# How much store bought food do you buy?



## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

I'm interested in knowing how much (actually how little) food people here are buying at the store.

We've just been talking a lot at our house about getting away from having to buy all kinds of stuff. So, I thought we could glean some wisdom and inspiration from others who might be willing to share what level on successes you've had so far with specifically getting away from store bought foods. And, possibly what one or two things you guys felt made the biggest impact. I'm open to any ideas from growing your own to bartering to........ If you do barter, how did you find/create the trading partners?

Thanks for any experience you're all willing to share!


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

It really depends on what members of the family are willing to give up. My Dh likes certian store products like Heinz ketsup. I can make ketsup but he prefers the store,no matter how many times I try to change the recipe-in his head,he wants the store stuff. Spoiled? Self indulgent? Whatever, I can't say because I'd just do without and no big deal.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I am just starting this journey so don't have great words of wisdom yet! My first goal is to not go to the grocery store so often which is usually weekly. Once the garden gets producing this year that gets easier. 

My first step was to start pressure canning, I was canning fanatically every winter weekend. I now have shelves of beans, meats and "meals in a jar". Buying bulk dried beans and canning them yourself is a great way to save money and very satisfying!

We have chickens, but have realized that goats and cows are not for us. DH cares too much for the animals and is stressed by that. The big store issue is dairy products. I make yogurt, but I can't give up my 1/2 & 1/2 : ) We live in a cattle ranching area so local beef is easy to get but there are no local dairies. 

This year I hope to be dehydrating, freezing and canning much of our produce. Last year we stored some of it but weren't really focused on future food. We gave a lot away!

I'll also comment that it is a balance with time. I work full time, DH is home but he doesn't do food preservation. Once you start canning, making yogurt, bread and putting up the garden, there's not much time for anything else! 

Would love to hear other people's stories.


----------



## claytonpiano (Feb 3, 2005)

Before I answer, I want to say that I have been canning and storing food for 40 years. It takes a long time to get to where we are in food production and self sufficiency. We have a huge garden and we buy in bulk because I HATE shopping. With that said.......

We buy organic apples, wheat berries, some spices that we cannot raise, barley, wheat gluten, lecithin, pasta, sour cream (I do make this occasionally), cheese (I am too lazy to make it and too impatient to wait on good cheese), sometimes peanut butter, dried beans, almonds, rice, coconut oil, olive oil, olives, vinegar, salmon, tea and coffee. We do buy oranges in season because we obviously cannot grow them in NC. We may try in the greenhouse some day, but would rather grow avocados!! There are probably other things, but those are the ones that come to mind first. I have made my own pasta, but if I can find a deal on whole grain and organic, then I buy all that I can. 

We do make our own mustard, ketchup, salad dressings and dehydrate and can most of our own meats and vegetables. We buy a grass fed cow yearly and butcher the egg layers after a couple of years for meat. We sometimes buy organic turkeys at Costco when they are marked down after Thanksgiving. This year, we let the chickens live and bought the turkey at the greatly reduced price. I think we bought 27 and canned all of them. Yes, it took several days, but we have enough turkey for over a year for casseroles, soups and BBQ turkey sandwiches, etc. We got them for $14 each and they are usually $45. I considered that a good savings. It costs way more than that for me to raise them. A bag of feed costs me $14 and turkeys eat a lot. I can get fat from grass fed pigs from a neighbor and he calls me when he has extra for me to render into lard. 

We work hard for several days, but then I have "instant food" in the pantry for most of the year and cooking becomes really simple. Our "processed food" comes from our garden and the things we buy listed above. 

The real key, however, is to realize that this takes a lot of time at certain times of the year. We do not plan to go on vacation in July or August. The garden is coming in and I am canning or dehydrating. I used to can everything, but have discovered that dehydrating is an incredible time saver and easier for some things. I dehydrate broccoli, onions, all peppers, hamburger jerky, and corn. Dehydrated sweet corn makes incredible creamed corn during the winter that tastes as close to fresh as I have been able to create in January! I have a wonderful onion chopper tool where you peal the onions, place half of the onion on a blade, close the lid and it dices for you. I have shredded them in the food processor, but the onion chopper is much better. I use it for pepper as well, to avoid my hands burning for days after chopping hot peppers. (Yes I use gloves, but chili peppers and jalapeÃ±os can still bite through the gloves)

I also pickle lots of vegetables in a crock next to the crocks of sauerkraut. You learn to do lots of different things to help with variety as time goes on. 

