Eating Organic on a Budget

KK or anyone – I don’t can but I do freeze a lot – what sort of nutritional loss happens when canning?  I read that with curiosity, because I had thought I may do some, but now I am not sure.  Linda

Thanks Gaeleen, nutrients are always lost in some way or another – through age, cooking and freezing, but I wondered about the canning, my mum used to can but I never got into it.  I will do a bit more research and see what I find out.  Hope your tummy bug troubles are better now in the family as well.  Blessings to you too…Linda

Des.

Starting a “small” garden is a good beginning. You will first want to understand your growing season. If you live in MN you won’t be putting plants out in April… Ok then I would suggest absolute favorites, Like tomatoes (buy plants at first) lettuce is easy, peas, cukes… (these can be directly sown)

Currently we are doing our own plants , my hubby just built me a plant rack with grow lights (on wheels nonetheless) and we have begun our plants, This year we are aiming to save our own seeds, (they cannot be hybrid) in order to do that…

Another thought is raised beds, (which we do) a good book from the library you can get is The New Square Foot Gardening… very simple to read and implement…

Best wishes.and don’t hesitate to let the kinders join in starting their own plants and maybe even keeping charts of progress etc… KK

Hi Lindsey,

I did a quick scan of all of the responses, so I may duplicate some of the already posted hints.  Please forgive me if that occurs.

If you must choose where to spend your $ on organic items, go for the dairy and meats.  Most toxins from sprays, etc. are fat soluable, so organic butter, milk, and meat is the best bang for your buck.

Do a search for the “dirty dozen” in produce.  This list not only shows the top 12 veggies to buy organic, but also gives a list of the least “dirty” 12, so you can choose wisely.

We are a part of an organic co-op.  We do not pick what goes into our produce box, but have a general one picked out (we have chosen the fruit and veggie box).  This gives us a nice variety of produce for $35.00 every two weeks (that includes the delivery cost as they bring it to our door).  I have figured out that if I were to go to the store for the same items we would spend anywhere from $50 to $60 for the same items on a given week.  If you have an option like this in your area, it is worth the time to investigate it.

We also make our own breads and baked goods using organic bulk grain substitutes for our DF/ GF family.  This is a substantial cost savings over ready made items, mixes, and flours in that order.

We make our own ice cream from coconut milk – YUM! and the cost savings is HUGE!  For a quart container of coconut milk ice cream it can cost anywhere from $4.00 on sale to $6.00.  We can make it for a grand total of $1.75 or so for a half gallon.

I am working on a recipe for coconut yogurt for our family.  Again, the cost savings will be similar to the ice cream.

I make our own version of Larabars which are delish!  This can get pricey if you do not have access to bulk organic nuts, but it is so worth it because you can make some unique flavors for your family. 🙂  Also, I have bought the 18 pack of Larabars at Sam’s club when I can’t get the nuts I want in bulk.  The box sells for $15.00 in my area which makes each bar $.83.  Also a friend of mine found them on sale in the Chicago area for $.79 so you can go that route as well since these are a great stand in for a candy bar or can be used in a pinch as a meal substitute when we’re on the run.

I think someone mentioned Farmer’s Markets as the place to get veggies and fruit.  Also check with neighbors and church friends who may have a bigger harvest tan they can use. 🙂

In the fall, check with people you know to see if they have nut trees and would allow you to come and gather nuts.  This is a good way to stock up on  your supply and the only cost is your time and labor in picking them up hulling and cracking.  Do note that unless you’ve done this before it is a good idea to read up on how to best do these last two online so you can decide if you want to spend your time and labor in this area.

Pax,

~j

Here are the recipes:

Vanilla Ice Cream – makes one quart (Recipe from lick it! creamy, dreamy vegan ice creams your mouth will love)

14 oz of coconut milk1 1/4 c non-dairy milk (we just use more coconut milk)1/2 c granulated sugar or agave nectar (we have used palm sugar crystals and stevia as well)1 T vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (we use cold c.nut milk in this, so about 20 minutes in the freezer works well if it’s the milk is already chilled to begin with). Then freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream – omit vanilla and add 6 T of creamy peanut butter.  1/2 c chopped roasted peanuts are optional. (This is VERY good, if you like peanut butter.)

