Week 4 : The High Cost of Eating

 
Let's talk about the current issue of food pricing for a minute.  It's on everyone's mind, because frankly, there are people who can barely afford to eat. I was listening to an episode on NPR and they were talking about the hike in food prices everywhere around the world.  They said food prices in the US are up over 14% . That's one of the biggest jumps we've seen in a long time.  But as bad as that is, and as much as we're seeing items disappearing on the shelves, we are still not as bad as some places. Lebanon for instance, has seen a 3000% increase in food prices. People are starving because they cannot afford to buy food. The reasons for these increases are varied and troubling...war, climate change events that include drought, flooding, fires; embargos, gas prices.  Many many things that are beyond our control. 

So, in order for me to not lose it over all this... what can I do ?  I can try to stay on top of it all by 1) Changing the way I eat   2) Being mindful of wasting food  3) Learning to cook real food and not just buy fast food  4) Stocking my pantry by watching sales and buying in bulk  and 5)  Educating myself about how people in poorer countries than mine eat and cook and manage to survive.

If you can garden in any way--Garden. In the backyard, in the front yard, in pots.  Just do it. Raising your own food is not only a good financial idea, but it also gives you a better appreciation of the food we eat. If you have the time and location do some large scale gardening and then can, freeze or dehydrate it to store.  There are lots of great books out there on preserving foods. Read some.

I have learned that the best way to stretch a food budget is to rarely make meat a main entree, I still do now and then, but I often make it a central ingredient rather than the main attraction.  We eat less meat and what meat we do have goes a lot farther.
I carefully watch for sales in our smaller community markets and take advantage of them when I can. This week I came across a boneless pork loin on sale for $1.99/lb  Normally I wouldn't buy them for more than .88-.99/lb. But things aren't normal anymore.  I have seen boneless pork loin in the last month for 3.49 lb !! I bought 3 beautiful loins at about 25 lbs total. I cut them up into cubes and canned them, except for 8 boneless chops I cut from the biggest one. That was our Sunday night supper, (with leftovers) and boy was it good.  I canned 11 quarts and 1 pint of pork. That's a minimum of 20-25 meals for 2. So, for less than 50 dollars I get to feed us for about 2 dollars apiece. The meat part, anyway. And that's a deal kids. People always ask me what I do with canned pork. Here's a few things: Carnitas, posole, bbq sandwiches, sweet'n'sour pork, pork fried rice, burritos, Caribbean Stew, a sandwich spread that is like ham salad, only made with pork. And anything else you can imagine.

 So, here's a short tutorial on canning pork loin. Ready ??

 Assemble your equipment : Canner, cutting board, sharp big knife, bowl to hold the cubed pork, clean jars and lids and rings. Don't mind my messy kitchen-- it's well used !  

I cut the big loins in half and work with half a one at a time. Slice it into 1 inch wide chops. Cut each chop into 3 strips and then finish cutting into cubes. Keep at it until you've cut the whole thing. 

Meats MUST BE PRESSURE CANNED. Food safety people. I have 2 canners.  My trusty old Presto which is used on top of the stove and my smaller Carey canner which is electric. I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE this thing. It's self regulating temp wise, which is the hardest part of canning sometimes with the stove top ones. The downside is that it only holds 4 quarts at a time, while the other (Presto) holds 7 quarts at a time. But still, with the crazy price of gas and propane now, I'd rather use the electric one anyway since we have propane. 

Pack the clean quart jars full, using a knife to  push out the air pockets and tamp the meat down. Use a vinegar soaked cloth or paper towel to wipe the rims, making sure there is no food or grease on the rim from packing the jar. I firmly suggest you use a canning jar funnel to load the jars. Makes it much easier. Wash the lids in hot soapy water and rinse well then set on top of the jar and put the rings on. Tighten them "finger tight".  Tight, but not wrenched down. Follow your canners directions on how much water it needs. Quart jars of meat must pressure can for 90 minutes. That's an hour and a half. It's a long time.  I use the interim time to start the next batch of cutting and chopping, and take a break in the middle there somewhere.

   Here's today's adventure, finally finished. The jars have all "pinged" which let's you know they've sealed. Some of them are still bubbling. I place a heavy old folded bath towel on the table to set them on, because the jars must not be moved for at least 24 hours. Also-- make sure wherever you put them, there's no draft.  They need to sit unmolested to finish the cooling and sealing process. 

   You can use chicken breasts, roast beef, corned beef and can them the same. This is called a Raw Pack. And no, I never add any liquid to the jar, as they pressure can, they release their own juices.  You don't need to add salt, but you can if you want to-- it's flavoring only. Nothing to do with the preserving. 

  If you have never canned before, please, read the Ball Book on Canning. There are all kinds of little things you should know.  There are also all kinds of Youtube videos and Google knows everything.  lol

  Oh yeah--that special Sunday night supper... Yeah baby.  Mashed potatoes, green beans and applesauce...with panko and cracker crumb breaded pork loin chops.