Tips for Making Sure You Have Food
Today, most of us don’t grow our own food. We depend on money and markets to supply our needs. When either of these is scarce, we may panic. We worry there might not be enough money to put food on the table or, if we have money, we may start panic buying. Panic buying makes it more difficult for everyone to access groceries and supplies because it creates unnecessary shortages in stores.
Eastern Shore Healthy Communities’ Food Access and Equity Work Group partners recommend five actions that will always help put food on the table, but are especially helpful when money is in short supply, stores are low in product, or when personal illness or disaster, like the recent COVID-19 pandemic makes getting food and supplies difficult.
2. Stretch your food dollar by sharing
3. Consider growing your own food
5. Use all available assistance when needed
1. AVOID WASTING FOOD. How you store fresh vegetables, meats and dairy products can change how long they stay fresh. Also, it helps to know what those “use by” or “sell by” dates on foods mean. Don’t throw away food that may still be usable.
Tips for Storing and Using Fresh Vegetables:
- After purchasing, clean and prep produce right away. Don’t just throw it in the back of the refrigerator.
- Understand how long you can expect produce to last. Carrots and radishes last longer than most other produce.
- Avoid storing tomatoes next to other vegetables. It can cause other vegetables to go bad sooner.
- Avoid put onions and potatoes together because it causes the potatoes to sprout.
- Store potatoes in a dark place. They don’t need to be refrigerated, but if you do refrigerate, you must keep them refrigerated. It’s important to keep the temperature constant.
- Peel a peach without wasting the fruit: first boil water, then put the peach in the boiling water for a few minutes, take it out and the skin will peel off easily (use this same technique for tomatoes).
- Stir frying vegetables is a good way to use them up before they go bad.
- Whole tomatoes freeze nicely. When you want to use then, just run them under warm water to thaw slightly and remove the skin.
- To make space and to insure they don’t go bad, chop and freeze onions and peppers.
- Always store bananas away from other fruit.
- When bananas look like they are going bad, freeze them to use later in smoothies or for making banana bread.
Dairy Products
- According to the FDA, milk can be frozen up to 3 months but is best consumed within one month. Be careful because the liquid expands in the freezer, so place it in an airtight freezer-safe plastic (not glass) container with room at the top. Thaw in the refrigerator, shake it up because it separates, and use within 7 days.
- Cream can be frozen for 1 to 2 months. Just put it in the freezer in its original packaging. After thawing in the refrigerator, shake it up to reduce separation of cream from water content.
- Butter freezes well. Just pop butter in the freezer in its original packaging.
- You can freeze eggs for up to a year, although using them within 4 months gives a fresher flavor. Don’t throw away the remaining egg after using recipes that call for egg whites or just yolks. Freeze what’s left and use the whites in a meringue or the yolks in a sauce.
- When freezing anything, use a marker and masking tape to label and date the package.
Understanding “use-by,” “sell-by” dates.
People are often confused by “use-by” or “sell by” dates found on food products in the grocery store. Surprisingly, most don’t mean that you need to toss the food after the date. To prevent waste by unnecessarily tossing food early, learn what these dates mean.
Sell-By Date: This is a quality date that tells the store how long to display the products for sale. The product is still safe to eat past this date.
Best-By or Best If Used-By Date: This is a quality date. It tells clients the date by which the product should be eaten for best flavor or quality. The product is still safe to eat past this date.
Use-By or Expiration Date: This is the last date recommended for the product while at peak quality. The product is still safe to eat past this date.
Packing or Manufacturing Date: This is not an expiration date, rather is a date used by manufacturers for tracking and recalls.
2. STRETCH YOUR FOOD DOLLAR BY SHARING. A simple way to stretch the grocery budget and save time is to make a big pot of something, like chili, soup or a stew and share it with a neighbor. You, your family and your neighbor’s family can enjoy the stew for a couple of days. Then the neighbor agrees to return the favor by doing the same. Shop once, cook once, and eat for four days! What you don’t finish you can freeze for later. It’s a simple idea and easy way to get some help in the kitchen. Creating an agreement with a neighbor or several neighbors to share meals is a good way to build friendships, eat nourishing meals, and have a break from cooking once in a while. Looking for recipes? The internet has tons of resources. One such resource can be found at https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/old-fashioned-soups-stews-chili-recipes/.
3. CONSIDER GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD. Growing your own food requires planning ahead and learning new skills, but dollar-for-dollar, growing produce is a good investment. No matter how much land you have, or don’t have, it is good to start small until you get a feel for the sun, water, and type of plants that work best for you. Start with one plant in a pot or a small plot in your yard.
Herbs are easily grown in pots or growing bags: parsley, basil, thyme and mint take no more than seeds, sunshine and water. Graduate to tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and beans.
For every stem of thyme or portion of tomatoes grown at home, you save the cost of purchasing that product from a store, add money to your wallet, nutrition for your family, and enjoy the exquisite taste of fresh herbs and vegetables. There truly is nothing like the taste of a fresh vegetable picked right from your own garden.
