Posted on 08/15/2007 7:08:15 PM PDT by shrinkermd
MIDLAND, Va. — The Labor Department's most recent inflation data showed that U.S. food prices rose by 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in July, but a deeper look at the numbers reveals that the price of milk, eggs and other essentials in the American diet are actually rising by double digits.
Already stung by a two-year rise in gasoline prices, American consumers now face sharply higher prices for foods they can't do without. This little-known fact may go a long way to explaining why, despite healthy job statistics, Americans remain glum about the economy.
Meeting with economic writers last week, President Bush dismissed several polls that show Americans are down on the economy. He expressed surprise that inflation is one of the stated concerns.
"They cite inflation?" Bush asked, adding that, "I happen to believe the war has clouded a lot of people's sense of optimism."
But the inflation numbers reveal the extent to which lower- and middle-income Americans are being pinched.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its July inflation report that egg prices are 33.7 percent higher than they were in July 2006. Over the same period, according to the department's consumer price index, whole milk was up 21.1 percent; fresh chicken 8.4 percent; navel oranges 13.6 percent; apples 8.7 percent. Dried beans were up 11.5 percent, and white bread just missed double-digit growth, rising by 8.8 percent.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
oh good luck with that lil project, gabz.
be sure and let us know how it goes too!
A few more tips for ya, Gabz:
Slice the tomatoes THICKLY because they can dry down to paper-thin and are virtually worthless then. They’ll stick to the dehydrator racks and crumble into dust. (Been there, done that!)
If your dehydrator doesn’t have a fan in it, it’s important to rotate those racks for even drying.
If you want to dry cherry tomatoes, slice them in half and scoop out the seeds with the smaller end of a melon baller or measuring spoon, then dry them. Again, I’ve dried them with the seeds in them, and they’re not as good that way.
Have fun! :)
Thanks for the tip Gabz. Yep, it is very hot right now. It isn’t quite as bad on the wife because we have good air conditioning in our home. Now, if I could get big enough a/c to keep me cool outside while I am picking all those beans and tomatoes it would be great. lol
I can understand $8/gallon for orange juice,,,,but $3/gallon for gas is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! /s
Move closer, ride a bike, or walk!!...lol
Enjoy trading some stocks before your high oil prices bring the whole thing crashing down.
LOL!!! I’d just be happy with an irrigating system (read hose and water pressure) big enough to REACH my garden. The side closest to the house is still more than a football field from the water spigot. I literally truck water out there.
We have a couple of plastic 55 gallon barrels my husband has fitted with spigots. I put them in the back of the pickup, fill them with water and then drive over to the field, then I attach a hose and let gravity do the rest of the work.
My first experimentation with dehydrating the tomatoes seems to have worked. I had a bucket load of really nice sized romas which I quartered. My dehydrator doesn’t have a fan, so I I kept switching the trays every few hours. I let them go about 30 hours. Some of them seem to need some more time, but since I have more to do, I’ll just put them back on a tray to finish.
And nuclear power emits no "greenhouse" gasses at all!
Cram that little factoid down the throats of every ecofascist you meet...
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