# Food Prices Are Going to Be Unbelievable



## GailP (Nov 5, 2010)

I've been following articles on food prices and am getting concerned. In the Globe and Mail last week they were predicting that food prices will be going up 5% later this year.

Under "Food Prices Forcast to Jump

Why high food costs may be a bigger threat than oil prices - The Globe and Mail

This article links to what happens when subsidies are removed.

The high cost of goceries in northern communities - The Globe and Mail

These aren't the only concerning articles I've read in National newspapers.

Am I being paranoid thinking that we'd better be starting our gardens this year?

Oh, and I'd eat chocolate while you can...looks like the price of chocolate will be beyond what normal people will be able to afford soon.

Savour that chocolate while you can still afford it - The Globe and Mail


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

GailP said:


> I've been following articles on food prices and am getting concerned. In the Globe and Mail last week they were predicting that food prices will be going up 5% later this year. Under "Food Prices Forcast to Jump
> 
> Why high food costs may be a bigger threat than oil prices - The Globe and Mail
> 
> ...


Are these reporters so out of touch that they haven't noticed thet produce has gone up more than 5% since new years. And the cost of food in the far north will just get rediculus(er) this year, Brace for fuel shortages this year a lot of piping systems in the production chain are due for replacement/ up grade and a "new" idea has come into the stream (no link private secret source)


----------



## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

Tirediron said:


> Are these reporters so out of touch that they haven't noticed thet produce has gone up more than 5% since new years. And the cost of food in the far north will just get rediculus(er) this year, Brace for fuel shortages this year a lot of piping systems in the production chain are due for replacement/ up grade and a "new" idea has come into the stream (no link private secret source)


In my area, average yearly food price increase have been in the 14 to 18% range for all basic goods for the last 5 years in a row now. Some basic foods and goods have jumped 40% or more in a year in cost. It's insane. I'm a poor poor man to begin with and was getting by, now I'm glad to have the survival skills that I do because I'm having to rely heavily on it, to put food on the table. Before it put food on the table because it was healthier and a neat experience, now it's vital to life, period. The only meat I eat these days is what I fish, hunt or trap. I cant afford supermarket meat anymore. Its gotten way out of hand which is ridiculous seeing as I am surrounded by beef (cows) statewide.

I buy very few goods any more and have taken to living more like a buckskinner or free trapper every day. I only buy what I can't make and absolutely need and I try to cut down my needs as much as possible continuously. While I have access to technology I dont actually own a computer, or any modern tech. My personal posessions are all basic and the most modern tech I personally own is a modern replica flintlock rifle now.

I think minimizing posessions and needs is going to be important in the coming years as well as survival skills and primitive living skills. Maybe not to the extent I have taken it but the masses are going to have to adjust one way or another.

When I was a kid growing up in the vast wilderness, I pined for the city and it's luxuries. Now that Im grown and Ive had my fill of the suburban and city living throughout the years, I pine for the vast wilderness I once had.


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

This is why I've been stocking FD and Dried foods for years now and rotating them often. This is also why I've taken to planting a small orchard and berry patch. I've also spotted and memorized where the nut trees are in my area.
This is also why I'm learning to dehydrate and can foods when they're in season in my area.
Citrus is $1 an orange here and thats on sale. Seems that when all the past freezes hurt the crops, the prices never went down, and with each "freeze" the price just kept going up.
I'm looking into alternative vitamin C foods. I planted one cranberry bush, but the drought may have taken it. I'm planning on planting another or two.
Citrus may once again be a luxury given as gifts at christmas like in centuries past. lol
We've collected the supplies to build a chook run and coop.
We're also working on fencing in more of the acreage in case we decide to get some sort of livestock.
I plan on doing everything I can to help make the cost of eating cheaper so that we can pay the bills that need paying in the future ( taxes,mortgage,etc)


----------



## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

Genevieve said:


> This is why I've been stocking FD and Dried foods for years now and rotating them often. This is also why I've taken to planting a small orchard and berry patch. I've also spotted and memorized where the nut trees are in my area.
> This is also why I'm learning to dehydrate and can foods when they're in season in my area.
> Citrus is $1 an orange here and thats on sale. Seems that when all the past freezes hurt the crops, the prices never went down, and with each "freeze" the price just kept going up.
> I'm looking into alternative vitamin C foods. I planted one cranberry bush, but the drought may have taken it. I'm planning on planting another or two.
> ...


Currants and gooseberries are excellent Vitamin C crops and some of the varieties are drought tolerant. The White-flowered currant (Ribes indecorum) is extremely drought tolerant (up to as much as 115 degrees Fahrenheit) and tolerates a variety of conditions. Nurseries often stock this variety of currant especially out west in dry arid regions such as California and Nevada especially. It is able to ordered online at many nurseries.


----------



## SunflowerGirl (Feb 14, 2011)

I think that the distributors and grocers are just taking advantage of the problems around the world and increasing prices incrementally to gage our tolerance.

Sure, the bad crops in Mexico will directly impact our produce aisle, but most foods have a fairly redundant and diverse set of sources and producers.

I'm still seeing alot of good prices and sales on canned goods, rice, beans, instant cereal and other staples. Although, the package and amounts seem to be getting smaller too.


----------



## Holly (Feb 14, 2011)

Genevieve said:


> This is why I've been stocking FD and Dried foods for years now and rotating them often. This is also why I've taken to planting a small orchard and berry patch. I've also spotted and memorized where the nut trees are in my area.
> This is also why I'm learning to dehydrate and can foods when they're in season in my area.
> Citrus is $1 an orange here and thats on sale. Seems that when all the past freezes hurt the crops, the prices never went down, and with each "freeze" the price just kept going up.
> I'm looking into alternative vitamin C foods. I planted one cranberry bush, but the drought may have taken it. I'm planning on planting another or two.
> ...


Genevieve--
I have thought of these very same things. Glad I'm not alone in my thinking. Especially with regard to citrus and Christmas time--like in "Little Women". I can't believe that it will be getting to that point sooner than we think. Also, I really want to do everything I can too to cut down on the cost of eating so I can save for the future. One thing that I have found as another option is quick fix meals...eat them now or save for later. What do you think of those? However, I know that this isn't the only thing I can do to prepare so I am working on getting variety too (ie, the basics, water, and FD/dehydrated foods, cans, and emergency supplies). It is so overwhelming at times though. I wish I had a little more land that I could raise animals on. Do you have any more suggestions?


----------



## BizzyB (Dec 10, 2010)

For alternative Vit C, you can always buy bulk ascorbic acid. They sell it in good-sized quantities because it is a food preservative. If you dry foods, you've probably used it to prevent oxidation. I couldn't guess at a dose based on body size, but I'm sure the info is out there in the Googleverse.


----------



## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

BizzyB said:


> For alternative Vit C, you can always buy bulk ascorbic acid. They sell it in good-sized quantities because it is a food preservative. If you dry foods, you've probably used it to prevent oxidation. I couldn't guess at a dose based on body size, but I'm sure the info is out there in the Googleverse.


