After a hot, dry summer we have one persistent morning glory blooming today. Usually that corner of the house is overflowing: the morning glories are generally a menace in late summer that take over the entire back garden and completely overwhelm poor Clem Clematis and our single, brave Salvia plant that never thrives in that spot but continues to try every year. Our glorious purple glories usually cover the old, rather rusty, repurposed baby crib base we’ve set up as a trellis by the end of July and bloom all of August and September. This year, only about half the trellis, which covers both sides of the corner of the garage, has vines and I can see a single determined flower. I wonder if we have enough to self-seed next spring, or if we’ll start over from scratch.
I wonder that about a lot of things lately. The local news reports diesel is at a record high, which, if you read the stupid comments in neighborhood social media groups, is some varying degree of no big deal and the price we pay for kicking someone’s ass across the world. Yeah. What it really means is anything shipped will be correspondingly skyrocketing in the next week or two, whether that’s in obvious price spikes or sneakier shrinkage in packaging or increased air for the same price. It wasn’t that long ago that a 12oz can was actually 12 ounces, not 11.5, or a bag of frozen chicken patties for $8.99 had a dozen, then 10, and now 8. I suppose soon it’ll be the same price for 5 or 6, as though we who plan meals for families and buy groceries on budgets don’t notice that the packaging is smaller and what we buy doesn’t go as far: manufacturers seem to assume we’re stupid and unobservant. It’s infuriating, because neither prices nor packaging changes like this ever go back when the shipping crises are over.
So, here we are in yet another lean season, just in time for back to school and all the harvest and winter holidays. Autumn is a season of laying in supplies to prepare for a season of rest and planning, knowing that there may be hard times coming. It’s a time of transition and death, when crops are harvested, butchering is traditionally done, hunting seasons happen, and yes it’s also often even humans move on to the next life (as evidenced by a recent slew of deaths in the news). If we accept that everything is a cycle, then we plan for what’s to come and persist to the next season until things get better.
Now is the time for stocking, friends. It doesn’t have to be all at once, and it doesn’t have to be drastic, but maybe consider what multi-meal items you like that can be frozen or stored and stock up on those ingredients when they’re on sale. Chili, soups, lasagna, hotdish: they can all be made ahead and frozen whole or portioned out. Pick up a few extra pantry items or freezables every time you shop, and remember to think about stuff like marinades and spices, pickles, condiments, that sort of thing. Baking supplies like sugar and flour can be deep-frozen, so can butter and cheese. Brand name chocolate chips taste NO different from store brand, and they also freeze. Frozen veggies hold their nutritional value better than fresh most of the time.
I’m not advocating full on prepping or extreme couponing, although if that’s your jam good for you: I don’t have the extra time or energy for that, and especially not the space. But we are heading into a time of expensive goods: it’s worthwhile to consider how to mitigate those expenses with preparation and a variety of recipes that cut out meat or use cheaper cuts, if you aren’t already doing so. If you have recipes to share, I’d love to hear them, especially for pots of beans! I’m trying to get more beans (without bacon or ham, because I’m trying not to eat so much of those) into my diet: they’re healthy, they’re full of protein, and they’re on my Oncology yes-list, right along with lentils.
I’m determined to make this winter as comfortable and cozy as possible, despite the current state of the world. Resistance is persistence.
No Pithy Phrase 