Food prices are up. Fuel prices are up. Unemployment is up, again. Income and equity are down. Many families are feeling the pinch--often right around the waistline. The irony is that some of the most processed, least healthy foods out there are also the cheapest. My heart aches to see parents at the grocery store with a cart loaded full of instant noodle packages, liters of soda, and generic cookies, but I know that it would have taken three times the money to buy enough fresh fruit and vegetables, orange juice and whole-grain baked goods to feed the whole family.
The good news is that by planning ahead and embracing the natural cycle of abundance that rolls through the seasons, you can eat well and even feed a family well on healthful foods on a very modest food budget. Eating lean can be a boon to both your waistline and your pocketbook--if you make it a priority to learn about natural foods and how to cook them and are willing to embrace a lifestyle that focuses on food and family economic security. I realize these changes may not be easy for some, but they are well worth it.
Growing any food you can on your own is always worth it, even if it's just a cherry tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket on a tiny front stoop and a few heads of lettuce in a windowbox. But even if you can't grow your own food, there are cheap, secure options for ensuring your family eats healthy foods in lean times.
One option is foraging, anything and everything you can. Find a knowledgeable naturalist; even in the urban landscape, cress, lamb's quarters, dandelions and other greens poke through the sidewalks while plums, apples and pears go unpicked in decorate suburban landscapes. I've knocked on many a suburban door and asked if I could pick the plums on the landscape tree out front in exchange for returning a few jars of plum jam. Some folks have shooed me off like I was nuts, muttering about potential liability, but others have been thrilled to learn that the bush some landscape company planted in the front yard is really a delicious fruit tree. (Just wash this stuff well; urban and suburban landscapes tend to be chemical-intensive.)
Hunting and fishing go hand in hand with foraging, and are a time-honored traditional way of putting food on the country plate. Check with your state's fish and game department regarding laws, seasons and licensing requirements. Also check with them about the disposition of road kill and poached game--seriously. Here in Vermont, many a family eats well off the deer and moose meat dispersed by Fish and Game to the folks who sign up on a list to receive seized and freshly road-killed animals. In coastal areas, those day-fishing trips can be a great food investment, as if you plan your timing right you'll inevitably wind up with fish for your freezer that would have cost way more at the supermarket than you paid for the excursion ticket. Hunters and fishermen are also universally generous folks, and often can't convince their own families to eat all the game or fish they bring in, so asking at the local fish and game club if anyone has any spare bounty to share or perhaps to barter for can often fill your freezer.
Filling your freezer is also the name of the game for fruits and vegetables. But in season, and just give fruit a quick wash and vegetables a quick blanching and throw them in the freezer in plastic bags. Suck the air out of the bags before sealing for your own imitation vacuum-packing that helps prevent freezer burn.
Asparagus, zucchini and green beans are pricey in February, but gardeners and market farmers literally give them away at the peak of the season. Berries and tree fruit are often free for the picking, or inexpensive at pick-your-own joints. I buy huge bags of apple drops from a nearby orchard for just a few dollars, picking up perfect fruit off the ground after a windstorm. I make all our applesauce for a year plus several cases to donate to the food shelf on way less than $20 worth of apples.Market farmers sell canning tomatoes by the bushel box during August; if you don't can your own sauces, just chop them up and freeze them for winter cooking.
Buying grains, pasta and beans in bulk from a food co-op or natural foods store rather than buying packaged rice pilafs and canned beans saves money and eliminates all the salt and other additives in the packaged, processed products. Brown rice and dried black beans, kidney beans and black eyed peas are all way less than a dollar a pound when bought in bulk. With these dried goods, just a bit of oil, cooking water, and your cheap in-season vegetables, you are well on your way to a healthy well-balanced meal for very little money.
Growing any food you can on your own is always worth it, even if it's just a cherry tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket on a tiny front stoop and a few heads of lettuce in a windowbox. But even if you can't grow your own food, there are cheap, secure options for ensuring your family eats healthy foods in lean times.
One option is foraging, anything and everything you can. Find a knowledgeable naturalist; even in the urban landscape, cress, lamb's quarters, dandelions and other greens poke through the sidewalks while plums, apples and pears go unpicked in decorate suburban landscapes. I've knocked on many a suburban door and asked if I could pick the plums on the landscape tree out front in exchange for returning a few jars of plum jam. Some folks have shooed me off like I was nuts, muttering about potential liability, but others have been thrilled to learn that the bush some landscape company planted in the front yard is really a delicious fruit tree. (Just wash this stuff well; urban and suburban landscapes tend to be chemical-intensive.)
Hunting and fishing go hand in hand with foraging, and are a time-honored traditional way of putting food on the country plate. Check with your state's fish and game department regarding laws, seasons and licensing requirements. Also check with them about the disposition of road kill and poached game--seriously. Here in Vermont, many a family eats well off the deer and moose meat dispersed by Fish and Game to the folks who sign up on a list to receive seized and freshly road-killed animals. In coastal areas, those day-fishing trips can be a great food investment, as if you plan your timing right you'll inevitably wind up with fish for your freezer that would have cost way more at the supermarket than you paid for the excursion ticket. Hunters and fishermen are also universally generous folks, and often can't convince their own families to eat all the game or fish they bring in, so asking at the local fish and game club if anyone has any spare bounty to share or perhaps to barter for can often fill your freezer.
Filling your freezer is also the name of the game for fruits and vegetables. But in season, and just give fruit a quick wash and vegetables a quick blanching and throw them in the freezer in plastic bags. Suck the air out of the bags before sealing for your own imitation vacuum-packing that helps prevent freezer burn.
Asparagus, zucchini and green beans are pricey in February, but gardeners and market farmers literally give them away at the peak of the season. Berries and tree fruit are often free for the picking, or inexpensive at pick-your-own joints. I buy huge bags of apple drops from a nearby orchard for just a few dollars, picking up perfect fruit off the ground after a windstorm. I make all our applesauce for a year plus several cases to donate to the food shelf on way less than $20 worth of apples.Market farmers sell canning tomatoes by the bushel box during August; if you don't can your own sauces, just chop them up and freeze them for winter cooking.
Buying grains, pasta and beans in bulk from a food co-op or natural foods store rather than buying packaged rice pilafs and canned beans saves money and eliminates all the salt and other additives in the packaged, processed products. Brown rice and dried black beans, kidney beans and black eyed peas are all way less than a dollar a pound when bought in bulk. With these dried goods, just a bit of oil, cooking water, and your cheap in-season vegetables, you are well on your way to a healthy well-balanced meal for very little money.
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