Short term this is ok, but long term, exposure to oxygen, metals, light, or heat destroys ascorbic acid, so it must be stored in a dark, cold, and non-metallic container. An unopened container has a shelf life of a year usually though it slowly degrades whether opened or not during this time and much less once opened and exposed to the elements such as oxygen, humidity and light.

Another alternative source of Vitamin C is of course rosehips. If you live in an area where wild or cultivated roses are common, its something to keep in mind.


----------



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Rosehips do make a good tea and are full of Vit C. When we finish our greenhouse this spring I plan to plant dwarf orange, lemon, lime and banana trees in the greenhouse so we can have fruit year round. We already have in the orchard 4 apple trees, 4 grape vines, 6 blueberries, 4 plum trees, 3 peach trees & 2 pear trees. I also planted a crabapple for making jelly. We have 25 strawberry plants ordered, the raised bed is ready for them. Right now our garden space is 100'x50' but we may have to increase the size. We only have 2 acres so can't go with much more as our chicken yard takes up about 30'x60' and of course the house and shop etc. I made my herb garden in front of the shop like a flower bed, just right out the kitchen door. I turned my front flower bed into my hot pepper bed. Instead of landscaping with flowers (which I love) we are landscaping with editables.


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Some of the flowers are edibles too, lol. Or medicinals. Think, echinacea...


----------



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Make pine-tree tea - there is 5 times as much vitamin C in pine-needles as what is in oranges or lemons (weight-for-weight). A tea steeped with about 1/4 cup of needles for 15 minutes contains 100% of the days recommended vitamin-C intake.

When I was still a young child, I enjoyed pine-tea, chewing on pine-needles or young pine-branches (think tooth-pick) and even now as an adult, I love the flavour of Buckley's cough-syrup which is also pine-based.


----------



## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*You ain't seen nuttin yet!*

Hyperinflation will be the economic killer that will starve the masses.

In Argentina when they went into hyperinflation, the price of food and fuel doubled every two weeks.

That is an exponential increase, that no printing press can ever hope to keep pace with.

You will see the price of a can of beans currently priced at .75 cents rise in price to $8.00 in eight weeks time.

In sixteen weeks that same can of beans will cost $192.00 .

At this point people will be willing to kill you for a can of beans.

When this starts, you will need to hide your food in catches and hide the fact that you are still eating regular.

The scavengers that are left after six months will become very good at finding and taking from those fortunate enough to still have food.

Being fat will be tantamount to wearing the crown jewels in the hood !


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Holly said:


> Genevieve--
> I have thought of these very same things. Glad I'm not alone in my thinking. Especially with regard to citrus and Christmas time--like in "Little Women". I can't believe that it will be getting to that point sooner than we think. Also, I really want to do everything I can too to cut down on the cost of eating so I can save for the future. *One thing that I have found as another option is quick fix meals...eat them now or save for later. What do you think of those? *However, I know that this isn't the only thing I can do to prepare so I am working on getting variety too (ie, the basics, water, and FD/dehydrated foods, cans, and emergency supplies). It is so overwhelming at times though. I wish I had a little more land that I could raise animals on. Do you have any more suggestions?


I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "quick fix meals". You'll have to explain that to me 
The majority of the meals I make for us is "quick fix". Thats is to say that they're ready in under 30 minutes. The meals that take longer are made with dried beans ( which have to soak over night and then simmer for at least 2 hours), or roasting in the oven ( birds,roasts,hams,etc). The the majority, like I said, are under 30 minutes.We eat soups and stews alot. With homemade bread or biscuits it's filling and cheap and can be very healthy.

I make the majority of my own dry mixes. You can search the net for making them. And they're way cheaper to make your own. I do have a couple of store bought ready made mixes on hand for when I don't get around to making a batch of my own and I'm in a hurry or too darn tired 

I buy bulk and then break it down into smaller packages. vacuum seal in bags or jars or freeze.
I've found a couple of Mennonite food stores that sell dry and bulk foods that I shop at alot. I just found one that sells wheat for half the price I was paying online. I was a happy fat girl that day!


----------



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

NaeKid said:


> Make pine-tree tea - there is 5 times as much vitamin C in pine-needles as what is in oranges or lemons (weight-for-weight). A tea steeped with about 1/4 cup of needles for 15 minutes contains 100% of the days recommended vitamin-C intake.
> 
> When I was still a young child, I enjoyed pine-tea, chewing on pine-needles or young pine-branches (think tooth-pick) and even now as an adult, I love the flavour of Buckley's cough-syrup which is also pine-based.


Cool ... Thanks for sharing.


----------



## FreeNihilist (Jan 28, 2011)

NaeKid said:


> Make pine-tree tea - there is 5 times as much vitamin C in pine-needles as what is in oranges or lemons (weight-for-weight). A tea steeped with about 1/4 cup of needles for 15 minutes contains 100% of the days recommended vitamin-C intake.
> 
> When I was still a young child, I enjoyed pine-tea, chewing on pine-needles or young pine-branches (think tooth-pick) and even now as an adult, I love the flavour of Buckley's cough-syrup which is also pine-based.


The young tips are the key, too old and they taste turpentine like. Pine Needle tea can save you if you're quite far north. Thank you for mentioning this as it had slipped my mind momentarily.


----------



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

NBC News just told Americans to 'expect the worst' in food and clothing prices and that it will probably be hard for 'every American family' and to 'stock up and plant a garden'.
I've never heard a reporter go as far as to say 'stock up and plant a garden'. 

Those are some scary words coming from the mouth of the reporter.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

ABC had the same type of piece. That is extreeeeemely unusual for the MSM. So why all of the sudden do they have the desire to inform the masses of something that we've seen coming since last fall. :dunno:


