Foraging - My Nut Harvest

I had a fairly successful foraging trip for Hazel Nuts and Walnuts.  

Walnuts:

I was not the only one out there collecting walnuts and since I work during the day I got skunked at a couple of the trees I had scoped out.  The local kids pick them and sell them for €2.00 a sack, which isn't actually a bad price.  I bought a sack last year and shelled out a little over two cups of nut meats.  They were quite tasty too.

I found one tree behind a store in my neighborhood that nobody else targeted.  It is a smallish tree though and I only got a small bag of nuts. The outer husks came off really easily except for the five black ones you see in the tray.  They dried and shrank fast to the shell.  No big deal, when I crack the nut it will break away. I have already eaten about a third of the nuts and they are very good.  These "English" Walnuts have a milder taste than the Black Walnuts that grow in my area of Pennsylvania.  I'm just eating a couple of these each day as I sit and watch TV.

Hazelnuts:

The Hazelnuts were a much more labor intensive undertaking than the walnuts. The bushes that I had scoped out to do my foraging were stripped bare when I went there.  I was upset but that happens with wild foraging. On a run through my village though I came across hundreds of hazelnut pods along a parking area.  So I headed home and grabbed a big bag so I could collect them.

The pods are a bit prickly when they are dry and they take up a lot of room.  One paper grocery bag filled up quick.  I took the bag home and started popping the nuts out of the pods.  That was a lot harder than I expected. Some of them just fell out but the majority of them had to be twisted and pushed hard with a thumb to get them out.  By the time I was done, and this took at least an hour, a had a coffee can sized container filled with the nuts.  

I wanted to dry them out, kill any insects, and make the shells more brittle so I roasted them in my oven at 400 degrees for about ten minutes.  Sure smelled good. I let them cool for a day and the next day I started cracking them.  If I had to guess I would say 15-20 percent had no meats in them. These are relatively small nuts, being completely untended, and cracking them took quite a while.  I think about an hour and a half to do this one tray. What I got from it was one cup of nuts; not a lot for the amount of work.  But I was sitting on my porch listening to music and so it wasn't extra time out of my day.  The nuts taste really good and I need to figure out what I'll do with them.  I've put some on ice cream but I really should bake something with them I guess.  I have three times as many unshelled nuts and pods bagged and waiting for my to work on them. The nuts I have now are in the fridge so they will keep for quite a while.

So for a couple hours of work I got enough nuts for a few baked items or to eat plain.  If I had more time and was able to get to the nuts first I would have a good supply to carry me through the winter. As it is I have enough to enjoy and it really wasn't too much effort and they were FREE.

Feed a Family of Four for $15 a Day?

Well, that is what this video says you can do.  It does give some good tips but not really enough information to meet the claim of 12 meals for $15.  But if you follow some of the advice given previously in this blog and the advice given in this video I think you could probably do it.

Meals for 4 - $15 a Day

Making a meal plan and sticking to it by buying only what you need for those meals is generally good advice.  However, don't pass up good sale items (regular sales, damaged goods, and stuff nearing expiration) just because it is not on your list.

71 cents for this

$3.54 for  2.3 lbs of pork

I buy beef and pork only from the discount shelf and generally get it at half price.  I can't assume there will be discounted meat on this shelf when I plan my meals.  So these are usually extra buys (not on my shopping list) and I will either eat them right away or freeze them for later.  If I eat it right away I need to adjust my menu for the week.  If it is in my freezer, then I can "Shop from my freezer" later. Both these items were purchased for just pennies above half price.  The schnitzel will be two meals worth of meat cut up in a stir fry with lots of vegetables and noodles (probably Ramen noodles @ 20 cents a package). The roast will be cooked on a Sunday for a splurge meal and then the rest sliced up for meals the rest of the week.  I'll get five day's of meals out of the roast.

Jelly Making

Sometimes, during the summer and fall when fruit is available, you just don't have the time to make your jellies and jams.  That is no big problem really; you can start the process and finish it later.  

