 |
| Carrots |
Monday, March 16 was the last time I went grocery shopping. Before that, on Saturday, March 14, I had gone to the Armenian store for some groceries and I wrote about that, here. On Monday, I was in the store only to pick up a few last items before I began to shelter in place. Already, by that time, I was thinking I was taking a chance, grocery shopping, and wanted to keep the time spent in the store, and my exposure to others (and the virus), to a minimum.
I usually grocery shop once a week or so, although, occasionally, I've gone longer in between grocery shopping. On Saturday, I bought some fruits and vegetables (green beans, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions). I didn't buy any carrots because I knew I still had some in the bag at home. I didn't want to get a lot of fresh produce because I didn't think I could eat it before it perished. On Monday, I hadn't even planned to buy any vegetables, but, I bought a head of lettuce for immediate use and a head of cabbage for later, because cabbage keeps fresh for a longer period of time. Again, I passed over the carrots.
Well, the other day (Thursday), when I went to make my dinner and added a carrot to the green beans I was having with the roast beef, I realized that I had less than half a bag of carrots in the fridge! On Saturday, I used one in the salad. Today, I had three carrots left, as pictured above (the tip of the biggest carrot broke off). I cut up the smallest of the three for tonight's salad:
 |
| Monday's Dinner: Lettuce, carrot, grapes, bottled mango-chipotle dressing |
In hindsight (which is always 20/20, as they say), I wish I had bought another bag of carrots on my last grocery shopping trip!
Today, I took an inventory of the fresh produce I have in the fridge.
Fruits:
8 Apples (+ 1 very wrinkled one)
6 Tangerines (there were 7, but I ate one!)
1 bunch of red grapes
1 bag of green grapes (rather sour, so I haven't been eating them)
3 oranges (had fallen from the tree)
2 avocado (which are being ripened in a brown paper sack)
Vegetables:
1/2 lettuce (after today's salad)
1 small cabbage
2 carrots (after today's salad)
9 onions
2 pieces of ginger
Plus 2 potatoes, which are not stored in the fridge and which should be cooked, right away, because they are going to start turning green, soon!
I haven't taken a freezer inventory, yet, but, I have frozen tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, some bell peppers, edamame, for vegetables. Plus 2 Serrano chilies, which is nothing! Oops!
I have some canned vegetables, too:
4 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans corn
2 cans mixed vegetables
1 can green beans
1 can whole potatoes
And, canned fruits:
4 cans sliced peaches in syrup
3 cans pineapple in syrup
I don't have a lot of frozen fruit, other than some bananas for banana bread. But, I have raisins, and some dehydrated mulberries that my daughter bought, once, to try (and didn't like).
I am not planning to go grocery shopping any time soon, so eating my "five a day" is going to be interesting. I've plenty of rice, flour, lentils, pasta, pasta sauce, cans of fish, milk, peanut butter, etc., so I will have lots to eat, but, fresh produce will be a bit of a challenge. Well, I guess I will eat what I have, first, and then, see where we are. Friend M has asked if I need anything, but, if I am not willing to go to a grocery store, myself, then, I don't think I should ask anyone else to do so, either. Maybe I can have a grocery delivery made. If nothing else, I can always make a type of sambol/relish from the leaves of the curry leaf tree! I shall have to do some meal planning, next, to make the best use of what I have.
Today, I am grateful for:
- My
- The fresh produce I still have
- What I have in the freezer and the pantry
- Fresh lemons and oranges from my trees
- My curry leaf trees
How are you managing with your groceries? Is your area under lockdown/shelter in place orders? Have you been grocery shopping since then? How well did you stock up? How are you getting your fresh produce?
