MrsMac and I just finished dinner of; Ham steak, cumber salad and baked beans. Through-out the whole meal we chatted about food prices.
Her biggest complaint was the price of in-season fruit. My biggest beef was the cost of protein AKA, pork, chicken and BEEF! Still looking for a beef steer locally to butcher. My neighbors are thinking about harvesting one of their Scottish Highland cows who is 5 years old and hasn't had a calf as yet. They also made an appointment at the butcher for their three starter (feeder pigs AKA Bacon Seed) pigs they bought in the spring. The problem is that the butcher will not make scrapple this time so I will have to dig out my grandmothers recipe. When she did it I remember her boiling a pigs head or two and sitting at here kitchen table picking the meat off the head when it was cooled.
Depending on the weather next week, it will be
wood stove cutting time. The goal this year is to put away all of our winter stove wood needs vs. buying a little to augment what I cut. I hate to cut out our wood guy as he only charges us $120- a cord delivered. If I do it all we save $720- (6 cords x $120-). That's enough money to fill the freezer with protein.
Soon as the sweet corn comes in I will buy 6 or so dozen (Hopefully at a discount) and put them away for the winter. When I was small my family use to buy 10 or so dozen of sweet corn. After husking they would put in a pot of boiling water for about 40-60 seconds and then pull out and throw in a pot of ice and water. Then they would cut the kernels off the cob. My grandmother used an angel food cake tin to do this. Put the butt of the cob in whole of the center of the pan and cut away. The Angel Food cake tin caught all of the kernels and juice (milk). Then we would scoop out 16 oz and put in a plastic bag with maybe a 1/2 a tbsp of butter (closed with twists at the time) and freeze. IMO, that corn tasted better then the corn right off the cob in the summer. About 4-5 ears = 16 oz. if I remembered correctly. Thinking back I am licking my lips...Maybe I will spring for 10 dozen ears if the price is right.
My beans are looking great and I harvested enough for last nights meal. The bush and Lima beans are doing great while the pole beans are only doing OK. Hopefully I will have enough to can & freeze 60 meals worth for two people.
The apple harvest around here is going to be poor. Last year was a bumper crop but this year the trees are looking sparse. I sure would hate to buy a bushel or two when normally they are for the taking. I can only imagine what the cost of cider is going to be for my hard cider making's in the fall.
Man O' man I am starting to sound like my old Uncle Pat. He was brought up during the depression and that man could make a nickle last till the cows come home. My goal is to spend about 80% less in the grocery store (s) this winter.
Enough rambling on about food!
