbor for some horseradish root.  The root I received was beautiful ... if a dirt encrusted root could be pretty.  The specimen was quite a nice size and had enough to snap off a good sized root with plenty to spare and get replanted.  As a young child my grandparents served the pungent beauty with most Sunday meals ... no one ever 'made' me try it ... I just decided one day to eat some and have never regretted doing so. 

After cleaning the root, I peeled it with a veggie peeler and soaked it in ice water until I figured out what to do with it. It was then grated on a micro-plane grater and a I added a 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp water, a tiny pinch of sugar and salt.  I CAN'T WAIT for tonight's BBQ'd steaks. 

How to prepare horseradish

Sandwich Loaf

Here is the standard 100% white whole wheat bread for bread machines recipe from Bob's Red Mill flour:

Makes a small loaf:

1 cup water
2-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1-1/4 Tbsp dry milk powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 Tbsp Canola oil
1-1/4 Tbs sugar
1 Tbsp gluten
2 tsp molasses
2 tsp active dry yeast

Add all ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual and process on the bread cycle according to the manufacturer's directions.

Mrs. Mac's adaptation of same recipe:

1 cup buttermilk (or water or beer or combination)
3 cups whole wheat white flour or whole wheat flour
1/3 cup leftover cooked oatmeal ... or 1 small potato drained/diced/cooked/mashed (you could use the potato water in place of buttermilk)
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp butter .. cut into pieces
1 Tbsp molasses or honey
2 Tbsp wheat gluten
2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp dried dill weed
1-1/2 tsp caraway or dill seeds
2 Tbsp shelled pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Add the liquid and oatmeal or potato to bread machine bowl.  Add remainder of ingredients.  Use the dough setting.  Watch the machine for a bit to be sure there is a good balance of liquid and dry ingredients.  If too sticky ... and a tablespoon of flour ... or if too dry ... and a tiny bit of liquid.  Once the dough has a good consistency, you're free to leave the room for the remainder of the dough setting.  Once finished, remove the dough and place on a lightly floured board.  Knead into a round shape and place on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm place (cold oven with the light turned on) for about 30 minutes ... or until double in size.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven on a  middle rack for about 30-35 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack for several hours until cool.  Store overnight in a plastic bag and slice the following day.  You can slice the same day ... but I find bread slices more evenly if left to rest overnight.

So Far This ....

...Week:

• Started a batch of home cultured buttermilk.   It was easy to make from a good starter product I purchased ... tucked away in the fridge ... won't have to buy buttermilk again if I keep making a little batch each week.
• Got a jar of sour dough starter waiting to ferment with natural air born yeast.
• Purchased a one gallon glass tea jug (at a thrift store) with lid and spigot to separate non-homogenized  milk ... now we have cream (should I make butter?)
• Made a large pot of porridge (first soaking the rolled oats ... then slow cooking for 1 hour). So far it has provided breakfast, an addition to a loaf of bread and was added to pancake batter two mornings.  It's one way to get picky eaters to eat their oatmeal. (Make a large batch and keep in the fridge for a few days of effortless mornings.)
• sandwich/salad sprouts are growing in the pantry.
• from a few pieces of home made bread ... I made a delish salad topping of croutons and roasted pumpkin seeds.  Nothing goes to waste in a thrifty home:)

I was thinking yesterday:  If something should happen to me ... and my kids have to clean out the fridge or pantry ... they might have no idea what all the little fermentations are so I'm posting it on  my blog to alleviate confusion.  It'd be a waste of good starter to have them just toss the stuff in the trash:)

Revamped Waffles

Switching ingredients in standard recipes with whole food ingredients is easy.  Waffles are a good breakfast food that incorporates eggs & milk ... plus you can add fresh berries.  Today the kids said, 'yummmmm' after they handed me their empty plates.