There will be those who tell you that you can freeze just as easily and that it tastes better. That is probably true, but we have lost all of the food in our freezer more than once. I use the freezer as a holding space until I can get to the meat and sometimes do the same with vegetables. If I cannot get to the produce, then freezing is an option, but I often choose to dehydrate over freezing. I do freeze every tomato for canning just as soon as I pick them. the reason is that after they are frozen, you dump them in hot water and allow them to thaw somewhat. As they thaw, the peels begin to fall off in the water or I lift them off as I place them in the food processor. I do cut out the hard spot at the top, but freezing them to remove the peels is a MAJOR TIME saver.

I have probably shared more than you wanted to know, but just really wish I had had someone to help me when I was starting. You are beginning a great adventure. It has been hard, but I have loved the wonderful, fresh food in my pantry. I do use Tattler lids and have most of my jars.....so, my food is virtually free now that we save seeds and re-use the lids. People will tell you that you cannot save money doing this, but I know better. Since January, I have not spent more than $50 per month at the grocery store because we live off what we raised, canned and dehydrated. Still, it has taken 40 years to get to this place, doing a little bit more each year and making investments in canners, jars, lids, and dehydrators over time.


----------



## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

I still buy quite a bit, as we just don't have the acreage or desire to be that self sufficient. My goal is just to do what I can with what we have. I do try and feed my family as healthy as I can, but we do not buy everything organic. I try and just shop the perimeter of the grocery store, but it's hard. I do not buy things like cereal, packaged snacks, occasionally we will buy a frozen pizza for convenience.


----------



## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

to clayton piano,

your post is awesome. thanks. i have two questions. 

do you cut the top off the tomatoes before you freeze them?

and, when you can meat, is it basically ready to just heat and serve? i haven't tried this before, so i'm trying to understand if you can cooked meat or what.


----------



## claytonpiano (Feb 3, 2005)

I cut the tops off after the freeze. Too much juice runs out otherwise and you have a huge glob of tomatoes that take forever to thaw. (Don't ask me how I know that. DUH!!!)

The meat... it is cooked when you pressure can it, however, every good canning book will tell you to listen for the swooooosh when you open it and to boil it for 10 minutes before eating it. I have eaten it straight from the jar, but that is stupid. Why risk the nasties that can invade poorly sealed jars? 

I can meat in a couple of ways. Sometimes I cook it first and cover with water or broth and can. Other times, I pack it raw and then pressure can. It creates its own juice that way. Things that are too dense should not be pressure canned and I do not do that....one of those is meat loaf. A way to get around that is to can meatballs or patties with your favorite ingredients and process those, but still, to be safe, I cook before I can those. I want to be certain the internal temperature reaches the proper level. 

My favorite meats canned....teriyaki beef, steak and onions, roast in tomato sauce, roast in onions and peppers, Poor Man's steak (tons of recipes on the web). Plain chicken or turkey cooked then canned in juice. That becomes so many different dishes or chicken salad or BBQ on buns and on and on. Again, heat it first. I do heat the chicken for chicken salad and then refrigerate it to use later in the day. Maybe I am just paranoid, but I have no desire to make myself or others sick. 

I am careful when making the ground beef jerky as well and use the recipes from the Excalibar dehydrator book. I use their temperatures and their suggested times and then I check. It has to be extremely dry before I store it in jars that I vacuum seal. 

There are others here who are more experts than I am, I feel certain. Read a LOT and be sure to check the USDA web site for great recipes and ideas. Their tomato book is fantastic and we have loved all of the recipes from it.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

ClaytonPiano - Thanks so much, you have some wonderful tips! I need to find an onion chopper. This will be our first year with a dehydrator, so far seems vastly superior to canning vegetables, especially as I make so many soups. 