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> NBC News just told Americans to 'expect the worst' in food and clothing prices and that it will probably be hard for 'every American family' and to 'stock up and plant a garden'.
> I've never heard a reporter go as far as to say 'stock up and plant a garden'.
> 
> Those are some scary words coming from the mouth of the reporter.


~~~~and to 'stock up and plant a garden'.~~~~
WHOA....three months ago there was talk of a bill to fine or jail us for that violation!!!


----------



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

JayJay said:


> ~~~~and to 'stock up and plant a garden'.~~~~
> WHOA....three months ago there was talk of a bill to fine or jail us for that violation!!!


I know, right?


----------



## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

NaeKid said:


> Make pine-tree tea - there is 5 times as much vitamin C in pine-needles as what is in oranges or lemons (weight-for-weight). A tea steeped with about 1/4 cup of needles for 15 minutes contains 100% of the days recommended vitamin-C intake.
> 
> When I was still a young child, I enjoyed pine-tea, chewing on pine-needles or young pine-branches (think tooth-pick) and even now as an adult, I love the flavour of Buckley's cough-syrup which is also pine-based.


So? does this mean that mountain pine beetle would be a vitamin C rich source of protien??:beercheer:


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Mmmm... crunchy Vitam C rich protien.... lol

Oh, BTW, went to grocery yesterday and asked if they've heard anything about produce supply chain since all the freezes in Mexico, etc. Gal said "Oh, I don't know, I was off yesterday anyway." HUH??? Glad I don't depend on these people for anything other than a point of sale supplies source.


----------



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I heard the MSM last night stating that food prices are expected to go way up too. It was on in the other room so I was only half listening but give the time it was either WGN or FOX.

As soon as I heard it alarm bells started going off. For this to actually be reported on is not a good sign... or maybe it is if people actually listen and do plant gardens.


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Well, you can bet that if the MSM is telling all the sheep to plant gardens, then all the seeds will be gone in a flash. better make sure you get yours now. And everything else you might need for the season


----------



## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Here is that MSNBC report.

Get Ready

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: News and videos from the evening broadcast- msnbc.com


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Well, just came back from the grocery, and..... %(&^%&^$*$(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know things have been rising for some time now, but wow. I'm not a fearful person, but I'm seeing the real upswing begin in earnest. I'm scared. I hate admitting that, but I am. We don't have enough $ to ride this.


----------



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

I know what you mean goshengirl, yesterday was Sr. discount day at our local grocer. I picked up the things on my list and then wondered by the meat aisle, just checking for a bargin. I saw several family packs of ground beef marked reduced, Reduced? The reduced price was $2.09/# for regular ground beef. Chicken leg quarters on sale (big sign) for 99 cents a pound. Thank goodness for all the meat we have canned. Luncheon meat was over $2 for 8oz and this was just balogna. Hot dogs $3 a package. Has this world gone mad. My heart goes out to those on fixed incomes.


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

I've been nawing on the idea that we ( hubby and I) eat too much meat. Mostly chicken fish and pork. I'm definitely now going to start searching for and dwonloading meat free recipes.
I'm not talking going total vegan. But we could definitely cut back some. Whats going to hurt tho is the fruit. I love fruit. I eat it as a snack instead of candy bars and such.
*sigh* oh well. I knew it would come, but.....ya know, I just hoped for the best.


----------



## Biscuit (Oct 21, 2008)

Clarice said:


> I know what you mean goshengirl, yesterday was Sr. discount day at our local grocer. I picked up the things on my list and then wondered by the meat aisle, just checking for a bargin. I saw several family packs of ground beef marked reduced, Reduced? The reduced price was $2.09/# for regular ground beef. Chicken leg quarters on sale (big sign) for 99 cents a pound. Thank goodness for all the meat we have canned. Luncheon meat was over $2 for 8oz and this was just balogna. Hot dogs $3 a package. Has this world gone mad. My heart goes out to those on fixed incomes.


Ground beef has been $2.99/lb (on sale) for the past year in northern CA. That's in the bargain-to-mid-range grocery stores, not even the "fancy" ones. I can't remember when the last time I saw an chicken parts for less than $1.50/lb...probably pre-2007, when everything shot up and stayed there.


----------



## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Tomatos*

Tomatos at the IGA were $3.39 per pound today.

The freeze got the Mexican crop.


----------



## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

Got a shocker today... picked out 4 "Organic" " means grown in "dirt I think" $5.39 !!!!!  can't believe it!..

Things are only just starting to get bad..... we ain't seen nothing yet...

I heard yesterday on Patriot Radio that the Min. wage in Egypt is $6.50.....PER MONTH!!!!!!!!!! no wonder they were screaming.. the entire Mid East is going down!... 

guess Heroin will be high due to the poppy growing issues with the Fundamentalist .. think?? lol


----------



## SaskDame (Aug 27, 2010)

I recall popies started out as a drought tolerant grain with by-product being an appetite suppresent.


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Biscuit said:


> Ground beef has been $2.99/lb (on sale) for the past year in northern CA. That's in the bargain-to-mid-range grocery stores, not even the "fancy" ones. I can't remember when the last time I saw an chicken parts for less than $1.50/lb...probably pre-2007, when everything shot up and stayed there.


I guess we are lucky around here, I have been getting Chicken Leg quarters for .49¢ to .79¢ a pound but you do have to buy 10 at time and breast splits on the bone go from .99¢ to $1.99. Now if you go fancy and get this all off the bone then expect to pay about $3lb.
Burger has been $1.99 to $2.99lb I can buy cheaper chuck roasts and grind them myself if I want burger.
I keep trying to get my daughter to buy the breast splits and teach her how to bone them and I will even vac-pack them for her and then teach her how to make a good chicken stock from the roasted carcase bones. But she thinks that is too much work, but it is only one days worth with two folks doing the boning and packing. Maybe the higher prices will push her to reconsider my offer.
Veggies are still not too bad but where I shop they import them from Canada for goodness sake with only a few coming from other countries or from down south. I still can't get over the fact that we get under $2lb cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes from Canada and not one person around here has taken the lead and grow them hothouse here! If they can do it in Canada and send them here WHY AREN'T WE DOING THIS HERE OURSELVES?:dunno:


----------



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

Our meat prices in the northwest are ridiculous. $4.99 a pound for ground beef is a good deal here. Don't even bother looking at one small steak unless you want to pay $9.99 for it. Chicken is $3.99-$4.99 a pound as well

I can go to an employee-owned store here and can probably knock off $0.50 off of each of the price tags but still...


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

We caught chicken breasts on sale for $1.77/pound tonight. Went straight to the ATM, took $100 out of savings and spent the evening FoodSavering chicken breasts for the freezer. 

Have finally talked the hubby into trying out some recipes I have for meatless meals ... :beercheer:

We are gonna start with once a week ... I am so excited!! I have been collecting cookbooks for Middle Eastern, Indian, Mediterranean, and Thai cooking. 

I found all kinds of bulk grains and spices at the Asian Market here that were really, really cheap but I have no idea how to use them ... Now I have an excuse to give it a go! :2thumb:


----------



## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

After listening to the TSP talk about the food inflation in the last 12 months I'm thinking about investing in a bigger deep freezer. Just off the top of my head and not exact quotes, but it was something like fuel, wheat and corn up 100+% cotton over 200%, but there's NO inflation (insert gun in the mouth smiley)

