Food Security

[helwen]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/25/food-prices-crisis-staple-foods

Comments

[oakmouse]

*nods* The corn and wheat prices here in the States are going to mess with a bunch of things and roll downhill to slaughter people's food budgets.

Chicken in our local store has gone from $1.98/lb for breasts (not the skinless boneless kind, just the ones that are cut free of the rest of the bird) to $2.98/lb in two weeks. Whole chicken legs went from $.99/lb to $1.59/lb in the same period. Bone in pork shoulder roast from $1.29/lb to $1.79/lb ditto. Corn tortillas from $2.39 for a package of 24 to $2.99. And so on.

Glad I like rice and beans. :-p

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Wow! I can't say I've been keeping track of prices -- most of the time that I buy meat it's local, which isn't cheap anyway.

Cold cereal mix is definitely a luxury though, and one I'm trying to curb. When we're both on the run though, it has its allure....

Thank you for the emails on chickpeas et al -- sorry to say I haven't been able to read and respond, and I really want to! Hopefully after we get through this week (wait'll you see the schedule :P)

[oakmouse]

I knew you were really busy and overloaded. Saw the schedule; Sunday is when you get to breathe, yes? :-p

Anyway, when you have time is just fine --- even if that's not for a while.

Yeah, the price spikes have been a wee tad scary. We're glad our current brand of rice is semi-local, from the Carolinas, and hasn't gone up in price. Also that we have about 36 lbs of brown rice in the freezer and 10 lbs of white stashed in the basement. And dry legumes. Probably 25 lbs of dry beans, peas, and lentils.

Soup. *nods* Soup is cheap and nourishing.

[oakmouse]

Oh yes, and cereal when on the run? Get one of those little one or two quart crockpots and cook oatmeal or other hot cereals in it overnight, on the low setting. Fabulous way to make steel-cut oats, rolled oats, coenmeal mush, or brown rice grits.