Posted on 07/14/2018 10:18:44 AM PDT by spintreebob
That is a big part of it-growing up on a remote ranch, it was common and expected that everyone helped a neighbor who needed it, and the favor would be returned when/if you were in need. The only people who did not benefit from that co-op/commune way of living were those few people who did not make fair deals, thought they were better than their neighbors, or were otherwise hateful-instead of helping those people, not one neighbor would call to let them know their livestock was loose and headed for the main road-or call the VFD if their barn or house was on fire-literally. Rednecks can be as vengeful as they are kind...
I’m highly skeptical of the “food desert” thing. A couple of years back, I ran across an article about the “food desert” area of the city about 40 miles from me.
It was complete nonsense. There is a large supermarket right smack in the middle of the “food desert.” There are a couple of dollar stores in the same area. They aren’t full-sevice supermarkets, but they do sell basic food staples and some perishables, such as juice and milk.
Not only that, but there is a Wal-Mart a short distance away. Not walking distance, but there is public transportation available. There is a city bus system, including buses equipped for those in wheelchairs.
There are now a couple of small towns near me with no grocery stores, which makes it more difficult for people to get what they need. In each case, other local businesses started selling more food items. Friends, relatives, and neighbors help out people with transportation issues. It’s not an ideal situation but no one has actually starved due to lack of food.
Start with the areas of the country that have the highest percentage of SNAP recipients
Red states in the South, Mississippi is #1. LA, AL, GA not far behind.
We all know the best solution. Get them good paying jobs. Convince them to show up for work. Currently we penalize work and reward non-work.
Many people with back and leg injuries can no longer do heavy lifting jobs. But they are quite capable of doing desk jobs.
SIL teaches at an urban school and is surprised and dismayed by how many of the kids — families on EBT, mind you — talk about no food in the house. I guess the elders (can’t call them parents or even adults) spend it on other stuff and the only food the kids get is at school. SMH.
We are lucky/blessed to have a “dented can” grocery store nearby. Sometime we can get candy bars at 4 for $1 ... name brand coffee at 50 percent off.
But they don’t take EBT. And its in the middle of farm country. Still, if I spend $100 there we are living high on the hog. Then again, I know how to cook. For instance, stir fry or taco’s or pasta are great for spreading out meat portions.
Geez, of course. How do y’all think people survived before having a grocery store on every other corner?
Romaine lasts much longer than iceberg. Don’t slice iceberg but peel the leaves one at a time to extend freshness. HEB strawberries mold between the car and the fridge. Walmart strawberries last for a couple weeks and are great in homemade yogurt with local honey. HEB yellow onions also rot and sprout by the time I get them home but Walmart’s onions last more than a month. Roma (cheaper) tomatoes will last a couple of weeks compared to other varieties that rot within days. Yes, unfortunately the tomatoes run out before the lettuce so have to be creative in using the lettuce up. It all depends on the supplier and properly storing the items. Don’t leave produce tightly wrapped in those plastic bags because that only causes them to rot.
Of course, some produce must be eaten asap such as peaches, bananas and avocadoes. Avocadoes last longer in the fridge than on the counter. Apples and oranges will last quite a while.
Potatoes, winter squash and carrots last longer than a month. Cabbage and bell peppers last a good long time. Celery usually does, too. If celery starts to go limp, put it in a jar of water to crisp it back up and eat it sooner than later or chop it up and freeze it for soups and stuffing for the holidays. I can only get fresh cauliflower at Walmart and it’ll last a couple of weeks in the fridge. Can’t stand frozen cauliflower.
Fresh corn on the cob is heaven but it’s growing season is short. Also, it loses it’s sweetness quickly. Perhaps in large cities it’s on the shelves longer when they can truck it in. So, yeah, there’s always canned but corn raises the blood sugar. Yes, have basic canned goods in the pantry but not highly processed or prepackaged stuff. I also do NOT buy pre-cut produce.