Last summer I picked far more elderberries than I needed for jelly last winter so I processed the berries to the juice stage and stored the juice in my freezer until it was needed.  I just used several plastic juice bottles and measured out one batch of juice (3 and 3/4 cups juice for my recipe). Of course, make sure you thoroughly clean the plastic container and leave space in the bottle for the expansion of the juice when it freezes. I took the juice out of the freezer on Monday so it could thaw slowly in the refridge until Saturday when I made jelly.

There are lots of books on jelly making and of course thousands of sites on the internet so I won't go into too much detail on the recipes or cooking process; it will be slightly different for each fruit and recipe. The important thing is to read the recipe and directions several times so it is well in your head before you start.  Then, get out all the pots and pans, measuring cups, ingredients, etc. before you begin.  I like to walk through the process one time, without using the ingredients, just to make sure I have enough space and the things I need are at hand.

Jelly making is more of a science than an art.  You must follow the directions exactly or the jelly might not set properly.  Substitutions rarely work so buy what you need and have it available.  Each type of Pectin is different and they cannot be substituted.  Pectin is the ingredient that "sets" or jells the jelly.  My family has always used "Sure-Gel" but I am not advertising for them.

Your jars and lids must be sterile and and I prefer them to be hot to the touch when I pour in the jelly mix.  This prevents the glass from cracking, which can happen if you pour boiling jelly into a cold glass jar. The large pot on the back of my stove has the jars and lids cooking in boiling water. The lids are sitting in a perforated pan inside the pot so they are out of the water but being steamed.  This just makes it easier to grab a bottle and a lid when the time comes. All my other tools and equipment are set out and ready to be used.

When jelly cooks a certain amount of impurities will float to the surface and form a foam; this is natural.  Follow the recipe's cooking instructions and if you want to use the foam (it is delicious) wait until the jelly is ready to be poured into jars before skimming off the foam. This way it will also set into jelly. You can clearly see the foam in this picture.  

I use a large spoon or small ladle to skim the foam off the top of the liquid jelly mix. I spoon it over into a small bowl to save. It will separate in the bowl and the foam will sit on top of the jelly. It is up to you if you want to eat this or throw it away.  My family always ate the foam and it has a very strong flavor.

Once the cooking jelly is ready (according to your cooking directions) you can pour or ladle it into the hot jars.  If two people are available have one pour and one put on the lids.  You only need to hand tighten the lids, they don't have to be forced.  There is a rubber gasket glued inside the lid and it does the sealing. Normally you only use the lids once but you can use the jars forever as long as the rim stays smooth.  If the rim gets chipped then the jar is no good.  I have successfully reused lids, necessary where I live because they don't sell replacement lids here in The Netherlands.  Out of these four jars one lid did not seal properly so I'll use that jar first. If you don't want to buy canning jars, lids and rings, you can use any recycled jars and seal them with paraffin wax (Gulf Wax is the brand we used).  This adds a step (melting and pour wax into each jar) but works just fine.

It takes just about the same amount of time to make eight jars of jelly as it does four so consider making your jelly in larger batches.  When I was growing up my family made hundreds of jars of jelly every year so doing big batches was more normal.  I only have six jars so I do small batches and time is not an issue for me.

I had Elderberry jelly foam on my toast this morning for breakfast; what a nice treat.

Making your own jelly can be cheaper than buying it if you can get the fruit for free (foraging) or very cheap. If you are going to make a lot of jelly you should buy your Pectin in bulk online (or at a store if one sells it). Go to this URL to read a discussion about pectin: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0510165820597.html

Sugar is the other expensive ingredient so buy it on sale with coupons and store it; sugar keeps a long time if kept cool and dry.

