Paul goes to the grocery store every day which is what he learned to do growing up in European cities. I have tried to ween him of this unnecessary habit but to no avail. Well, he is away this month and with a freezer and pantry full of preserved food, I challenged myself to go a month without grocery shopping. It helps that I like to cook for myself and that Paul procured most staples before he left. He also bought, packaged and froze individual portions of chicken and pork. I still wasn’t confident I could survive this challenge especially given he ate all the cheese before he left. I figured this would help me learn how to use what we have before we leave for the season and be good practice if I ever have to survive a winter snow storm at the lake.
The first week was easy as we still had lots of leftovers in the refrigerator from previous meals. Also, I had lots of eggs from a friend so hard boiled a dozen for my daily protein. This was about the time I got out fishing again so had several meals of fresh perch as well. I also found several partial packages of English muffins in the freezer and still had a dozen ripe tomatoes on the counter so I was good. Finally, my neighbors felt sorry for me being home alone and took me out to supper one night.
During the second week, I dug up the rest of the sweet potatoes in the garden, took stock of all the squash people had given me and focused on using pantry apples and frozen zucchini which I wrote about in a previous article. It also helped that I found a few potatoes and a bag of onions in the pantry plus, I took a package of both pork and chicken out of the freezer and did quite well that week. Lastly, I enjoyed another meal out that week.
By the third week, I had a hankering for cheese and found a package of both creamed cheese and goat cheese in the back of a refrigerator drawer which met my cheese craving. My weaving teacher also brought some fine cheddar to the loom room so I had some of that for lunch one day. She also makes great grain, veggie and fruit salads she graciously shares while we are working. I also needed milk by this time and happened upon a package of powdered milk in the pantry that worked just fine for my coffee and other needs. I also found a container of pesto in the freezer that made a nice chicken alfredo. Oh, and I had lunch out one day when I went to a craft fair with a friend.
By the fourth week, I was determined to successfully meet my challenge and found several one dish leftover meals in the freezer and I still had lots of eggs I used for egg salad. I also started looking through my store bought canned goods in the pantry and made a tuna salad and a garbanzo bean veggie salad, both of which went well with my still ripe tomatoes on the counter and the myriad of pickles in the refrigerator. I was running low on butter but substituted olive oil and needed bread so baked several quick breads to get me thru the week. I remember thinking maybe I could do this for another couple weeks but then all the good things Paul would cook for us upon his imminent return came to mind quickly dispelling that thought. So having successfully met my challenge by then, I started stocking up. Did I mention he was on a walking food tour in Paris that week? I did have to ask myself why I chose to forego a European fall junket to stay home alone without grocery shopping for a month. What did I learn from all this you ask? Always keep cracked eggs, butter and yogurt starter in your freezer, a wide array of condiments in your refrigerator, staples in your pantry and friends and neighbors close so they can take you out for supper now and then. Oh, and that I have a great husband who I enthusiastically welcomed home! 2018