Yogurt lasts out the month. So does cream, sour cream and cheeses. Again, properly store the cheese. Eggs last forever. Neat thing with dairy. Expiration dates are stamped on so use them to buy only the freshest.
As the month progresses, I plan our meals around perishableness (that’s not a word but whatever)... example - greens are eaten at the beginning of the month and the hardier greens like kale or collards stay fresh longer than delicate spinach. Keeping an eye out on what’s what and not letting something get lost in the back of the fridge saves from having to toss it in the trash. Very, very seldom does anything end up in the trash except for HEB produce that was already past it’s prime.
Break that fresh gingerroot from the store into piece and plant it in a container on the patio. It’ll be a long time before a ginger run at the store is needed. Slice it up and freeze any store bought that you don’t use before it dries out. Great in Asian dishes or in a cup of ginger lemon and honey tea.
Can’t garden anymore but in the winter, the sun shines in the kitchen window so it’s fresh pesto time. Pecans from our trees substitute just fine for ancient store bought pine nuts. Sadly, the sun is at the wrong angle in the summer so no basil.
We go past two groceries twice a day, to and from work. I like getting fresh veggies. Because it is on the way, the little extra I spend is saved in gas and time. So we do shop there sometimes.
Otherwise the regular weekly haul is at the “Dented Can” down the road.
I’d go even more radical. I’d do away with food stamps altogether and give people actual food, the way it was done “back in the day.”
My family was never on welfare, yet I’ve eaten plenty of “commodities.” We had relatives who got them. What their children “wouldn’t eat” was given to us. We didn’t have a choice; we ate or did without.
Dried beans, peas, rice, powdered milk, canned tuna and peanut butter, corn meal, flour, etc might not make elegant eating but they’ll keep body and soul together.
If that can’t be done, then your idea, of limiting what can be bought with the EBT cards, is a good one. Pay for basic foods and fresh produce. Stop paying for prepared foods.
My local farmer’s market started a program last year where they accept EBT cards. People paying with those get a better deal than those of us paying for our own produce, but I’m not complaining, because they are buying real food. I’d much rather see the EBT card used for tomatoes, potatoes, fresh corn, cantaloupe, green beans, onions, and so forth than see it used for cheesecake or cookies (or fruit cups for that matter).
Every state needs to have programs to teach benefits recipients how to plan, budget, and cook. Every community has, still, some grandmas and other people who know how to turn the beans, potatoes, rice, and other items into real food. Hire THEM to teach people in their own communities. Don’t get too caught up in how “healthy” those food items are; they may not be ideal but they are most likely still healthier than the junk food many people buy now.
I’ll bet the Medicaid study won’t tell them a single thing that most medical professionals can’t already tell them from having “seen it all” over time.
Something else I wonder when looking at this study. Did they do any comparison between the EBT recipients, in terms of how they spent their benefits, and people who don’t get the EBT cards but only get paid once a month? I think that comparison could be instructive.
“Red states in the South, Mississippi is #1. LA, AL, GA not far behind.”
Add Kentucky and West Virginia and work your way down cutting them all off of SNAP and het the rest of the states.
Checking into price ???? Why do we think these outfits like the paint commercial gets away with .... Buy now, ten dollars off per gallon and forty dollars off a five gallon can....
We all help our neighbors out who are disabled, don’t have a working vehicle, etc-as I said in another post, we are watching out for each other. Because the nearest grocery store is about 20 miles away in the nearest town (county seat, less than 900 people) the general store out here-about 7 miles from my gate-started stocking a ton of food items several years ago, and now is pretty much a mini-grocery-okay for a quick trip for a picnic, or as a stop for sandwich stuff for tourists heading to the river for the day-but since they don’t have a good selection of meat, veggies, etc that is about all-but even that is nowhere near a food desert-even a fresh food snob like me can get the stuff for a meal or two in a hurry-no one is going to starve shopping there...
