5 Foods I don't buy from the store anymore

Over the years while I have tried to focus on eating better. It's then, that I started to learn a little about how bad some of the food in the store is for our health. Based on some of the information that I read I have made some changes and stopped buying some of our most consumed food items from the store. Not only is it better for our health but also the environment too. I'm not perfect but I am taking steps to do better at what I can.

1. Bread is one item that I make from scratch at home and no longer buy at the store. The bread that I liked at the store was too expensive and the cheap stuff I didn't care for, and both have ingredients you can't pronounce in them. No, I don't spend hours kneading and rising with a layer of flour coating everything, a rolling pin in hand and an apron on. I prepare bread mixes in quart jars, about 4-5 at a time, and then I use my bread machine. No, it's not cheating and I get the freshest bread smelling up my kitchen often. My bread machine also has a function to make jams and quick breads like banana or zucchini but that is a whole other story for a different time. (I also have a sourdough starter for which I use the discard in my breads.)

2. Tomatoes and Sauce Products like enchilada sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, pizza sauce, salsa, sloppy joe sauce, diced tomatoes and peppers, and pasta sauce. Due to a very abundant tomato year in 2020 we had enough tomatoes to put up several jars of all the tomato products I could possibly need, at least until next season.

3. Pumpkins, Blueberries, and Raspberries are pricey items at the store. I grew enough in this year's garden for several pies, soup, a jack-o-lantern, fruit jams, frozen and dehydrated berries.

4. Beef that is grass fed and pasture raised is one product that I purchased locally in bulk this last fall. I actually saved a ton of money by purchasing it this way and it is all stored safely in the freezer. I hope to expand my local farmer connections and get pork and chicken this way too.

5. Eggs are a benefit of having a flock of backyard hens. I no longer have to purchase eggs at the store because I usually have plenty to have egg sandwiches and omelettes as staple meals. I did have a short period this winter with no eggs being laid, I did have to buy some to supplement during the shortage. (I felt like an egg snob that I had to but I won't let that happen next winter, trust me) Luckily, my hens are starting lay again!

After this next growing season I hope to grow and preserve enough veggies like green beans, peas, cucumbers, carrots, onions, garlic and various squashes to name a few. Some people wonder why I like to do these things, and the best answer I can give them:

"I feel really good when I can serve my family food that I have a connection to, whether I grew it, made it from scratch or bought it direct from the farmer."