Thoughts on Food

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about couponing. I've done it in the past and easily ended up with a lot of food in my pantry which was nice. There are tons of websites out there that will tell you which coupon to use on what sale to get the cheapest product.

But most of the food is processed and that doesn't quite jive with my food philosophy. I don't like extra additives, high fructose corn syrup and other fillers that just aren't healthy for you. I prefer more whole foods and coupons don't really help with that.

So I guess I am more along the lines of The Ultimate Cheapskates philosophy which is under $1 per pound year round and more natural, healthy foods. But I will need to figure out how to get some of my food at that with rising food prices. I wonder how long before it will have to be $2 per pound year round instead. I mean, even the basic staples of life like rice and wheat have gone up.

Which bring me to my next point. I really want to grow my own garden this year and preserve any excess for eating later in the year. Seems like such a prudent idea. I still have to plant a few fruit trees and grapevines that will take a few years before they really start producing anything for me, so its important to at least get them started now.

In the meantime, I've made a list of what I have available to me and what I like to eat that I can grow.

Access to:
*Corn {farmer down the road}
*Apricots {moms house}
*Cherries {moms house}
*Apples {moms house and our duplex}
*Blackberries {pick your own farm}

What I'd like to plant:
*Grapes~~a concord and a seedless red table grape
*Apple tree of my own?
*Peach tree
*Tomatoes
*Green onions
*Pumpkins~~pie pumpkins and large ones for Halloween
*Strawberries
*Raspberries
*Mint
*Basil
*Oregano
*Chives
*Melons~~watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew
*Peppers~~red, green and jalapeno
*Green beans~~pole
*Zucchini

Preserving food is still pretty new to me though but it is something I definately want to do and learn more about. If I can grow a lot of my own, then my independence on the commercial food chain is lessened and my budget will be freed up a little more.