The aforementioned grocery in the nearest “town” is always fully stocked with full-on organic produce, free range meat, all the brands of yogurt, stone ground wholegrain stuff, fancy Colombian and other ground coffee and beans etc, and a full-service deli that caters to the paleo/fresh food crowd, but it does also have a bakery that does cakes, pies, brownies and all that other sugary stuff as well as some starchy stuff-mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, pizzas, and fried chicken and fish for the non-paleo eaters. Definitely not a food desert.
Although there are some fat people out here-mostly women of middle age and younger-almost never a fat older woman-we seem to take much more care of our appearance here-there are noticeably fewer of the heifers than in the nearest small city-6000 people-and way fewer than in SA-which is about 50 miles away-in that city of 1 million +, I swear that every other woman in WalMart is supersized-obviously that is not a food desert-I never go to a store in SA unless my guy drags me to one when I’m visiting his place-everything I need for home or work I can get in one of the small towns out here-Home Depot included-or I can order it online, delivered right to my gate...
“HEB strawberries mold between the car and the fridge”.
Yes they do! On a recent weekend, my guy brought strawberries from HEB out here for me to have with my yogurt for breakfast, because he knows I always have fruit and yogurt for breakfast-I pointed out that some were already grey spotted and squashy-a reason I only get them at the grocery in the nearest town-he said I was just being a picky freshness nut-but he has stuck to bringing grapes, peaches, etc as breakfast gifts after that. Glad to see I’m not the only one who noticed that...
and now that this crap is electronic, why not pay it out weekly?
+++++++
worth repeating.
[Hey, I’m sitting right next to you on the cheap end.]
Awesome. Good to have people with me.
[Pecans]
Pecans are insane. I got a small bag of chopped one at WM and plan on using about $1.18 of them in a Butterfinger Cake. This time I’ll make it without the condensed milk and the caramel sauce. Toooooooo rich. Wow. But good. First one I ever made. Ran across the recipe. I can cook a few things.
One of the WM (about 12-15 miles away) has 2x18 eggs, 36, shrink-wrapped together for cheap. Last saw them elsewhere (diff WM) for about $2.69.
BUT that WM had too many - 36 eggs for $1.64. Hope to catch them again. Eggs last at least 2 months for me, in fridge.
[Avocadoes last longer in the fridge than on the counter.]
How long? Just bought 2 for 98 cents or $1 at Sprout’s.
Thought bell peppers were on sale. Not here. ;(
Red bell, Orange bell, medium-white onion (about 1/2 lb) and 2 avocados were $3.81 at Sprout’s today. The bells were basically $2 of that and the avocados were $1. Onion and tax for the rest.
I could have driven to Aldi’s but the gas would have almost eaten up any saving and I was in a hurry anyways.
What about limes? Boy have they gone up. Used to be 3 for $1.
I needed the peppers b/c I’m making Sweet and Sour Chicken with Chicken strips, strips of carrot and bell pepper, some diced pinapple and bits of Mandarin Oranges (paid too much - should have gotten WM can - got the cups so I could use less - but not cost efficient). There went about 90 cents, oops. Oh well, 3 cups to the food pantry.
Gonna add in all the pineapple juice and mandarin orange juice to some Kikkoman’s Sweet and Sour - need to use up a bottle.
And I’ll make 2-3 cups of white rice. That’s the plan for tomorrow with a Butterfinger cake. Enough food for several days.
I don’t doubt that’s true.
A farmer’s market near me had a stand where a local baker just sold desserts.
She refused to take EBT cards because she said that people should just use the cards for fresh fruits and vegetables.
She is no longer welcome at the farmer’s market.
Is this a great country,or what? /s
.
I worked for our welfare department. My first job there was in the food stamp division. I used to process all the apps and renewals from Edwards Air Force base. I was surprised at how many of our servicemen and their families were on aid.
Yep. Most junior enlisted servicemen and women live well below the poverty level. I never had enough money to save for an emergency fund. We all lived payday to payday.
Yum, I might invite myself!
