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A QUOTE
The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard. ― Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World
TABS OPEN IN MY BROWSER RIGHT NOW
- this recipe for roasted cherry tomato salsa
- this recipe for homemade pizza sauce from fresh tomatoes
- this video which has my wheels turning for 2023
- these cool hair ties
A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART
“The House in the Forest” by Camille Pissarro (found here)
CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR READING (OR SCHOOL/HOMEWORK) TIME
A HOMEMAKER CHECK-IN, ONE YEAR LATER
How are you, my dear reader? Last time I checked in was almost one year ago and in some ways, it feels like we went from bad to worse! Everything from groceries to gas to electricity has gone up significantly where I live and it’s getting trickier to balance the budget. I’m hoping the low-buy month will help, even a tiny bit. How are you adapting? What do things costs around you right now? Our gas is $4.19/gallon. A few grocery staples in my area: a gallon of whole milk is $3.74, a loaf of bread is $3.34, and a dozen eggs are $1.88.
Love your blog! I’m in New England – gas $4.43 (at BJs which is usually the cheapest around), 1/2 gallon 1% milk $3.69, loaf of Arnold whole wheat bread $3.99. I get my eggs from a friend with chickens thankfully! We have small garden with 2 raised beds and several grow bags. Have had a bumper crop of snap peas, green beans and lettuce so far and tons of green tomatoes, hoping they will ripen soon. Pondering how to do a low buy month in August too after reading your post.
Your garden sounds wonderful! I’m really appreciating the “free” food in our garden right now, even though it’s not nearly enough to feed us completely. Every little bit helps!
I’m in New Brunswick (Canada) and gas is $1.85/litre or $6.99/gallon. Milk is $7.69 a gallon. We make our own bread very consistently so not sure about bread prices but it probably ranges from 1.50-6 depending on the kind of bread.
I am like you and make almost all of our bread so I had to check on my Walmart Grocery app for current prices. It seems like even flour is getting more expensive here (is that the same for you?) but I still think it’s cheaper – and more delicious! – than store bought.
Beautiful painting and beautiful vegetables.
I just love that tree lined path, don’t you?
We live in Montana and gas is $4.46/gallon, milk $3.50/gallon, and bread is about $3.25/loaf. We raise our own chickens, but a dozen eggs is about $2.00. Everything is going up in price! Love your blog!
Did you guys ever reach $5/gallon gas? We hit $4.99 here, but never tipped over to $5. Hopefully we’ll continue on this downward trend.
Gas is $4.25 a gallon here in MN. When it kept going up, I was so sure it was going to hit $5 and go over, but it never got past $4.99 (at least not in our area). Eggs are currently $2.99/dz. and I so want chickens, but we have to get neighbors’ permission and jump through all sorts of hoops, so that I may just wait ’til we can move further out to do that. Bread is anywhere from $2 – $6 a loaf, depending on the brand/store. Milk is about $3.79/gallon.
My husband made me an amazing raised planter box, but my cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes are not looking so hot. I don’t know what happened! I bought a bag of organic chicken poo fertilizer and worked that into the soil. We’ll see… I’ve grown (in the past) green beans, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers with some relative success, but not so much now. Fortunately, my husband planted raspberries a couple years ago and we had enough this year to eat by the handful (yum!) and make some raspberry crisp and raspberry coffee cake (double yum!) Also, my mint is thriving (but I’ve heard that’s pretty hard to kill, so not much consolation there…) Maybe I’ll try drying it and making some tea.
I really love your blog! The Pissarro picture is so serene and beautiful. When I’m looking for something to read, I often look at the books you’ve read for ideas, as we seem to have similar tastes.
I was so sorry to hear of your hardships in the last couple months. I can relate. Not the same things, but other difficulties. It truly is a vale of tears and one must persevere, looking for the little things (like how satisfying to grow your own beautiful vegetables!)
Many blessings to you and yours!
Melisa
Thank you so much for reading and being here, Melisa! I appreciate your support.