I have a hard time finding eggs close to a buck per dozen, but chicken quarters are still .60 to .70$ on sale. 

I just learned about a periculture food forest on TSP. Basically plant fruit and nut bearing vine perenials and trees. They take a couple yrs to mature to full production but I'm very interested in less manual labor farming since I got hurt pretty bad. They said even kiwis do very well. I need to read more about it. but it's our new goal. I have a 30' long chain link fence between my drive and my neighbor's yard. I'll ask planting on her side and sharing the produce. It should work out. We're on good terms. She already offered all of her bane or boisen berries from her tree. I forget the name, but they look like black berries. We had some at our old house. I borrowed an edible plant to book from the library to scope out some nut trees on my therapy nature walks. My yard is very small. I might guerilla plant some beans and chard in the woods for extra harvest. I could use all the help I can get.


----------



## SaskDame (Aug 27, 2010)

I don't KNOW, but strongly suspect that the vegies from Canada are being grown in greenhouses heated with free excess heat from deep hardrock mines. I read an article about 20 years ago when they were at the development stages.


----------



## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

nj_m715 said:


> After listening to the TSP talk about the food inflation in the last 12 months *I'm thinking about investing in a bigger deep freezer.* Just off the top of my head and not exact quotes, but it was something like fuel, wheat and corn up 100+% cotton over 200%, but there's NO inflation (insert gun in the mouth smiley)
> 
> I have a hard time finding eggs close to a buck per dozen, but chicken quarters are still .60 to .70$ on sale.
> 
> .


 why not do yourself better and get a good pressure canner, a thousand jars and you'll never have to worry about the power going out or the freezer not working and the food will last a lot longer canned than it will in a freezer.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Agreed. Our canned meat gives us a much better feeling of food security in the event of a power outage. It's already cooked so it only needs to be heated up or even eaten cold. We have about 80# of just home canned chicken.


----------



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

I admit I have 3 deep freezers, 2 medium size and 1 apartment size. Mostly I use them to hold food until I get a chance to can it. If we should loose power for an extended period we do have a generator, but would imediately start the canning process.


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I admit, I like having both the freezer and cans. I've been looking into another freezer, too. But I also pick up canning jars wherever I can find them, and these days have a canning and/or drying project going every day. (just finished up some ground beef and pulled honey bbq pork - later will work on dehydrating eggs). The other day I got bags and bags of frozen cherries on a big reduction at a local bulk supply store - I will be canning those (they're already pitted - yeay!), but I'm glad to have the extra freezer space to hold them until I can get to that project.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Holly - We store some quick meals too. We store tuna helper, mac & cheese, chunky soups, canned stew, & jarred spaghetti & alfredo sauce. We also store preseasoned rices, muffin mixes, & canned refried beans. We store a lot of what we eat daily & that's what we eat. We store limited amounts of things that tend to take up a lot of space, though. Storage space is limited here. 

Genevieve - We've been working on using less meat, too. It's been a slow process but between meatless meals & just using less meat in the meals with meat we've made some decent progress. We're now focusing on meals using no meat & only long term storage food. It's been a slow process for us but we need to speed it up from the looks of things.


----------



## Sonnyjim (Sep 17, 2009)

The food inflation prices in China are up to 4.9% right now. I don't know what this means in the big picture but it seems like it's everywhere right now. My wife and I are looking into a local farm supply for organic vegetables right now that would save money and at the same time support local farms.


----------



## BasecampUSA (Dec 26, 2010)

Sonnyjim said:


> The food inflation prices in China are up to 4.9% right now. I don't know what this means in the big picture but it seems like it's everywhere right now. My wife and I are looking into a local farm supply for organic vegetables right now that would save money and at the same time support local farms.


We're gearing up to triple vegetable production this year... we have a feeling that there will be a much higher cost in stores and as a result more demand for cheaper local produce.

Last year we had so much that we kept hauling the excess produce to local Christian food pantries. They were very thankful, as they had mostly only canned and boxed food to offer.


----------



## MountainRon (Feb 2, 2009)

I keep a rotation program with my storage food and I went to Costco to buy a few 20 lb bags of rice. Price per bag:9.95. This was about a month ago. I just went to pick up some prescriptions. I noticed the same rice is now $21.95 a bag. Yikes! Glad I moved on it when I did!


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Clarice said:


> If we should loose power for an extended period we do have a generator, but would imediately start the canning process.


Begin Emergency Plan Ball/Mason.


----------



## Grape Ape (Oct 28, 2008)

SunflowerGirl said:


> I think that the distributors and grocers are just taking advantage of the problems around the world and increasing prices incrementally to gage our tolerance.
> 
> Sure, the bad crops in Mexico will directly impact our produce aisle, but most foods have a fairly redundant and diverse set of sources and producers.
> 
> I'm still seeing alot of good prices and sales on canned goods, rice, beans, instant cereal and other staples. *Although, the package and amounts seem to be getting smaller too.*


That is something you have to pay lot of attention to. While the prices are the same now as they were last year on some items the amount in the package is now smaller. I started noticing just recently that canned goods that used to be 15oz. as called for in man recipes, I am now finding 11.5 oz in a can or something similar, I don't remember the new size.

Just make sure you look. While it may seem like a good price the amount in the package may make it more expensive in the end


----------



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I also am tripling my garden size.
I plan on having a guerrilla grow operation going. I plan on canning my green peppers in tomato sauce with onions and garlic for sauce, canning jalapenos, canning tomatoes for stewed tomatoes, maybe pickling asparagus and canning them, the possibilities are endless.


----------



## Alistan (May 28, 2010)

*Organic / food prices*

I have seen the prices jump every week in the big box stores, MANY .15 from the week before . 
We have 10 ac and I think its time to put a garden in. Maybe a few chickens to start. I m not sure my husband can get past raising a cow for butcher,but we will see. 
Does anyone have a good source for organic seeds? I don't like the idea of using seeds that cannot produce viable seeds for the following year.
Thanks


----------



## Grape Ape (Oct 28, 2008)

Here is a website I found a few months ago for heirloom seeds. I can't vouch for it but i did like it enough to save it in my favorites for when I need to buy seeds.

No Heirloom Seed Company On Earth Can Match Us In Quality & Price


----------



## SaskDame (Aug 27, 2010)

Open-polinated seeds are the ones that reproduce well. Organic seed is generally open polinated; however, also usually more expensive than non-certified organic, open-polinated.


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Just went to Sam's club today. Popcorn (50# bag), has gone up $4 a bag. Up to $16.99. bananas have gone up to $1.59/ 3#.Strawberries were 2#/$5.99. They did have pineapples for $2.99ea. ( thats a good price for here). Didn't need meat so I don't know if and what went up in that section. Their lettuces and such were still the same prices. Didn't look at tomatoes. sorry.
At my grocery store which is next door to Sam's, Milk is up .10. To $2.79 gal 1%. Bananas are .59 lb.

Our stores around here must still be taking the hits because the prices aren't skyrocketing yet. Slowly and in small increments. 10 cents here,20 cents there. That way I guess people won't freak too soon. *shrugs*