Start small, be consistent with watering and weeding, and move on from there. Set a small first goal to get the knack of growing, then move forward with an intermediate goal to grow enough to store by canning or freezing. Remember, making mistakes is not only to be expected, it’s an opportunity to learn, which is important to ultimate success.
Every gardener’s best friend is Virginia Cooperative Extension. They can walk you through a home gardening project step-by-step. Check out their website and other resources at https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/home-vegetables.html
4. BUILD AN EMERGENCY PANTRY. An emergency food and supplies pantry provides your home with multiple weeks’ worth of food to help you through an extended emergency. Whether the emergency is caused by weather, disease or supply chain disruptions, you may find yourself without electricity, transportation, or even without a nearby store with inventory. The best way to be prepared is to have an adequate store of food and supplies in your home. Start with a goal of having an emergency pantry that stores an extra two-week supply. Start slowly, make a list of what you will need, then begin shopping and adding extra groceries and supplies as you find sales or as you can afford it.
What should you store? Purchase what you already eat. Each time you shop, purchase a few extra items. Put them in the back of your cupboards or pantry and use older food items first. Rotate food supplies for freshness. Don’t buy an expensive one-year supply of dehydrated foods that will keep for 10 years – not only will storage be an issue, but they need huge amounts of water for re-hydration.
What will you need for meal preparation? Purchase a camp stove or portable butane burner to heat water and soups, make pancakes and warm your foods. (Use them outside for ventilation.) Serve a protein, vegetable and grain at each meal. Serve fruit for dessert. Here are some suggestions:
Proteins: Canned fish, chicken, turkey, shellfish, chili con carne, ham, and beef.
Vegetarian protein: Nuts and seeds, shelf-stable protein drinks made with rice and peas, and canned beans (combine beans with grains for a complete protein).
Vegetables: Instant potatoes, tomato sauce, soups, and canned spinach, green beans, asparagus, yams, peas, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
Grains. Crackers, instant oatmeal, dry cereal, instant noodles, pancake mix (“only add water” type), instant rice, low sodium chips and popcorn.
Fruit. Applesauce, canned or dried peaches, pears, apples, mandarin oranges, apricots, raisons, or other canned or dried fruit you and your family enjoy.
Staples. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, spices, herbs, dry milk, sugar, vinegar, and cooking oil.
Beverages: Instant coffee, teas and milk substitutes in shelf-life cartons or cans. Don’t store empty-calorie foods such as cookies, candy, desserts, soda pop, doughnuts and pastries. They won’t satisfy hunger and don’t provide essential nutrients.
Drinking water: You’ll need 2 gallons per person per day stored in an approved water container (not rinsed-out food or milk containers). Use water from the water heater if necessary. Enough water for one person for two weeks would be 28 gallons.
Other supplies. You’ll need toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, plastic bags, and other storage wrap (waxed paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap). Soap (for handwashing/bathing and for dishwashing), hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes. You will need a flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle (to signal for help), a dust mask (to help filter contaminated air), a supply of masks like N-95 or KN-95 (for communicable disease prevention), plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place), moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation), a wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities), a manual can opener (for food), and a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery. Hand-crank radios exist that don’t require batteries and can charge a cell phone.
Medical needs. Make sure you have ample supplies of your prescription medications, including a list of your medication names, dosage, and the telephone number of your pharmacy. Don’t forget non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives; prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution.
If you have infants: Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream.
Don’t forget the pets. Insure you have a supply of food, water and medicines for the pets as well.
Storage. Don’t store food and water in your garage. Toxic car fumes can penetrate plastic containers. Clear out a closet and move that stuff to the garage. Don’t use chemically treated garbage bags to store food. Use plastic storage bins with tight lids or your pantry shelves.
For all things emergency, www.ready.gov is full of good ideas and practical solutions.
Make a plan to have two weeks of supplies on hand, beyond your current week of groceries. Make a list (from the above suggestions), and little by little, while shopping, pick up extra cans of food, an extra package of toilet paper, another roll of aluminum foil, flour and sugar and bins in which to store them. Take advantage of sales. Check items off your list as you purchase them. Make sure to rotate your foods, use them and replace then.
5. USE ALL AVAILABLE ASSISTANCE WHEN NEEDED. Food insecurity happens to many people, rich or poor. The loss of a job or the unavailability of family and friends as support can be scary. It causes stress that over time can negatively impact the whole family. It can even be associated with physical and behavioral health problems. Minimize that toxic stress and improve family health by taking action. Seeking help when you need it shows resilience. Eastern Shore Healthy Communities partners care about you and your family. That’s why we created the brochure, Need Help with Food? It describes and provides contact details for SNAP, WIC, the Foodbank, special benefits for seniors, food hubs and food pantries.