Grocery Price Hikes Coming Soon

    A surprise jump in wholesale food prices in September is bad news for producers and retailers, but you won't feel it in your wallet. Yet. Producer prices — the amount farmers receive for their goods from manufacturers — rose by 6.9% compared to September 2010 or 0.8% on the month, the U.S. Labor Department said Tuesday. Wholesale prices — those paid by retailers — increased by an annual 2.5%; the biggest rise since June 2009. Worse, higher food prices aren't limited to a particular food group. U.S. wholesale prices rose across the board due to the rise in energy costs and commodities like grain and coffee. Fresh and dry vegetable prices soared by 10% on the year last month; beef and veal prices rose by 5.4%.
    Analysts say supermarkets will start passing price increases onto consumers slowly and quietly. "Most retailers have been reluctant to raise prices up until now and have eaten up the higher raw material costs," says Michael Keara, an equity analyst for Morningstar. "But they will start." Although food commodity prices have been climbing steadily this year, grocery stores have held off because they don't want to scare price sensitive customers. However, expect to see supermarket prices edging up in six to nine months, he says.
    Consumers watching their wallets may also want to keep a closer eye on package sizes for their favorite foods. Keara says the jumps in wholesale and producer costs are so high that manufacturers are likely to cut quantity as a way of disguising price hikes. In other words, start making a note of how many ounces you get in your six-pack of your favorite granola bars. "They don't want to shock consumers," he says, noting that increases over 5% hurts sales volumes.
    Shopping experts are already advising consumers to stock up, track expiration dates and freeze perishables. "Shoppers are shopping less frequently, twice per month," says Nick Dellis, a spokesman for online grocery list site Ziplist.com. Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com, which advises consumers on the best coupon-clipping strategies and deals, suggests buying chicken at the end of its two-week sale cycle and freezes it. Buying chicken at $2 a pound or half price saves her $450 a year.

Laundry Savings

This will be a small diversion since laundry would not seem to have a connection with the cost of food.  I'm including this posting though because most of us buy our laundry supplies at the grocery store.  Others buy theirs at bulk stores like Costco, Sam's Club, etc.  Since I buy my laundry detergent at the grocery store it does have a direct impact on my grocery bill.  Every once in a while I must buy laundry soap.

So here are a few hints on how to save money on your laundry soap and then use that money to buy food.

• Buy store brands. Name brand detergents are usually more expensive than store brand equivalents, even though both do the same job.Watch for sales though and carefully compare prices.

• Get powdered. Powered laundry soaps generally cost far less than the liquid variety. They are more compact, since there is no added water, and the containers are usually cardboard, which is cheaper than the plastic bottles liquid soaps come in. To avoid powdery residue on your clean wash, be sure to partially fill your washing machine with water and soap before adding your laundry. This method also helps liquefy the detergent powder more evenly into your wash.

• Add baking soda. Re-use the baking soda from your fridge (or old, out of date stuff from your cupboard) and toss it into your wash. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and improves the soap's washing ability. Just add a quarter cup to your washing machine’s rinse cycle to use as a fabric softener and odor remover. You can pre-treat spots before putting clothes into the wash by making a paste from baking soda and water.

• Add white vinegar.  Full strength white vinegar is an excellent cleaning aid for neutralizing germs, bacteria, and molds. Along with baking soda, vinegar helps to deodorize your smelly items like well-worn socks and under garments.

There are lots of ways to save money on laundry besides the laundry soap but I'm not addressing that here.  Here are a few tricks I use in addition to the tips above:

Most people use more laundry soap than is really needed.  Do this test.  Take your bed linens and put them in the wash as you normally would except skip the laundry soap; just run them through in plain water.  Let the washing cycle begin but open the lid and stop the agitation cycle after it has been running for 2-3 minutes.  Take a look at the water.  Are there bubbles or white foam on top of the water?  Generally there will be some.  This is because of a combination of adding too much laundry soap and not running a good rinse cycle.  What I have found is that I can use 1/4 of the normal laundry soap when I wash lightly soiled clothes and sheets all the time or every other time because of the residual soap left behind in the fabric.  I don't do this with towels, wash cloths, socks, or underwear but for everything else it works fine.

I segregate my clothes into whites and colors like most everyone else does but I also separate heavily soiled clothes from clothes that have just been worn long enough to need laundering. Lightly soiled clothes such as outer shirts, pants, pajamas, and bed linen don't need a whole lot of cleaning to begin with and just a little soap goes a long way.  The more heavily soiled clothes get special treatment.  I load the washer and add 1/2 to 3/4 of the recommended amount of laundry detergent (depending how dirty the clothes are) and start the washing cycle.  I let it go to the agitation cycle but then stop it after 1-2 minutes and let it set and soak for 5-10 minutes.  Then I let it agitate again for 1-2 minutes and stop it again to soak for up to ten minutes.  Then I let it run as normal.  Running the washer in this way gets my clothes cleaner with less detergent.