Homemade Larabars –

1 1/2 c nuts – pick your favorite(s) 3/4 c dates, pitted and not soaked

Place nuts in food processor to chop.  After desired texture of nuts is acheived, add in dates one at a time. Check mixture periodically to see if it will hold by squeezing a small amount together and see if it holds.  You may need slightly more than 3/4 c of dates depending on the texture and type of nuts.

As you add in your dates, you may add other ingredients you desire.

Cinnamon Raisin – cinnamon to taste & raisins

Apple Pie – dried apples & cinnamon or pie spices (we have used fresh apples as well and rolled the mix into balls and frozen them (YUM!) Since I can’t do cinnamon, I use coriander and this gives it a light, zingy taste. (Also YUM!)

All cashews and dates = Larabar’s Cashew Cookie

Lemon Juice & zest (opt) = Larabar’s Lemon (note: you may need more nuts w/ the addition of the liquid)

Other radom additions we’ve used in varying proportions/ mixtures:

Dried blueberries, cherries, &/or strawberriesCraisinsDF Chocolate chips & carob powder (cocoa powder would work, too.)Pie SpiceVanilla Power (or extract)Ginger (spice)

Also note that they type of nuts you use will alter the taste, sometimes rather dramatically, so you can make the same recipe w/ various varieties and have a nice variation/ appeal to several tastes.

Enjoy!

Hello All! 🙂

I’m new here but wanted to chime in as food politics are near and dear to my heart!

I won’t go into nitty gritty details but I would encourage everyone to put your dollars into organics and definitely check out the mentioned ‘dirty dozen’ lists but also watch the GMO lists and realize that the ‘dirty dozen’ changes each year.

I used to not eat organics only because I couldn’t afford them but dearly wanted to. Pesticides were yuck. Easy enough and I wanted the best for my family and myself.

Now, I realize the game has changed significantly over the last 20 years or so with the public unleashing of the GMO food. I also realize that we don’t have much longer to actually hide behind the ‘organic’ label from these genetically modified, damaging, untested foods since the government has allowed partial and full deregulation in the use of these crops both for human and crop use (what food source animals eat so still for human use by default).

In other words, pesticides are now the less of the evils, in a twisted way. I would also encourage folks to do their own research into the matter but do not allow yourselves to be comforted by words from ‘officials’ who have something to gain. Always check the agenda of the person doing the talking. I also realize that speaking to a group of homeschooling ladies, I am speaking to a group of women who put more time into thinking about just about everything they do so hopefully, that last is something that goes without saying.

I no longer eat much of anything that isn’t organic. I watch my children like a hawk and try not to fall apart inside if they eat something that isn’t ‘clean’, knowing that I feed them an exceptional diet the rest of the time. We have a very limited budget but that is what our money goes into.

Ideas for eating more cheaply:

I eat a very strict Paleo diet so for me, no grains, no beans, no dairy although I use some heavy cream, occasional slight hard cheese and high fat, moderate protein, lots of veggies, no refined sugar, nothing artificial, as organic as possible.

-I buy organic, grass fed beef by purchasing an entire cow from a local farm. It costs me about $3.65/lb. You can’t beat that price in any grocery store, even for the cheapest, nastiest meat and yet, this is top quality, grass fed, organic. You don’t have to buy it an entire cow at a time. I just happen to a. have a large family and b. our diet contains a lot more protein than most. I also intend to can some beef for my emergency preps I’m working on.

-I’m working on expanding my mother’s vegetable garden to at least triple it’s size. We go through a lot of veggies and I also intend to can and dehydrate.

-I think one thing that the Paleo style of eating has taught me that was more enlightening than just about anything else: If I only have crap food available to me, I simply don’t eat it. Of course, this doesn’t apply for my kids but it doesn’t hurt the adults in my family at all. Our diet lends itself pretty easily to intermittent fasting due to being extremely low carb.

-Lastly, check out azurestandard.com They are a co-op farm place with a rather unique set up but if they deliver to your area, you will have the option to get some of the BEST prices on organics around! Be sure to check out their bulk prices for things. Getting set up with them can be a slight pain but it’s totally worth it.

I’m always too wordy but I hope this helps 🙂