I did a small shop on Tuesday 17th, not realising that by the next morning I'd be so ill. Friends have since bought round a bag of carrots, some onions, milk and 6 eggs. I'm almost out of fresh milk now but have UHT. We have 7 apples and 4 oranges and a little canned fruit. We will survive.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that friends have been bringing you a few items to tide you over, Angela. I still have a little fresh milk (and I froze a little, too) and have canned milk, both condensed and evaporated, plus coconut milk for cooking. I am also thinking that, at a pinch, homemade jam could count as "fruit". :D
DeleteYou are doing really well, we have only been in lockdown for 6 days, but I realised when things got bad in Italy that eventually it would reach our part of the world so I started to stock up. I might get short of fresh produce, but I do have Kale and beetroot and silverbeet (chard) and lots of herbs, and a grape vine, 2 apple tree, fig tree producing beginning to bear fruit I think I will get by.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. You were wise to stock up when you did and it sounds like you have lots of good things growing in your garden. I remember, from before, that you grew quite a bit in your garden and you will be coming out of summer, about now, so there should be lots to harvest. :)
DeleteI hope you are in good health, Sharon, and doing well. Looking forwards to hearing more often from you, again. :)
It sounds like you still have a good stock of food to get you through the next week. Right now I'm craving a fresh green salad but with no lettuce in the house, that will have to be satisfied with a broccoli salad. Nice that you have your own orange tree.
ReplyDeleteOh, I do, Patio Postcards. I am well stocked with canned fish, rice, pasta, lentils, etc., and will be able to live on what I have in the freezer and cabinets for several weeks, if not months. It's only the fresh produce that is running low, but, I've enough of that for at least another week or two. My orange tree is a joy. I've a little peach tree, too, and I am hoping that it will provide me with some peaches, this year - last year, all the baby fruit dropped after a heatwave and there were no peaches, at all.
DeleteThis is day 15 for us (although I think officially it is a few days less than that.) Been to the grocery twice, and today marks 1 week since I have been. Although I am sorely tempted to go today because we are nearly out of fresh fruits and vegetables, I really, really, really want to stretch it to 10 days if I can. We have apples and plenty of frozen veggies to get by. Hubby and I had gotten in the habit of quick trips to the grocery every 4 or 5 days, back when we had plenty of freedom. What I can't figure out is why if I am consuming less of the fresh stuff I am still managing to drop a pound a week. Especially since I feel like it is mealtime all the time. These are interesting times!
ReplyDeleteI think, if you have apples and frozen veggies, you'll be able to make it to 10 days before grocery shopping again. Oh, lucky you to be losing weight, steadily! I wish I would!
DeleteThere is plenty of food in the pantry and freezers here ... but the variety is definitely 'interesting'- for some reason (no one remembers purchasing them) there are several cans and 2 bags dried of garbanzo beans which we are quite willing to try but totally without clue how to prepare ... hummus, yes, but no family could possibly eat that much- I know you prepare them, so I would love some info about ways to use them- the closest place with a 'pick-up plan' is about 45 miles away, so we haven't tried that yet, but we probably will eventually- for the time being, we have been able to find milk and eggs and whatever we needed at the small stores in the area ... those are limiting the number of people inside and cleaning vigorously (they reek of bleach and lysol ... those seem to be the new 'national scents')- we appreciate the owners and clerks who are keeping them stocked and open-
ReplyDeleteAh, floppy, limp carrots ... there is always one or two hiding at the back of the veggie drawer in the refrigerator ...like little treasures- I'll be interested to see how you make careful use of and extend them over the next days-
Today I sincerely plan to accomplish something ... I have to quit flitting from project to project with nothing finished- will I do this? stay tuned-
Do take care- you have my very fondest wishes as always-
Barb
Barb, here is a post where I wrote about how I make my garbanzo beans:
Deletehttps://bless2cents.blogspot.com/2016/04/spiced-garbanzo-beans.html
Basically, I saute the garbanzo beans with onions, mustard seeds, curry leaves (or a bay leaf or two), and some green chilies (or dried, red chilies), a little curry powder, salt to taste, etc. You can omit the curry powder, if you like.
If you are using dried garbanzo beans, you have to soak it overnight, then, drain the soaking water, add fresh water and boil until the garbanzo beans are soft, before sauteing them.
My daughter also makes roasted spiced garbanzo beans, where she tosses the drained canned beans in a mixture of spices (she basically adds whatever combination she likes - salt, garlic or onion powder, chili powder, etc. and spreads them out on a baking sheet that has been coated with oil, for about 20 mins. or so. I can ask her the oven temperature, if you like, but, I think it is about 350 or so. She says it makes a nice snack to munch on.
My daughter does not want me to grocery shop at all, so, unless I ask someone to do a bit of shopping for me, or order a delivery, I will need to manage with whatever fresh/frozen/canned produce that I have on hand. It'll be a challenge, but, I'm up for it! :D
Garbanzo beans are good in a stew or in soups or I even use them in salads. My daughter likes them toasted the way Bless’s daughter does.