Next pay period, I'm heading back to that new Mennonite store. I was gonna see if they have whole milk powder. If they do, or can get it, I plan on getting 25#. Pack it in mylar and then put it down in the lower garage.It stay cool down there pretty much year round.


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> Just went to Sam's club today. Popcorn (50# bag), has gone up $4 a bag. Up to $16.99. bananas have gone up to $1.59/ 3#.Strawberries were 2#/$5.99. They did have pineapples for $2.99ea. ( thats a good price for here). Didn't need meat so I don't know if and what went up in that section. Their lettuces and such were still the same prices. Didn't look at tomatoes. sorry.
> At my grocery store which is next door to Sam's, Milk is up .10. To $2.79 gal 1%. Bananas are .59 lb.
> 
> Our stores around here must still be taking the hits because the prices aren't skyrocketing yet. Slowly and in small increments. 10 cents here,20 cents there. That way I guess people won't freak too soon. *shrugs*
> ...


We were there yesterday ... saw the same prices you did. We did, however, buy some meat ... Chicken breasts were $1.77 a pound (same as last year) and ground chuck was $2.79 a pound. Didn't look at anything else ... I sure wish I could get the hubby to eat pork other than bacon and ham. Pork prices seem to be better overall than beef these days.

Our Sam's also had powdered milk for the first time in almost a year. It was 12 bucks for the big box.


----------



## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

Let's back up, regroup, and look at the big picture.

What can you do with a freezer when the power goes out and eveything you got was a "refrigerated?" Can you afford the loss and still feed your family?

Can it if you are able; dehydrate and seal if at all possible; start researching smoked, salted, and jerked meat for preservation.

If the "vitamin enhanced" stuff is gone, you are then on your own and must supply the needs of your body without them. Find out what has the stuff that keeps you healthy and work on those. If you don't have that wonderful daily multivitamin with minerals and whatever else they pump into it, how do you supply the water soluble vitamins which you must have every single day to keep from getting sick, and keep your kids from getting sick.

No C means scurvy and no calcium means rickets, and there are a slew of different diseases for the B-complex deficiency. Plan for that. 

Look for for open-pollinated and heirloom, but ASK ASK ASK if it has true seed you can save, then find out HOW to make it seed!! Some plants are BIENNIAL and seed the second year!! Ask how to store the seed and make it grow!

Some seeds must be scarified, which means you literally must scratch a slice in them for the plant to sprout.

Many need stratification which is exposing them to chilling in the 40 degree or just below range, NOT freezing, but close. 

There are even some which need heat to grow, as in one I just got in requires pouring on 180 degree water, and soaking for 2 or 3 days before it goes into the ground. It is a wildflower herb, false indigo, baptisia tinctoria which makes blue dye.

I saw a mention of Echinacea, which is purple coneflower and I prefer echinacea angustfolia, but it requires 3 months of chilling for sprout. Remember it is an anti-coagulant, not as bad as ginkgo biloba, but can still make a bleeding ulcer, or poor clotting, or even a "monthly" weaken you with heavy bleeding. The ulcer on true ginkgo, could kill you. It is also very hard on the liver. Now don't get me wrong?

I am never without echinacea in the house. But it is medicine, not seasoning and must be used with proper respect as is all medicines, and not used casually. It can stop flu if taken early enough in the symptoms. It is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and works as a blood thinner for high blood pressure. It can take out bronchitis better than anything I have ever seen, on just over a teaspoon of dry, powdered herb, 2300mg, 3 times a day for 2 weeks. As a preventive, I take it only twice a day. It is just one of many herbs, and it needs to be considered.

Guess the thing is, what if you had to provide 100% of your food, clothes, and medicines? Consider your supplies, who they are for, what would happen if electricity ended, and how would you survive the first year, winter included afterwards?


----------



## MountainRon (Feb 2, 2009)

Something I just found out from my Doctor. Vitamin E is an anticoagulant. He asked me if I was on Coumadin when he did a tiny bit of minor surgery. I told him "no, why?" and he said I bled good and asked if I was taking vitamin E. I told him I take 1 gram of fish oil a day and that has E in it. He said bingo!" Something more for the knowledge database.


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Well, I'm not backing up anywhere. I wouldn't have a damn freezer if I didn't have a way to keep it going, so there.

Theres no one RIGHT way for people to live. Your way is not THE way for everybody.

if you want to "preach" then start another thread. geesh.

Guess I need to take a break from here again. Theres some posts that are coming across to me as know it alls and snotty. I can see giving advice, but I'll be damned if I have to read someone's idea of facts and them thinking they know the right way everyone else should be doing things.

I'll see you people around at another time. later!


----------



## Centraltn (Feb 21, 2011)

She could be dehydrating fuitsand other stuff


----------



## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> Well, I'm not backing up anywhere. I wouldn't have a damn freezer if I didn't have a way to keep it going, so there.
> 
> Theres no one RIGHT way for people to live. Your way is not THE way for everybody.
> 
> ...


Sugar if you are going to respond to advice and suggestions like a 2 year old saying "I won't and you can't make me," let your mama answer me next time. I take my business seriously and offer advice which may or may not be considered or taken. But I do expect maturity and some semblence of open-mindedness from adults. I offer shared information. Just because you have some complex that can't stand to have anyone offer advice different from what you believe, well that's your issue. Not mine. I offered information, nothing more, nothing less. Take it or leave. I personally could not care less when ragged by narrow minded people who have tantrums.


----------



## Centraltn (Feb 21, 2011)

*re: echinacea*

Echanacia is a great herb and additionally to all its wonderful antibiotic characteristics, it is an immune system builder, much like gensing BUT.. with echinacea, you should take it for 3 weeks , stop for 2. (it is the same for mullien btw) because the body will eventually work up a resistance to its blessings


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Alistan, there are two important terms to watch for when looking at seed listings. OP and F1

OP is Open Pollinated. Those are the heirloom seeds that will seed true to form.

F1 are first tier hybrid. These are cross pollinated from two parent stocks. They produce the expected product from that planting, but seed saved will not be true to form. The seed hybridization from the respective parent stocks is necessary to propagate.


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

Genevieve said:


> Well, I'm not backing up anywhere. I wouldn't have a damn freezer if I didn't have a way to keep it going, so there.
> 
> Theres no one RIGHT way for people to live. Your way is not THE way for everybody.
> 
> ...


I gotta agree with you. Except please don't leave the board. I enjoy your posts and have learned a lot from you.

Some of you who have been at this prepping stuff "all your lives" apparently need to stop and remember that advice is one thing, preaching is quite another. I suspect that a lot of people who might be thinking about changing their lifestyle are completely turned off by rants like I have been seen lately.

No wonder some folks think we are daft ... 

Everybody, even the new folks, have something to offer ... Like Genevieve says there is no "one size fits all" solution.

Ok ... that's my rant for the day ... carry on ... :beercheer:


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

MrSfstk8d said:


> Alistan, there are two important terms to watch for when looking at seed listings. OP and F1
> 
> OP is Open Pollinated. Those are the heirloom seeds that will seed true to form.
> 
> F1 are first tier hybrid. These are cross pollinated from two parent stocks. They produce the expected product from that planting, but seed saved will not be true to form. The seed hybridization from the respective parent stocks is necessary to propagate.


I have to clear up a few things regarding seeds and veggies.
You have the F1 description right but the real facts on Open Pollinated is bit off.
