eating healthy

So, I hear complaints from people now and then about how expensive their food is. I just thought I'd give some information I learned from an economics class I took at USU in 1998. I then realized that, ah, that was over 10 years ago so I did a little digging at USDA/ERS expecting to see the figures going back up because of the recent spike in prices, but found that they were actually holding steady.

In 1929 we as Americans spent 23.4% of our disposable income on food, In 2008 we spent 9.6% of our disposable income on food. In 1998 we spent 10.1% on food (this includes eating at home and dinning out). Entertainment (including recreational toys), on the other hand was closing in on 20%! We wanted to have fun instead of eat I guess.

Well today we are in tough economic times and we need to make choices, but the Farm Bureau, and I will agree, that eating doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. Using fresh veggies and fruit to prepare your meals will cut the price drastically at the counter. If you have a farmer nearby you can ask him if he'd be able to sell you some of his produce out of storage.

For example, we have potatoes in storage that we can sell directly to you the consumer. I dare say that we can give you a 50% discount on potatoes as compared to the stores price, and we will. It really only works for those who can drive out to our farm unfortunately, but then if you put together a big enough order with all your friends, then shipping can be figured out and can be reasonable.

There is also the option of shopping for fresh produce at farmers markets. Market season is almost upon us in Idaho, but in California, markets can be more readily available.

What do you think? Do you use very many fresh fruits and vegetables in your daily eating?

p.s. Follow the link for more information on eating healthy on a budget.

Where does food come from? Do you know?

A few interesting statistics that I read about today from a farmer in Illinois who was at a CCA meeting:
-70% of Americans at 4:30 P.M. will not know what they are eating for dinner.
-Most Americans say that food comes from the grocery store.
-These Americans don't care if your farm or my farm stays in business as long as there is food at that grocery store.

I find these statements rather ALARMING. I have a sister who taught school in Utah for ten years, she made the same comments regarding the students that she taught. So I guess this means the adults are failing to teach their children where their food comes from. My sister had a small lesson that she prepared to help them understand the link between her hometown farm and how the grains, potatoes, and beef were raised and then sent to the store. It is my hope that as the year progresses my family will keep you updated on what stages our crops are in from planting through harvest and finally shipping them to the store or farmers market as the case may be.

Take for instance today: I had an order for potatoes to deliver to a local store. I gathered up 17 boxes that would each hold 50 lbs and drove the 2.5 miles to our storage unit (spud cellar). It is here that we can control the temperature which we keep as close to 38 degress Farenheit using a system of fans and tunnels laid beneath the pile of potatoes. The temp outside today was -15 degrees, but inside it was 40. My brother helped me as we sorted out potatoes into a couple of piles: 1-nice smooth 8-10 ounce potatoes, 2-large knobby or unshapely potatoes, 3- small (under 8 ounce), 4 - frozen, badly damaged, way too small, way to rough, or spoiled potatoes. We had a very bad frost that occurred in the middle of our harvest so roughly 10% of our crop was frozen. These potatoes as time goes by start to go very soft and mushy so mushy your finger can go right through the potato. If you have enough of these bad spuds (approx 20%)in a pile you can't bring the temperature down and the whole pile will soon be rotten.

So I now have 1o boxes of large knobbies as I call them, and 7 nice boxes of bakers ready to go. Saturday a friend will help me wash them up and double check for blemishes hidden by the dirt and Monday we will deliver them to the store ready for people to buy. I also sell them from my home so if you're nearby and need a fresh supply let me know.

(Nathan) Subbing in for J since she is taking a needed break.

Potatoes - fresh and canning

Need some good, fresh, Idaho potatoes for your Thanksgiving dinner? (or any other meal, for that matter?)

Well, we are making them available in 50 lb boxes or bags. Prices range from $5.00 for very large spuds, $10.00 for a variety of sizes to $15.00 for consistently sized potatoes. Those are the prices for now, anyway... (fall of 2009)

Let me know if you are interested in getting any. We have a cellar full.

They are Russet potatoes - aren't they pretty (as far as potatoes go)?



Last week, I got ambitious and even made bottled soup base with some of my potatoes. I'll get the recipe to you soon. I am way excited to use this bottle to quickly make soup someday.

Oh - and for those serious canners out there... I talked to the ag extension office about making soup base and they said it is usually okay (safe) - as long as you don't put any thickeners in - like rice or barley!

This jar has a few seasonings and is mostly filled with veggies... more on that coming soon.

Until then...

February is Potato Lover's Month

Did you know we are potato farmers as well as spelt and grain farmers? It is true. We grow famous Idaho potatoes - the good ones (Burbanks). Yes, there are other varieties, but the Burbank is a good, solid, reputable, all-purpose potato. It will hold up if you are looking to mash, bake, french fry, slice, dice, or use it in a potato gun. (What? Haven't seen those? They are pretty funny.)

Anyway, I wanted to mention how wonderful potatoes are to have in your food storage. Short term storage. I can keep fresh poatoes from early October until about May in my basement. It has a great atmosphere for potatoes - it is quite cool in my fruit room, dark (plus I keep them covered), and dry.

We love to eat potatoes here. Our favorite method, currently, is to eat them as hash browns. We just bake a few extra (or share the big potatoes) and whatever is left over in the morning, we dice up (skins on) and fry them up into hashbrowns - dousing them with lots of ketchup for my family. My boys think that is a fantastic treat!

I have recently discovered a fantastic cheesy potato chicken vegetable soup that is divine! Or baked potato soup is great on a cold day. And a baked potato bar is always delicious. (Hints: top baked potatoes with hamburger stroganof gravy, or cheesy broccoli, or sour cream and bacon bits or chives, or chili, or cheese, or a combination of the above. YUMMY! I'm getting hungry for a baked potato bar.)

So? Check your grocery stores and make sure they have their potato lovers displays up. Find a farmer or a potato warehouse and buy some potatoes! Have a party - serve baked potatoes. It will be fun.

p.s. Have you heard the hype about the Albertsons sales and super savings... check that out soon. There are great deals to be had for stocking up your food storage.

Talk to you again soon.

Water, Water

I know a lot of the midwest is under water. We worry about you who live there.

We, in Idaho, jumped from winter to summer (seriously, snow to 80 degrees) within 10 days time. The temperatures continue to rise and we struggle to keep our crops watered. So, if you don't hear from me for a few days, there is a good chance it is due to water.

I get a lot of questions asking what else we grow besides spelt and wheat. So, here is getting to know us better.

We also grow potatoes (by the way, potatoes really are healthy for you. It is the butter and sour cream that isn't so healthy for you.), seed peas, alfalfa hay, grass hay, hard red wheat, soft white wheat, and sweet corn, and a few cows.

The sweet corn is only about 3 acres that we pick by hand each harvest and sell locally. It usually turns out to be the best sweet corn I've ever had.
Everything else is grown in lots of 20-200 acres. (That is a very rough estimate)

So, there you have it... now you know!

Talk to you again soon.