DeleteHi Glorious Needlework, thank you for stopping by and suggesting other ways to use garbanzo beans. I, too, add them to salads, at times. :)
DeleteI'm just concentrating on putting reasonably well balanced meals on the table but the 5 a day has gone out of the window for the time being. I have used up all my fresh fruit and veg so am using frozen and tinned until my next delivery. I could ask someone to shop for me but I feel that if I can't go for myself I don't want to ask anyone else to take a risk for me, much like you feel about M's offer. I'm okay for all the rest of the food until the meat delivery this Friday and fresh + groceries on the 19th. There just may be some strange meals but I won't starve! I know I'm lucky as so many people are living from week to week on low incomes and can't afford to buy enough supplies to limit their visits to the supermarkets. At least I am able to stay safe in my home and for that, I am grateful.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have frozen and tinned items to last you through the next delivery. I have just had two calls from friends, asking me if I needed anything! One of them works in a grocery store; at first, I demurred, but, she insisted, so I asked her if she could bring me a bag of carrots!
DeleteI've decided to buy vegetables online. I wish I could go to the store pick and choose fresh veggies and fruits, but at the moment I think it's safer to stay home as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of friends who still go to the store, so I can ask them to buy things for me if I really have to. :)
Have you ever tried curry leaf porridge?
I think you made the right decision, Nil. Stay home as much as possible.
DeleteI haven't tried curry leaf porridge, but, I might give it a try! :) I know my mother liked it.
You are so lucky to have your citrus trees! We are down to 3 apples for fresh fruit, but I do have several bags of frozen berries, and those will have to do until I have to go shopping for Mom again. At that time I will replenish our produce, though I still have a couple of cukes, some lettuce, a bag of coleslaw mix, 1/2 head cauliflower,4 or 5 radishes, a few potatoes and lots of onions.
ReplyDeleteI am very blessed with the citrus trees. If nothing else, the lemons will keep me supplied with vitamin C! It sounds like you might have just enough to keep you going until your next grocery trip. I think you are very brave to go grocery shopping, though! Please be safe!
DeleteWe now have one large carrot! There are lots of apples, some oranges and mandarins, a tired few inches of cucumber, 3 or 4 stems of celery, 3 or 4 tomatoes, but only a couple of scrawny leaves of lettuce to use up in the next sandwiches and no green onions which DH loves. We do have a few red onions which I'm thinking to pickle to keep them, and some cooking onions and a few potatoes that are in good shape. Also - ta-daaa! - a good bunch of parsley in the fridge in a jar with plastic bag over it. It's day 13 since I last went to town. Can I hold out longer? DH went for takeout last night for a treat. Tried not to feel guilty about the huge styrofoam clamshells!
ReplyDeleteOoh, what will you do with that one carrot? Apples and oranges are good keepers, aren't they? Yay, fresh parsley! That will go a long way to add a little freshness to anything you make! I think the guilt about the styrofoam containers have to be mitigated by the fact that you are keeping the economy going and helping the restaurant stay in business! :)
DeleteI will have to go shopping tomorrow as I am running low on milk and one or two other items. I will, however, be making a menu plan and getting a weeks worth of shopping to avoid having to go out more often than I need. X
ReplyDeleteI hope your grocery shopping trip will go well, Jules, and you get what you want without any problems. Be safe. Yes, make a meal plan and a list of what you will need for at least a week, if not more, to stretch the days between shopping.
DeleteI took an inventory of the things in the freezer yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI have a side-by-side refrigerator like you. It's not as large as a separate freezer but it does hold quite a bit. I'm pretty happy with the amount of food in there and the level of canned goods and dry goods we have on hand.
At least for now anyway.
I do worry though about how long I will feel comfortable with my supplies.
When will I get to your "carrot stage" with all of my stored food?
It's frightening to contemplate.
Maybe I'm just feeling a bit more alarmed by the news and how really scary this virus is.
I'm feeling pretty unsettled.
I just took the trash cans to the curb and said hello to a neighbor walking his dog.
And I immediately started to worry! Was I 6 ft away?? Why didn't I wait until no one was around?
