The Resurrection of Dragon Woman's Kitchen

  

So.  Here's the thing.  Times are tough right now.  People are freaking out over the cost of food (as am I). The price of gas is ridiculous. The world is in chaos.  As you know, I have long been a proponent of keeping a stocked pantry and cooking at home. I know lots of people think they can't do this, but there are many ways to stock your pantry. I don't have a traditional "pantry". The house I grew up in did. I created a pantry from a big walk-in closet in the bedroom that is now my office. I bought metal shelving units and built other shelves in there. It works. At one time, almost everything in there came from my hand-- I planted, grew, harvested and canned so many fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, applesauce, pie fillings-- you name it.  I was extremely pleased with myself.  lol  It looked like this:  

   Fast forward a couple of years, and I had some major issues.  FIRST-- raccoons killed all my chickens. I lost it. I live in the country on a small piece of dirt and can do anything I want out here, so I had about a dozen layers all the time.   Then I had a mild heart attack, which resulted in a quadruple bypass. Hospital stay, and changed me quite a bit.  That was in  2020 when the pandemic began. I couldn't handle the heat of this midwestern area I live in, I was limited in ways I never imagined I would be. No garden that year. No garden the next year. Just couldn't do it. This year in late February, I tripped in the middle of the night in the bathroom and fell hard on the stone tile floor, breaking my ankle. A Trimalleolar Fracture they said.  The least commonly seen break, it was the tibia, the fibula and the calcaneal ankle bone, all broken right down where they meet at the ankle. Surgery, plates and pins, PT and learning how to walk again after 6 weeks of no weight bearing. So.. no garden this year. Much of my pantry staples have been depleted. So I had to start buying things differently. I've been a little depressed about it all. 

   Now, here we are:  people have been asking me for help figuring out how to navigate these times, in way of meal ideas, grocery shopping and such. First, I want to recommend a book by my friend Sharon Astyk called  "Independence Days".  Some years ago I took an online series of classes that she did about stocking and eating out of your pantry. It was invaluable.  Her book is full of really great ideas and information. Look for it at your local bookseller, but not Amazon. The price there is ridiculous. lol  She talked about things I hadn't thought of at all, like how much pet food to store, what food can you eat if there's no electricity, gas, or  refrigeration.  What about medications ? So much to consider. I keep  fully stocked medical supplies too. I bought masks 4 years ago and gloves. When the pandemic started and everything was in short supply, I had things. Not just food, but bandages and vitamins and aspirin and stuff. 

  I want to start a series of blogs here about supplies to make less expensive healthy foods that can feed your family affordably, and the recipes to go with them. The meals won't be any fancy dancy things that no one can make at home. And they will be wholesome and healthy and easy.  We'll see how it goes. If I get no responses, it's okay, I'll just do it until I get tired of doing it. But I want you to know...there are no rules in cooking. It's magic. And it's also the most primal form of love you can show your family. Every post will contain one thing for you to buy to start your stocking up process. All basic staples. Okay ??  I will start the first post tomorrow, after I go to the local market to try to make a deal to take the rest of the corned beef off their hands if they'll haggle.  Roast beef prices here are between 5 and 7 dollars a pound. Even ground beef is stupid high. They have some corned beef for 1.99/lb. I'm going to get more. The top picture is corned beef I bought a couple of weeks ago and canned. If you're not a canner, you can freeze it too.  But what happens if your electricity goes away ?? That's why I started canning meats. 

  See you tomorrow.