Not all Open Pollinated plants are heirlooms... Heirlooms are generally seeds/plants that are open pollinated but have been around for over 50 years(if not longer ) or so and handed down families... But there are many Open pollinated plants that have been developed that are stabilized hybrids that are under 50 years old. Most plants are hybrids somewhere down the line. But have been stabilized to have certain traits.

There are F2 hybrids that are a cross between two F1 hybrids.
And if you grow out seeds saved from an F1 hybrid you never know what you might get, a throw back of either one of the parents or something totally new. I have grown out some seeds from a hybrid and got a really nice tomato before.. But it isn't always the case.

Sure there tons of technical explanations out there. But I am just a gardener that have been growing OP and Heirlooms and saving their seeds for a good few years now.
I do recommend everyone going out and picking up or borrowing a book called "Seed to Seed" by Susan Ashworth. It not only explains the hows but the whys of seed saving and how to keep your strains pure and how to properly collect and keep your seed after they are harvested. It seems that every different plant in the garden has to have it's own way! 
If you are interested in certain veggies and how to get the seed and keep it pure just let me know- I know how to do most of them and can put up each one that I know in it's own threads. Or I can send ya to other places to find all the information that ya want.

On the matter of moods lately--I think that cabin fever has truly set in around here! Must be all the darned snow that we ended up with-AGAIN!:gaah: makes me want to beat the kids at the school like bongo drums.. sigh.. I know it will pass, but I can dream right?


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

Emerald said:


> I On the matter of moods lately--I think that cabin fever has truly set in around here! Must be all the darned snow that we ended up with-AGAIN!:gaah: makes me want to beat the kids at the school like bongo drums.. sigh.. I know it will pass, but I can dream right?


*sigh* I don't have any kids left to beat ... they all grew up and have kids of their own now!  And the grandkids are just too cute for that! Maybe I could borrow the neighbors' kids? 

Ahhhh, hell, I'll just go eat some chocolate! :2thumb:


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks for the clarification Emerald. I'm aware that all Heirloom are OP, but not all OP are Heirloom. I was going for a simplified explaination with accesible terminology for someone just starting out. I know I usually tend toward rambling and WAY too much information. I'll have to see if I can find "Seed to Seed", sounds awesome.


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

BadgeBunny said:


> *sigh* I don't have any kids left to beat ... they all grew up and have kids of their own now!  And the grandkids are just too cute for that! Maybe I could borrow the neighbors' kids?
> 
> Ahhhh, hell, I'll just go eat some chocolate! :2thumb:


Yumm Chocolate! Both of my kids are adults now but I volunteer at the high school making costumes for the drama club and lately all of us, and I mean every person there -adults and kids are just like prickly porcupines! Happens every year like this.. lol
My grand baby is way to cute for beating too!:2thumb:
I have been trying to get over it by sorting all my heirloom and OP seeds.. and dreaming of what to plant where as it is just a tad too early to start my babies yet. lol


----------



## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

I OFFER information that I have found and looked into, and dish it out to help anyone else who cares to use it. No one person, or family, can think of every possibility so it falls back on figuring out what you missed. It ain't exactly like I'm twisiting anyone's arm, or lurking outside their garage to turn them in for not doing it my way, or saying it's my way or the highway. I just write it and let everyone choose for themselves. I mention details which may or may not have been thought about as the objective "outside looking in" and I am not cursing, cutting, or disrespecting anyone elses efforts. But I will not apologize for writing the way I talk. 

To "back up and regroup" military origin, meaning " step back from a job/battle and look at how you've done/set things up." It does not meaning literally to "back up." I was not speaking directly to her as several people had mentioned deep freezers. I have some of my own. This being the "civilized" world it is people sometimes just forget the possibility of long term power outages and what they risk if that happens. Preaching is not anyone that writes more than a single paragraph or thought either, or a whole lot of guilty people hang around here.

Before this 3rd section has someone else ACCUSING me of "preaching" I'll say what brought me back over here so I could add it. I forgot to MENTION seeds can't tell you what they are, and their quality depends on the quality of the source. Less than honest sellers will hit the clearance racks at Wal-Mart or the local Tractor Supply and COULD sell them as prime stuff. They don't care one bit to sell you seeds that turn into something compleletly different than what you paid for. The seller is gone and it is too late to do anything after they grow, to do more than fume about the rare heirloom veggie that turned into a cheap hybrid. 
Oh, these are just SUGGESTED possibilities, so take em' or leave em'.


----------



## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Genevieve said:


> Next pay period, I'm heading back to that new Mennonite store. I was gonna see if they have whole milk powder. If they do, or can get it, I plan on getting 25#. Pack it in mylar and then put it down in the lower garage.It stay cool down there pretty much year round.


We've used the milk from Honeyville Grains for years instead of getting store-bought milk. I mix it as I need it. I keep a two-cup glass pitcher (always store milk powder in glass) of milk in the fridge for morning cereal. The #10 can has a five year shelf life unopened and a year shelf life opened. One can lasts us about three months.

Sign up for their email alerts and buy in bulk when they have a sale. We use quite a bit of Honeyville Grain products.



BadgeBunny said:


> We caught chicken breasts on sale for $1.77/pound tonight. Went straight to the ATM, took $100 out of savings and spent the evening FoodSavering chicken breasts for the freezer.


We usually catch meat mark-downs around 10am at the local Wal-Mart. We have a seal-a-meal and it has paid for itself many times over. We also buy the biggest turkey that will fit on our oven during holidays and seal-a-meal all the leftovers.



lotsoflead said:


> why not do yourself better and get a good pressure canner, a thousand jars and you'll never have to worry about the power going out or the freezer not working and the food will last a lot longer canned than it will in a freezer.


We canned and dehydrated so much last year in anticipation of mounting fragilities in the food supply system. What we didn't grow in our garden, we bought from the local farmer. The bonus is none of the food we grew or got from the local farmer had any pesticides used on it.

We froze almost 100 ears of corn and are still enjoying them. We dehydrated tomatoes, onions, squash, mushrooms, bananas, and a few other things.


----------



## downtoearthseeds (Feb 23, 2011)

*garden seeds for preparedness*

Non-hybrid vegetable seeds are not always more expensive. It depends alot on where you buy them. We handle open-pollinated seed. We dry the seed to its optimum moisture content and seal them in hermetically sealed cans (according the the National Seed Storage Lab), so they can be frozen and will last with good germination for 50 years. If seeds are frozen without being dried down to the right moisture content, they will be damaged in freezing and their germination will be lowered considerably. We have seed kits that were dried and packaged 12 years ago. We ran a germination test and most of the seed maintained germ rates of around 80%. Onions were quite low and also one of the hot peppers. You can find more info at Yahoo!.

Downtoearthseeds


----------



## wanda74 (Nov 22, 2010)

BadgeBunny said:


> I gotta agree with you. Except please don't leave the board. I enjoy your posts and have learned a lot from you.
> 
> Some of you who have been at this prepping stuff "all your lives" apparently need to stop and remember that advice is one thing, preaching is quite another. I suspect that a lot of people who might be thinking about changing their lifestyle are completely turned off by rants like I have been seen lately.
> 
> ...


I must admit that was a very immature response to good advice. Unless you have an endless supply of gasoline for your generator you do not have a permanent way to keep your freezer going. It was very good advice to suggest you just can the food. Canned food lasts longer than frozen food to begin with. Just saying--don't be so touchy, this is supposed to be informative not bitchy!!!