And then I thought - OMG - Stop It! Stop It!!
(((HUGS))) Debra. It sounds like you are pretty well stocked for now. It's the replenishing of that stock that might be a problem, down the road. Hopefully, deliveries will continue to be made so we can continue to stock up.
DeleteYes, it is a scary situation and, every day, the news becomes more and more alarming. We need to take it seriously, but, we also need to have faith and believe that things will get better. Otherwise, we'll go crazy!
Good luck! I just bought carrots. I think we are going to try to go two weeks without shopping for groceries. We probably could go much longer though, and that would be a good idea! Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. I'm glad you were able to buy carrots; I, too, was able to replenish my stock! It would be great if you could go two weeks (or longer) without grocery shopping. The less time we spend in public the better, they say.
DeleteLast summer my daughter, my daughter in law and myself felt prompted to get as much in as possible. No we didn’t hoard. We simply grew what we could then bought the rest from local farmers. We also buy the seasons. We are in Canada so lots of baking needs go on sale around our Thanksgiving (October). I purchased lots of flour etc . We did a lot of canning, dehydrating, freezing and cold storage. We also buy any meat we may need when on sale. Many in our family are farmers so we get corn, peas and all types of beans for free. We truly are blessed. Our pantries are well stocked. Soon I will start some lettuce, radishes, onions Swiss chard, Kale and spinach as they are all cool crops. I am thankful for all that I have learned over the years and now my off spring are using these tools too. I do on occasion got to the store for fresh produce but as I live alone I find I can go three weeks before having to go again. So nice to read how others are surviving and shopping in these times. Jean from Canada
ReplyDeleteHi Jean, that's so interesting that you felt the need, last summer, to stock up! I'm sure you are very glad that you did so, too! If I have learned anything from this virus epidemic, it is to be as prepared as possible! I used to think that I was prepared for emergencies such as earthquakes, but, I realize now that I wasn't as prepared as I thought, at least not for epidemics! Thank you, again, for stopping by and commenting. I look forwards to hearing from you, again.
DeleteI am surprised you still have a good amount of fresh fruit and veggies in your fridge. You may be able to last another week before reaching for the ones in your freezer. I did manage to buy some fresh veggies 2 weeks ago, but after washing and chopping, I immediately prepared them for the freezer. The only fresh veggies left in the fridge are 2 red onions and 3 heads of cabbage. I normally eat from my freezer anyway, so not much has changed here.
ReplyDeleteI bought the apples and cabbage, etc., because they tend to keep fresh longer. But, I thought I had more carrots than I thought I did! Ah, but, I was visited by angels, today, and will do a post about that, in a bit. I remember when you bought those fresh veggies; I like how you prep them right away to freeze them. I should try to do that!
DeleteYour meals always look so lovely! I must admit that usually I nip in to the shops and buy things every couple of days - usually because I don't write lists and end up leaving without something I should have bought! I am doing better and have cut the trips down to once a week. I am started keeping a list of things we are running out of so that when I do go I won't forget anything!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. Very kind of you to say so. :) Going groceries once a week is good, as is making lists of what to buy. My rule used to be, if I forgot something, then, I had to do without until the next trip! I wonder if my grocery shopping habits will change after all this is over, and, if so, how.
DeleteHi Bless, That's great that you have so many canned goods. I just had a bowl of canned cherries that I bought a while back at Trader Joe's. They were really good. I get my produce from the co-op. It's organic, and we pay a yearly fee, plus $30.00 every two weeks. They will bring it to the car for me, which feels safer. I am also picking lots of oranges and lemons in my backyard. The orchard is doing well, and the artichokes and herbs look promising. I am hopeful that the rhubarb that I'm growing will do well this year. It looks very healthy. Yes, my stockpile has been serving me well. I only shop every two weeks now, too. I have meat in the freezer, several bags of beef jerky, and two summer sausages. I also have a pound of ground turkey, and a whole chicken. I am set!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephenie. I stocked up on canned fish and milk, etc., but, should have stocked up a bit more vegetables and fruits. Oh, well, now I know! Your co-op sounds like a lovely place and your garden is producing well. My daughter just roasted a whole chicken, today, and told me that she plans to make a stock with the carcass. I had to smile because that's what I do, too! :)
Delete