Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5611 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Amelia McGrew

Regional Extension Agent

Food Safety, Preparation & Preservation

March 1, 2011

GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS

Recently, I had an interesting conversation with a long time client of Extension. We talked about how getting back to the basics of living could save us money and often lead us to having healthier, more enjoyable lives. Getting back to the basics means going back to the simpler way of doing things. If used consistently, this lifestyle can save grocery dollars while promoting a better diet for ourselves and our families.

There are countless ways in which a family may get back to the basics of living. For the sake of time, I will provide at least 4 tips on how a family may consider a gradual migration into this age-old concept.

Living off the Land.  Consider growing your own food. If you decide to plant several acres, then great, but a small family garden would also work just as well. You could also look to friends or other family members in your community. Just an idea, but maybe you could be responsible for growing squash, and potatoes and someone else, the tomatoes and cucumbers.  Community gardens are also on the rise in Mobile and Baldwin Counties. A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people. According to the American Community Gardening Association community gardens provide nutritious foods, reduce family food budgets, and improve the quality of life for people that are involved.

Preserving Your Own Food.  There are several ways you may consider to preserve foods from your garden. The most commonly used method is freezing. Freezing is the easiest, most convenient, and least time consuming method of preserving food. But remember that blanching is necessary for your low acid foods (okra, snap beans and greens). Another commonly used method is canning. Canning works just as well, and while it may take a bit longer than freezing foods, canning frees up freezer space. Canned foods will be available and remain safe during hurricane season. Another method is dehydrating. Dehydration is the process of removing water from foods. Drying foods is cheaper because it only accounts for the one-time cost of purchasing the dehydrator. Dried foods are tasty, nutritious and easy to prepare.

Grocery Store Shopping.  Even if we are raising our own meat and vegetables, there will still be a time when we must shop at the grocery store. The first thing you should do is have a PLAN. In the best possible world, you would plan your menu weeks in advance. By doing so, you won’t have to buy everything at once. Besides, last minute shopping almost always leads to money wasted. Next, you should inventory your pantry, refrigerator and freezer. You should always check and make sure which items you have on hand so that you can strike them from your list. Once at the market, you must look for sales. Take advantage of store specials, and remember to use coupons whenever possible. A little extra preparation goes a long way to saving money on any meal. 

Prepare Frugal Meals.  Get in the habit of eating leftovers. Keep your main dish and then try changing your sides up a bit. For example, with leftover chicken, make chicken salad. When you purchase perishables, have in mind what you will be using the item for.  Remember the concept, waste not, want not.  Grated cheese goes farther than sliced.  Freeze half for later. Using some of the lessons passed down through generations can be key to controlling our “sometimes outrageous” food budget. Get in the habit of spending as less as you possibly can for food, and watch your savings grow.

For more information, you may contact Amelia McGrew, Regional Extension Agent, Food Safety, Preparation & Preservation at 251-574-8445. Email Amelia, food tips on how you and your family have gotten back to the basics of living at:  mcgreaj@aces.edu. Informational sources for this article were found at :www.frugalliving.com, www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-0757 , and www.frugalcooking.com.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.