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

wanda74 said:


> I must admit that was a very immature response to good advice. Unless you have an endless supply of gasoline for your generator you do not have a permanent way to keep your freezer going. It was very good advice to suggest you just can the food. Canned food lasts longer than frozen food to begin with. Just saying--don't be so touchy, this is supposed to be informative not bitchy!!!


Apparently the snarkyness is catching and still not gone from the air! And is now super contagious.


----------



## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Whoa my friends...it must definitely be cabin fever for you folks to be going at it on the forums. I only read part of page 7 on this thread but oooh man I can feel the resentment through the monitor. I'll be the first to admit that I am a NEW prepper. I sure as heck don't know as much as some of you folks on here, and I will take your "preaching" as part of my open ended education on self-sustainability without too much of a complaint. Now put the guns away and play nice!:kiss: lol!


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Country Living, thanks for the recommendation of Honeyville's dry milk. Finding a good dry milk is on my list of things to do...


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

CountryLiving ... I snagged a FoodSaver year before last we and LOVE it ...

Have just started dehydrating and think that, for me anyway, it will be "the way to go" ... So much so that I am already saving to get another one!

I don't know how you folks drink that powdered milk :surrender: I can cook with it okay but even if I mix it 1:4 with "real" milk I can tell the difference ... Bleech!! I've tried adding a little sugar, vanilla, chocolate syrup, even almond extract but I can't get it to taste right ... :surrender:


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Agree with you BB. I grew up with powdered milk. It's great to cook with, but not so good for drinking, IMO. Now, I never tried it in glass pitcher, just Tupperware (Mom was a dealer years ago). It's still on my "to get" list though.

I think in a tough spot, I'd look into a Nubian goat. There's a local breeder in my area, and I've got barterable skills, lol.


----------



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I'm not sure what started the heated discussion. I saw one poster's comments and then someone else that offered a point of consideration and things seem to degrade from there.

None of us have all the answers and I for one actually appreciate comments pointing out other things to consider. To use this one as a learning point... Get a big freezer and store food in bulk when it is cheap to buy IS good advice. However the question of what to do when you lose power is ALSO a good thing to think about. Suggestions as to what options other have used (solar, generator, hole in the ground, up in a tree in winter, etc.) would be good for all of us to know about.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

BadgeBunny said:


> CountryLiving ... I snagged a FoodSaver year before last we and LOVE it ...
> 
> Have just started dehydrating and think that, for me anyway, it will be "the way to go" ... So much so that I am already saving to get another one!


Me too! I bought a dehydrator a year or so ago & love it. I bought a second one, identical to the first for extra trays & a back up motor. I use my dehydrator at least once a week year round & it pretty much stays running in the summer & fall. The Foodsaver I bought at the same time hasn't been used once though. I usually store my dehydrated food in jars saved from applesauce, bacon bits, & jelly.


----------



## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

tsrwivey said:


> Me too! I bought a dehydrator a year or so ago & love it. I bought a second one, identical to the first for extra trays & a back up motor. I use my dehydrator at least once a week year round & it pretty much stays running in the summer & fall. The Foodsaver I bought at the same time hasn't been used once though. I usually store my dehydrated food in jars saved from applesauce, bacon bits, & jelly.


I have been collecting jars and those vacuum seal lids just for that purpose! I hate to admit it but the hubby uses the FoodSaver more than I do ... He LOVES that thing. He is the one who usually puts up the meat that goes in the freezer.

I am really looking forward to gardening this year because dehydrating seems to be "my thing" ... I am dehydrating some ground chuck (92%) right now. Am really, really interested in seeing how well it stores and reconstitutes.


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I've had my foodsaver vac-packer for so long I have no idea what I would do without it now! I use it on the jars too for my dry goods and I just used up the last of the powdered sugar that I vac-packed over two years ago-no off tastes or hard sugar.
And when I had to do the big bad freezer cleaning a few weeks ago I found in the very bottom one pack of corn from 06! I know.. Teach me not to clean the freezer but ya know it was foodsaver vac-packed and we opened it and had it for dinner and the only thing I could say was that it did kinda have that corn husk taste but it was super sweet and still edible for sure... 
But one down side I did notice that it was having problems pulling a strong vacuum the last few years and I did have to go and replace the foam gaskets that are in there... I got them for free as there was a computer glitch at the company and they took my cash from the debit card and then put it back and sent the gaskets anyway, and when I tried to get them to take it off the card again they told me not to worry about it and that I could just have the gaskets! How nice of a big company to do that.. 
So if you have an older machine that is not working as well as it used to try getting new gaskets and see if that is the problem. I can't guarantee that they will not charge ya but maybe you'll get lucky too!


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

goshengirl said:


> Country Living, thanks for the recommendation of Honeyville's dry milk. Finding a good dry milk is on my list of things to do...


The same box of dry milk( makes 20 quarts) I bought at chinamart for 12.00 is now 13.68..just saying.:gaah:


----------



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I’m a new dehydrator owner also, bought the Cabela’s 10 tray digital model a month ago. So far bananas, oranges and potatoes. Banana’s lacked flavor dried but were fine before I dried them. I’m thinking perhaps to coat them in honey along the process would help make them more palatable to me. Plan on drying most of the garden vegetables this year.

My foodsaver was a freebee a few years ago and has gone through many, many rolls of bags. It gets a workout every month from fishing trips or buying in bulk. This year it might get a rest from bagging vegetables. I’m going to actually spend money buying some stuff to dry and see how they turn out. Tomatoes and peppers just sprouted inside, won’t be long before they get to bask in the warm spring sun.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

BadgeBunny said:


> I am really looking forward to gardening this year because dehydrating seems to be "my thing" ... I am dehydrating some ground chuck (92%) right now. Am really, really interested in seeing how well it stores and reconstitutes.


Dried tomatoes are the BEST! I put them on salads or eat them straight out of the jar. A little taste of summer all year long. I dry a lot of Roma tomatoes because they keep producing long after any other variety & shriveled in the Texas heat. Have fun!


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

tsrwivey said:


> Dried tomatoes are the BEST! I put them on salads or eat them straight out of the jar. A little taste of summer all year long. I dry a lot of Roma tomatoes because they keep producing long after any other variety & shriveled in the Texas heat. Have fun!


If you have the fruit leather trays for your dehydrator you have to try drying out pizza and spaghetti sauce! You dry it till it is super dry and crackly and then you powder it and then sprinkle it on your popcorn or into soups or even on scrambled eggs! super yummy.. I've done just tomato sauce too and used it like tomato bullion. This summer if I have any salsa left I want to puree it and then dry and make salsa popcorn seasoning.


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Emerald said:


> If you have the fruit leather trays for your dehydrator you have to try drying out pizza and spaghetti sauce! You dry it till it is super dry and crackly and then you powder it and then sprinkle it on your popcorn or into soups or even on scrambled eggs! super yummy.. I've done just tomato sauce too and used it like tomato bullion. This summer if I have any salsa left I want to puree it and then dry and make salsa popcorn seasoning.