Mrs. Mac's Berry Waffle Recipe:

1-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon organic unrefined sugar or honey*
3 egg yolks, beaten
4 tablespoons oil or melted butter
1-1/2 cups milk
3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
1/3 cup fresh or frozen huckleberries (or raspberries/blueberries/blackberries)

Mix the dry ingredients together with a wire whisk, set aside.  Using your stand mixer, add the egg whites to the mixing bowl and beat until stiff.  Beat the yolks in a small bowl, add milk and oil ... mix with a fork.  Remove the egg whites from the mixing bowl ... set aside.  To the same bowl add the flour and egg/milk mixture.  Beat til barely blended.  Carefully fold in the egg whites.  To a preheated and well oiled waffle iron add 1/4 cup of batter.  Top with a small amount of berries .. then cover berries with 1/4 cup of more waffle batter (this helps the waffle not to stick due to the berries).  Bake according to your waffle iron directions.  Mine is old and I just watch for the waffle to stop steaming.

Serve waffles warm with a little butter and real maple syrup.  Your kids won't ever want you to buy Eggo's again ... this whole grain waffle will fill you up until lunch :)

*if using honey ... add it to the liquid egg/milk mix

Yesterday we stopped by a neighbor's ranch and bought some hot off the nest organic chicken eggs.  A cozy feeling came over me holding the warm eggs on the way home ... now that's fresh :)

Mrs. Mac Opens a 'Broth'al ...;)

I have two cookbooks by Jeff Smith:  The Frugal Gourmet and Jeff Smith Cooks American.  Both books offer time honored recipes, many of which I have tweaked to use more whole food products.  Last month I made five quarts of his Basic Brown Soup Stock for the freezer.  Putting it in quart and pint jars to pull out at a moments notice.  It's the good quality stock that  makes excellent French onion soup.  Having it on hand makes cooking at home easier and very frugal.  To save time .. here is a link to the recipe I used.  Basic Brown Soup Stock

Here are the ingredients:  Basic rendering bones (about 5 lbs), carrots, onions, celery

Stocking the freezer assures you of having your own convenience foods on hand.

Broth Is Beautiful  ... read more here about its health benefits ... the entire article is a must read. 

Photos:  top:  beef bones ready to slow roast in the oven, bottom - simmering beef stock

One Potato, Two Potato

Potato Recipe #1

This is a recipe from a old book of mine called, 'Fit For Life'  ... a diet craze during the mid 1980's that consisted of high amounts of fresh fruits, veggies and some meat eaten in certain combinations.  You might be able to check out the book from the library ... it has quite a number of good recipes.

Serves 4


2 large Idaho or russet potatoes
1 lb banana squash (you could use acorn or butternut I suppose)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cumin (optional .. but gives a good 'cheese' flavor
1 tsp. sea salt .. or salt free seasoning
paprika
2 tsp. melted butter

Bake the potatoes in a 425 F preheated oven til soft.  While they're cooking, cut the skin from the squash and steam until very soft.


Cool the potatoes slightly.  Cut them in half and scoop out the inside leaving a nice intact shell .. set aside.  Combine the squash, potato pulp, 1/4 cup melted butter, sea salt & cumin in a food processor ... blend well until you have a smooth yellow puree.


Heap the potato-squash mixture into empty potato skins.  Brush with the 2 tsp. melted butter and sprinkle with paprika.  Place under the broiler for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Kid tested .. and mom approved;)


Potato Recipe #2

Sweet Potato Fries (OK ... a yellow beet too;)

Getting my youngest to eat his veggies is not always a walk in the park.  He's got a mindset of:  green beans, carrots, corn, (green, orange, yellow)  As long as I make a green, orange, or yellow veggie and call it:  green beans, carrots, or corn .. then he'll eat it.  He's 13 and the possessor of an extra chromosome .. quite a little boy still in stature and mind.  I have to be a tricky mom to switch veggies on him and get him to eat them.

Sweet potato fries in our home are also called carrots (for the above mentioned reason).  Broccoli is called .. green beans, sugar snap peas are called .. green beans.  Get it?