Yes, lemons and limes are high. Haven’t bought any this summer. Save $ by zesting them and air drying the zest. Store in an old spice jar. Same for other citrus fruits.
3 lbs. of yellow onions used to be about $1.88 but this spring they jumped to about $2.37-$2.68. What’s that, about 7 onions? So, about 35 cents each. I’m cheap so buy yellow onions. Once in a great while, I’ll buy a sweet one if there’s a fantastic sale. Toward the end of month, I’ll roast halved onions with homegrown rosemary and roasted carrots as sides for a beef roast. Or onion, celery, carrots and canned tomatoes for a beef pot roast. Save pickle juice and add a cup or so to the crock pot with an onion and a pork roast. No, it doesn’t taste like pickles.
Boneless pork loin was on sale for $1.49/lb. so bought three whole ones. Portioned into freezer baggies, of course. We’ve been having a part of one this week with the last jar of home canned chutney made from free dropped pears (yes, naysayers as sides had cooked greens, a tossed salad one night and a cucumber salad the next, and fresh strawberries for dessert. Used up the last little bit of some garlic pickle juice with red peppers in that cucumber salad). Sometimes with pork chops, instead of carby apples, I’ll slice a .50 cent chayote squash and season like sautéed cinnamon apples to top the meat. Chayote lasts nearly all month in the fridge. Why are they sold in individual plastic pouches?
Our new fav dinner is almandine tilapia with carrot soufflé and cucumber salad (gotta have cucumber salad in the summer). $1.75 per plate!
About once a month, I’ll open a can of beets for a salad and the onion helps freshen the canned product. Cabbage will last pretty much all month so that’s coleslaw (with a bit of long lasting carrot and onion) and leftover beef roast or pulled pork/bbq.
Despite what some folks here think, we don’t eat out of cans much. We’ll have canned green beans sometimes but hubby doesn’t like them. Canned corn is good but can’t do much of that high carb anymore. Whoever invented canned carrots and potatoes should be taken to the desert never to return. I do keep canned tomatoes stocked. Canned pumpkin on sale after the holidays comes in handy throughout the year for soups and desserts. During the fall, I’ll buy every variety of fresh winter squash to be used first as decoration and then cooked down for squash soup and into the freezer.
About the only frozen veggies I buy are those big bags of carrot/broc/cauli but only use those in soups or something because we don’t like the rubbery texture. I will use frozen spinach for casserole type dishes in the winter and it’s good to stuff in a chicken breast with scratch made pub cheese. The frozen bags of mixed fruit contain hard bitter unripe melons and peaches, ugh. There’s a bag of strawberries and a mixed berry bag in the freezer but again it’s the mushy texture thing so we usually go with fresh berries. Fresh strawberries are one thing I’ll splurge on. Three or four strawberries in a bowl of yogurt for breakfast, yum.
Ok, the naysayers got me, I haven’t bought a watermelon in 3 years. Last time, after two days on the counter, it had suddenly gone bad and upon closer inspection, someone had poked dozens of tiny holes all over it. Yikes! Lesson learned, inspect, inspect, inspect and wash.
BTW, I keep large freezer containers to drain canned veggies for “free” veg broth. Also, boil down bones and the Thanksgiving turkey carcass for “free” meat broths and freeze the Christmas ham bone and fat for the bean pot (blah, maybe only one pot of carby beans this coming winter). Don’t save drained beet juice unless you want pink soup. However, beet juice can be the liquid in a chocolate cake.
Wow, Hass avocadoes here are $1.50 - $1.74 each. The smaller tastier Hass are more expensive than the watery bland California kind. Shelf life is iffy because you never know just how ripe they are when you buy them. Some start turning brown the minute they get a bit soft while others stay good until quite mushy. YMMV, but on my counter, they go bad (like bananas) within 3-4 days but can last two weeks or so in the fridge. Last month, another customer told me she was off avocadoes because the last ones she bought were already bad.