Where I live the liquid detergent is the same price or less than powdered detergent so that is what I use.  Most liquid detergent bottles now have that no spill inner spout like in this picture.  Those are great for limiting spills and messes from detergent running down the side of the bottle.  But they also make it nearly impossible to get all the product out of the bottle and that creates waste and costs extra money.  I have two cures for that problem.  The first is to use as much of the detergent as you can get out in the normal way.  Once you can't pour any more out there is about 1/4 to 1/2 of a measure of the product trapped in the bottle.  I will hold the bottle under the running water (filling the washer) and swoosh it around and pour it out.  I have to do this 5-6 times until the liquid coming out of the container is mostly water.  I also rinse the cap under the running water.  This gets me one "free" load of laundry and cleans up my waste somewhat.  I recycle plastics here and now it is a rinsed and clean plastic bottle.

Method two is not always possible. After I get all the usable laundry detergent out of a bottle I try to remove the inner pour spout with a pair of pliers if it is possible.  Usually it is possible but not always; some are glued in place. 

Once the pour spout is removed you can add water during the washer's "Fill" cycle and rinse out a usable measure of detergent for a lightly soiled load of laundry. I completely rinse out the bottle, the inner pour spout, and the bottle cap.  Again, this gives me one "Free" load of laundry and cleans up my recycle material for better ecology.  

These are simple things to do to save money at the grocery store, which can then be used to purchase more or better food. It takes very little effort and pays off pretty well in the long term.

Peanut butter prices about to soar due to poor harvest

The PB&J: Classic. Comforting. And, with peanut prices skyrocketing, soon to be more costly. After searingly hot weather devastated the summer crop of Runner peanuts, the variety mostly used to make peanut butter, raw peanuts that cost about $450 a ton in 2010 now cost $1,150 a ton, according to USDA figures.

The crunch will affect the 90% of U.S. households that consume peanut butter — Americans eat about 1.5 million pounds of peanut products annually. The industry, according to the National Peanut Board, contributes more than $4 billion to the domestic economy each year.

High prices are expected to trickle down to consumers soon. J.M. Smucker Co.’s Jif will boost wholesale prices 30% this fall, according to the Wall Street Journal. Unilever’s Skippy brand will see a 35% increase while ConAgra Foods Inc.’s Peter Pan label will jump nearly 25%.

I went out and bought five 28 oz jars of Peanut Butter on sale for $2.49 each.  I'll watch prices and pick up some more later.  I eat a jar every two weeks or less.  Peanut Butter is a big part of my diet; it is the cheapest form of quality protein on the market.  But maybe not for too much longer.  Get some now before the prices go up.

Soup from Scraps

Once the weather gets colder I like to clean out the freezer and fridge to make a batch of soup.  It is in the mid-forties, dark, windy, with intermittent rain. Sounds like a good day for soup to me.  I buy two items as my base for vegetable beef soup; a can of beef broth and a can of diced tomatoes.  Most everything else is leftovers from the freezer and fridge.

I live in The Netherlands where the electric grid is 220 volt but my crock pot is 110v so I needed a step-down transformer to use my crock pot.  Recently I was given a 2,000 watt transformer so I can finally use the slow cooker to make soup.  I went through the freezer to see what I had and did end up buying a couple additional items, not needed but wanted for flavor and nutrition.

Here is what went into my soup today:

$0.89 - 1 x 14.5 oz can beef broth

$0.75 - 1 x 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

$0.31 - 1 x  large potato

$0.27 - 2 x small parsnips

$0.25 - four inches of a large leek; diced

$0.35 - one cup of mixed dried beans ($1.89 a bag)

$2.29 - 0.89 lbs of diced beef (bought from the half-priced self)

$0.00 - two large plasticware containers of beef gravy and drippings from previous meals

$0.00 - three clusters of broccoli leftover from a garlic chicken stir fry

$0.00 - 3/4 cup of mixed vegetables leftover from previous meals

Seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon of Wrights Hickory Seasoning (Liquid Smoke), Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning.

This will stay in the crock pot for 6-8 hours and will make just a little less than one gallon of soup for $5.11.  I will eat this over the next couple days with a roll for a nutritious, satisfying meal for about $1.00-$1.25 a meal.