My adventure into self-sufficiency also stems from hating shopping, well, hating to drive into town and waste so much time shopping!


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

gibbsgirl said:


> I'm interested in knowing how much (actually how little) food people here are buying at the store.
> 
> We've just been talking a lot at our house about getting away from having to buy all kinds of stuff. So, I thought we could glean some wisdom and inspiration from others who might be willing to share what level on successes you've had so far with specifically getting away from store bought foods. And, possibly what one or two things you guys felt made the biggest impact. I'm open to any ideas from growing your own to bartering to........ If you do barter, how did you find/create the trading partners?
> 
> Thanks for any experience you're all willing to share!


I was thinking about the bartering question. We don't currently barter although my husband would love to. But my brother gets a lot of his essential foods by barter, although I don't know if he even thinks of it as bartering. He raises grass fed beef and lamb. He trades this for milk, butter and cream from a local dairy. He sells at a farmer's market and trades his meat for others veggies, bread, chutney's, honey etc. When I last visited him he said the only thing he buys from the store is yogurt! Which he could make, but doesn't bother too. Since his wife died he doesn't bother with a garden as he can trade for veggies. He does have chickens and geese as well for eggs and meat.


----------



## House faerie (Apr 29, 2007)

Nuts, condiments, DAIRY PRODUCTS!! lots of those, tho I plan to make butter soon from milk we get down the road. I buy a lit of bulk items such as beans, rice, natural salt, grains; a lot of oats but less wheat as time gos on because we are limiting wheat. I buy spices as well and a great deal of produce and if there are sales I buy LITS to put up.. I can and dehydrated. Each year is better than the year before.


----------



## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

so, now i'm wondering about storing canning jars that you aren't using.

do you let the jars that have been used accumulate til next season or do you can something else as soon as you have enough empties to do a batch?

if you let many empties accumulate, do you have a trick to keeping them organized and out of the way and stored safely?


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Since the drought hit, about 75-80% -- before that it was more like 45-50%. I didn't even get a deer this year due to drought and hot weather during hunting season. Hate having to buy red meat! I'm just about at the end of my home canned goods, so if we don't have a decent growing season this year, it will be 95% store bought.


----------



## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

gibbsgirl said:


> so, now i'm wondering about storing canning jars that you aren't using.
> 
> do you let the jars that have been used accumulate til next season or do you can something else as soon as you have enough empties to do a batch?
> 
> if you let many empties accumulate, do you have a trick to keeping them organized and out of the way and stored safely?


Yes, this is an issue especially in a small house! I do find myself using the jars for all kinds of things, you can get plastic tops that are great for fridge items. I think the wide mouths are the most useful. I have a few stacks of them in the garage and my under the stairs storage. I usually put just the band back on them and pop them back in the box so the tops don't get chipped. I have bins for rings and boxes for used lids and stacks of new lids. 

But I have nowhere the number others have. Do a search on HT and you'll find some amusing threads on storage!


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I buy no beef,chicken,rabbit, or pork ,I grind my own corn meal.milk my own cow make butter n ice cream,theres a couple hundred pounds of potatoes starting to sprout in the root cellar with new ones starting to grow in the garden we just dug up some cabbage heads that were still good after being buried all winter .I buy out of season things like lettice and fresh tomatoes oranges .but canned beans,corn and tomatoes are home grown .I bake a lot and buy flower and sugar though I some times will grind some wheat ,I make sourgum mallases and have honey bees . but i'm not weaned off junk food soft white bread and peanut butter pizza is something I usally get adding extra cheese ect .even though I can make better it is easyer .apples straberrys peaches oranges making my on jellys and apple butter .even with my own couple trees i'll buy by the bushel at a local farm or at a produce ware house since my friend stoped his produce market I pick my own berrys for wine . and spices and yeast; of corse for spical occasions water melons and cantlop are never ripe on time gotta have kool aid .but I have the ability to be totally free of the grocery store .but not really the feed store where I spend most of my grocery money on aninal feed for chickens and rabbits -cow enen some whole wheat for me.