Fresh asparagus gets eaten in the first week. Roasted or with from scratch hollandaise sauce. Hubby swears he doesn’t like hollandaise until he forgets that he doesn’t. We’ve been married mumble years and it’s always the same. Usually, I’ll save the hard ends and chew on them with “all mine!” sauce. Weird, hollandaise sauce is considered one of the difficult sauces but it’s a no brainer.
Someone up thread mentioned tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are always a must but don’t know what’s going on with vine ripe tomatoes. I hadn’t bought the vine ripe ones for decades but, this spring, they’ve been cheaper than Romas so I fell victim to trying them. Bought them twice (once at HEB and once at Walmart) and both times they went bad in a couple of days on the counter so quick into the fridge and a rush to use them. Neighbor, who always keeps tomatoes (and everything, including bananas) in the fridge, said the same of hers. Both of us learned our lesson. Never again. It’s Romas or nothing. Romas were 88 cents but suddenly doubled in price. Thankfully, they’re starting to come down. WTH, the past couple months they’re being sold in plastic bags!
Walmart isn’t getting loose mushrooms anymore, either. Why aren’t the environuts screaming about this?
I don’t like buying veggies in packages if I can get them unpackaged. That said, I do buy those red/yellow/orange bell pepper packages for $3.98 (about $1.33 each pepper). For some reason, they’re cheaper packaged and they last nearly all month whereas the unpackaged green bell peppers (60 cents each?) only last two weeks. Yeah, probably a chemical spray. Same neighbor learned this, too. Hubby, who is on insulin, can grab them and other (home chopped) veggie sticks as a quick snack and is happy. As the month progresses and the peppers start looking sad, it’s time for a stir fry or stuffed peppers. Too tight a budget to let anything get old so produce is closely watched.
Another snack hubby likes is the Walmart can of mixed nuts. They’re the cheapest nuts around. Medallion brand in a white can for $2 for 8 oz. I’ll steal some to toss into an Asian stir fry occasionally.
I’ve had to adjust our foods this year now that he’s diabetic. The budget has taken a hit with no cheap rice, dried beans and flour. Mexican and Chinese dinners go without rice and tortillas/wraps. It took a while to convince him about carbs but the numbers don’t lie. Sure, there’s still some rice and flour in the freezer but I cleared out 90% of the bad food and carted it over to the neighbor (who in turn brought over some clearance cake mix and frosting!... no, thanks). Sometimes I have to have a potato chip fix so buy a small bag of cheap potatoes which lasts forever and fry them rather than expensive processed store bought chips. Thankfully, hubby’s not a chip guy but misses carby potato salad. Have been substituting fresh cauliflower (expensive at around $3) made like potato salad for him which he’s ok with but it’s not the same as his smooth, no chunks, potato salad.
He used to be a big milk drinker. The other day, after about 4 months of no milk, he thought he needed a fix. Drank a couple of glasses over a couple weeks’ time and that was it. The jug expired two days ago so will turn it into yogurt.
Store bought Greek yogurt is about $4 for 32 oz. Homemade yogurt is <half that. No brainer recipe is nothing but milk and a starter. The starter is a small container of plain yogurt with live cultures divided up into ice cube trays. One cube of thawed starter to a quart of milk to make a yogurt drink. Add a couple tablespoons of powdered milk for regular yogurt. Add cream for sinfully good stuff. Stir in jello or koolaid powder for fruity flavors or extract flavors or cinnamon or nuts, etc. Plain regular yogurt can be used as cream, sour cream or cream cheese in cooking. Drain regular yogurt to get Greek yogurt or a cream cheese substitute which can be used just like cream cheese in cheese cake. Draining the whey off reduces the carb count by around half and it has way fewer calories than sour cream or cream cheese. To make more batches, “chain” off (save) a couple of tablespoons of the first batch to use as the starter for the second batch. It can be chained 3-4 times but gets looser each time. Of course, homemade yogurt doesn’t have all the preservatives as store bought so doesn’t last as long. Store bought will easily last the month.
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