Sweet potato fries are easy peasy to make.  Just wash up a sweet potato .. peel the skin off in you  must, cut into rounds or French fries, place on a lipped baking sheet .. drizzle with a little olive oil .. a sprinkle of sea salt .. get messy in there with your hands .. and bake at 400F for about 10-15 minutes.  BTW ... he just didn't get it that the yellow beet is supposed to be corn;)

Breaking Of Bread

I've been an off again .. on again baker for several years.  The past few months have been ON again.  Trying to eliminate hidden Frankenfoods and unpronounceable ingredients from my diet make it necessary.  Yesterday's bread came out rather tasty, good textured, and very flavorful  .. although I let it rise a bit too much as it came out rather bulbous. This will make a good sandwich loaf as I added caraway seeds.  Baking bread is a good way to use up extra cooked oatmeal from breakfast, or a dab of mashed potatoes from dinner.  If these leftovers are not available, I cook and mash a small potato to add.  I like to make the dough in my bread machine .. then shape the dough, let it rise, and bake in my oven.  You can play with the dough while it spins in the machine by adding a bit more flour or liquid if you wing the recipe.  Take a standard bread machine recipe and change it up.  It's easy to do .. but check it for a good consistency (after it begins to knead, make sure the dough is neither too dry or too sticky) before walking away from the machine.

I haven't got a flour mill, but have discovered a good milled flour from Bob's Red Mill that you can buy at the market.

Bread freezes well if double wrapped in plastic bags.  It's handy to have one or two loaves on hand for a backup emergency.

Photos:  Mrs. Mac's home baked potato wheat bread with caraway, whole wheat Margarita pizza.

Give Me A 4, Give me A 9, Don't Give Me An 8

Bulk items, when purchased from the market, have PLU numbers assigned to them.  You know those tiny little stickers attached to most pieces of fruit.  Or the item numbers displayed when purchasing bulk whole foods in bins such as flour, grain, herbs, etc.  What is a PLU? .. Simply put: Price Look Up code.  You can tell many things from these seemingly random numbers.  Items beginning with a 9 are organically produced.  A 4 is conventionally produced, and if you can find a sticker with an 8 ... leave it at the gate.  These have been genetically modified (Frankenstein Laboratory Foods:( which I'll discuss soon.  Genetically modified (GM or GMO) foods have been a hot topic since they were introduced in the '90's.  I, for one, have great concern and have been one by one trying to eliminate them from my food chain due to adult onset food allergies. For more reading, here is one of many websites that offers a more detailed explanation. 

Yesterday, I mentioned posting a list of produce items that may contain higher pesticide residues.  This is what is known as the 'dirty dozen' ... and a few links so you can see the top offenders such as: 

1. peaches
2. apple
3. sweet bell pepper

For links revealing the dirty dozen ... and more, check here, or here.

The best bet is to grow your own produce, buy from small local farms that don't spray their crops with pesticides and practice good crop rotation, shop at your local farmers markets (always inquire what practices farmers use with their crops), or supermarket organic.  This is a numbers game with big agriculture ... if they see a trend with more people wanting and buying organic, then farming practices will change.  Organic does cost more ... but making good choices in the supermarket (eliminating junk food) will free up some of your spending power.   Tomorrow I'll look into what the label 'organic food' really reveals.  Do you grow or buy organic produce?

Getting to know your food chain. The past six months have been an experiment of sorts ... one that has exchanged random shopping at the big box sprawlmart for planned trips with well thought out shopping lists. We've tried to eliminate as many boxed .. ready-made off the self items as possible. Slow at first. Now 90% of our store bought goods are in a somewhat pure unadulterated state. I.E. .. organic, single items ... brought home and fashioned into meals. Shopping in this manner takes many months of practice. Strategy is involved. Care, love, and thought put into each dinner, lunch and breakfast. Learning to enjoy simple basic food. Practice, practice, practice until new patterns are established. Rediscovering the time and commitment involved in cooking at home. Not eating out. Making a little extra dinner to have for lunch the following day. Having a well stocked pantry and freezer affords us to make just about any meal without a trip to the store. Making do with what is on hand. Re-thinking recipes to fit what is on the pantry shelf or in the freezer. Making use of the produce we froze last fall, herbs we dried, local honey from the nearby farm .. each a treasure to use in the dead of winter.

This coming year skills will be fine tuned to become second nature. The garden will be planted with better purpose and use of space. More attention to the number of jars of pesto, salsa, beans, pickles, stewed tomatoes, etc. to tide our family from one harvest to another. Getting up front and personal with our food chain.

Do you have any goals with your food chain?

Photos: Popcorn picked last fall ... from a local u-pick farm ... eliminating the middleman and preserving quality control is a by-product of knowing your food chain.