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

Vosey said:


> Yes, this is an issue especially in a small house! I do find myself using the jars for all kinds of things, you can get plastic tops that are great for fridge items. I think the wide mouths are the most useful. I have a few stacks of them in the garage and my under the stairs storage. I usually put just the band back on them and pop them back in the box so the tops don't get chipped. I have bins for rings and boxes for used lids and stacks of new lids.
> 
> But I have nowhere the number others have. Do a search on HT and you'll find some amusing threads on storage!


 yes I intend to get organizezed some day :ashamed: ith emptyjars under the beds in boxes out in the barn and root cellar but my dreamed of outdoor summer kitchen is started with plans for a huge floor to celing cabinet for MT jars and shelves for all these huge canners, colanders, pellers,pitters strainers gringers, and huge sink and dishwasher ,and a un finished wood table for cutting and clamping .can't wait :banana:


----------



## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

arnie - 
we have to spend a lot to feed our animals too. we just have an acre right now, so not enough pasture type land to do much with at all.

however, this year i'm want to build some new paddocks to rotate our animals. and we're culling our goats and poultry to be a much smaller amount than we've had in the past. i want to try and let our animals graze as much as i can to cut down on the feed bills. 

hopefully i'll know before we buy hay again in the fall how well my plan works. as usual, it looks fool proof on paper. i've learned that is in no way an indicator of how well my plan will actually work. lol.

anyone got any tips for how they've been able to cut their feed bills without their livestock suffering healthwise, so that the food you get from your animals isn't so dependent on store bought feed and supplements?

thanks everyone for sharing so far. hope others will jump in and share, too.


----------



## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

ClaytonPiano - excellent post, thanks for sharing.

We're not set up for full food production yet, so still buy nearly all our food; but we buy nearly everything in bulk and then process it at home mostly canning or drying. 
We're 4 hours from the nearest store, so we tend to stock up for 3-6 months at a time. 

I stock up on meat (beef, goat & hog shares plus hunting) in the winter because it's well below freezing and I can just leave it out on the porch in a cooler for 4-6 months until we get around to eating, curing/smoking, or canning it up. Chicken, rabbit & fish are the only meat we eat fresh during the summer, and I have to can the surplus so we have some in winter. (I don't trust dehydrating chicken & rabbit , but I do salt & smoke the fish).

We buy fresh local fruit, veg and grain from the farmer's market in bulk during the summer and I normally can or dry (solar dehydrator) the surplus produce. 

For produce that won't grow here (nearly everything LOL), I either buy dehydrated/freeze-dried in bulk, buy frozen in bulk at Costco/Sam's and, or have bulk crates shipped in season (mostly apples, peaches, pears and citrus). Then I process it at home into usable sizes for us.

There are only a few herbs that grow here, and none of the spices, so I order those dry in bulk and process into smaller sizes as well. I buy salt (iodized, canning, mineralized, insta-cure 1 & 2), sugar (white & brown) & baking soda in 50 lb bags and then transfer them to 6 gallon buckets with gamma seal lids.

I don't use much oil for cooking because I get a about 5 lbs of lard and 20 lbs of tallow from my shares (plus extra really cheap from them), as well as local butter in 5 lb tubs. I do purchase olive oil and peanut oil, but not in bulk, just the largest jug I can use in 6-12 months before it starts going rancid.

Even though we currently need to buy almost everything, and almost everything has to be shipped into the state, our food budget is considerably less than average because we buy everything in bulk and put it up. I can get this even lower if I buy a gross order of bulk dry goods and have it all freighted up here on pallets, many places will give free shipping on those types of orders... but I can only fit 2 pallets in the back of my truck and it takes nearly a month non-stop to process all that, and constant worry that something will get into it before I do since I don't have room in the cabin to hold it all.

ETA: we do get more lard from our hog shares, but I use most of it for making sausage with leaner meats and game. I use bear lard for soapmaking instead of the tastier pork lard & beef tallow... there is a LOT of lard on a fall bear!


----------