I've gotta try that! Thanks!!


----------



## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Emerald said:


> If you have the fruit leather trays for your dehydrator you have to try drying out pizza and spaghetti sauce! You dry it till it is super dry and crackly and then you powder it and then sprinkle it on your popcorn or into soups or even on scrambled eggs! super yummy.. I've done just tomato sauce too and used it like tomato bullion. This summer if I have any salsa left I want to puree it and then dry and make salsa popcorn seasoning.


Great. Yet one MORE reason to save my nickels and dimes for a food dehydrator, lol.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

MrSfstk8d said:


> Great. Yet one MORE reason to save my nickels and dimes for a food dehydrator, lol.


Spend the dimes.
Save the nickles before they change the composition.


----------



## Centraltn (Feb 21, 2011)

WOWser Clarice you are a pretty smart cookie. How will you heat your greenhouse? Is it double pained? Is it really cold where you live? I just love your ideas


----------



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Thank you Centraltn. Some of the windows and doors are double paned. Someone gave us a wood heater with a blower. We can't wait to get started. Winters are rarely below 20* here. Just imagine fresh tomatoes in January.


----------



## SolarDeco (Aug 28, 2010)

Went to Target today. Cream rose 10% overnight and bananas increased 25% overnight. (Gas pretty darn high too).


----------



## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

BizzyB said:


> For alternative Vit C, you can always buy bulk ascorbic acid. .


In case it matters to you - Wikipedia says (and I thought it was more like 95%):

"Eighty percent of the world's supply of ascorbic acid is produced in China."

I dehydrate as much fresh fruit during the summer as I can grow, forage, or buy at the farmer's market. A lot of fresh veggies also contain significant amounts. I'd much rather use these sources than something that may not be what it seems.


----------



## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Tucker said:


> In case it matters to you - Wikipedia says (and I thought it was more like 95%):
> 
> "Eighty percent of the world's supply of ascorbic acid is produced in China."
> 
> I dehydrate as much fresh fruit during the summer as I can grow, forage, or buy at the farmer's market. A lot of fresh veggies also contain significant amounts. I'd much rather use these sources than something that may not be what it seems.


Many common garden weeds are really edible and they have quite high amounts of vitamin C.
Chickweed has A, Bs, C, D.
Wood sorrel has tons of vitamin C and has a great sour lemony taste which goes great on fish and in salads. 
Plaintain also has a few different vitamins in there too.
All of these are the first things you see in the spring when the snow melts along with dandelion which is great in the spring before the flowering starts. Not too bitter then.. Once the flowering starts they do get quite bitter. but I have heard of folks blanching the whole plant by putting a dark pot over it and the blanched leaves can be much less bitter.


----------



## BasecampUSA (Dec 26, 2010)

Back to the thread's theme of "Food prices are going to be unbelieveable":

*Food price surveys:*



















Santa Cruz Grocery Price Comparisons - Capitola, CA

Food Price Comparison on wdbo.com

Sam's Club, CVS, Walmart, Lowes Food & Food Lion - Who Has The Best Prices? | Saving Money | How to Get Out of Debt

Price Comparisons in the Washington DC area

http://blog.al.com/ht/2008/05/food.html?appSession=739285056000183

Iowa Stae University (pdf): http://www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/pub/posters/RuralFoodDeserts.pdf

*Baby food:*










*Pet food:*










Cat food (pdf): http://www.soggypaws.com/Documents/CatCanFoodPriceComparison.pdf

*Fast foods:
* Cost comparisons: Fast food meals vs. homemade meals | abc7.com
Price Comparisons with Local Restaurants :: Food Services :: Appalachian State University

===========================
Costco back in *June '08 & Feb '11 *- for comparison: 
6/2008: Costco Wholesale Club Product Price Comparisons, Pictures & Reviews - Food Staples, Household Items & Personal Hygiene Goods
2/2011: Costco Price List ~ for comparison ~ updated 2/5/11 - Pinching Your Pennies Forums *<== "Pennypinchers" is a GOOD site for everything!!*

*Costco vs Sam's Club *comparisons: Costco vs. Sam's Club: Warehouse Store Price Comparison

*MRE/Survival comparisons:*










Chart 1: Food+Storage+Companies4.JPG (image)

Chart 2: Food+Storage+Companies.JPG (image)

*...and finally - Gold versus a loaf of bread, past present and future  :*
History of Gold Ounce Price Comparison To A Loaf Of Bread
"A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny" Revelation 6:6


----------



## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

none of that surprises me. And now that gas is up to $3.39 a gal here ( yesterday, it may have gone up again),it's just going to get worse. I really feel for the people who haven't been stocking up before all this. I just keep plodding along, grabbing what I can,when I can.


----------



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I just got a farm share to help out a bit. $150 for a YEARS worth of vegetables from an organic farm. Once a week I get a large box full of a list that I choose. I also chipped in for organic chicken and beef as well. I mostly did it because I'm pulling off a double major in school and I would be less likely to have a huge garden this year and it helps the local economy. I am going to have a garden of my own but not a huge half acre one


----------



## BasecampUSA (Dec 26, 2010)

Another comparison link...

Case lots of groceries (pdf):

https://acrobat.com/app.html#d=O3M2ShrYwB33sI6KHJh2ig


----------



## Lolajack (Feb 26, 2011)

Gas in my area in MA is up to $3.34(same station I got it 2 days ago at $3.25)
Groceries continually going up so I prep on a budget.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

BasecampUSA said:


> Back to the thread's theme of "Food prices are going to be unbelieveable":


Thanks Basey. I've been meaning to clean this thread up a bit. It really got off track.

*The Rose Hip discussion, which is a good one worthy of it's own thread, can now be found here.*


----------



## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> I just got a farm share to help out a bit. $150 for a YEARS worth of vegetables from an organic farm. Once a week I get a large box full of a list that I choose.


Sounds like a great deal! The same thing in my area runs around $500+. After years of this (and prices going up each year) we finally decided for a lot less we could grow our own and are planning a sizeable garden this year. But at $150 that would be difficult to beat.


----------



## nkjones1 (Jan 12, 2011)

Just as a point of reference my wife works as a manager of a Subway and with most of the more expensive vegetables they are either limiting the amount you can have or charging extra. More specifically with expensive ones like bell peppers they tell customers after 4pm that they don't have any and take them off the serving line because as with the case of bell peppers they went from being $13/case to being $51/case in little more than a week. Of course they blame this on crops being lost but she's worked for Subway on and off for almost a decade and when she started she said the price per case of bell peppers was $12 a case and there have been plenty of hard winters in the last 10 years so...


----------



## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

nkjones1 said:


> Just as a point of reference my wife works as a manager of a Subway and with most of the more expensive vegetables they are either limiting the amount you can have or charging extra. More specifically with expensive ones like bell peppers they tell customers after 4pm that they don't have any and take them off the serving line because as with the case of bell peppers they went from being $13/case to being $51/case in little more than a week. Of course they blame this on crops being lost but she's worked for Subway on and off for almost a decade and when she started she said the price per case of bell peppers was $12 a case and there have been plenty of hard winters in the last 10 years so...


I hear ya about the peppers...as soon as I heard about Mexifornia, I decided to go to chinamart and get about 18, slice and freeze like I do in the summer when cheap...well, they were already 1.44 each and the red/gold were 2.68...
I got seeds instead, and there has been no sun for 9 days..so they probably don't have a chance in my windows.:gaah:


----------

