The pleasures of plenty

[helenjp]

I've been thinking about this a lot. Saving on food-costs is one thing...what I really don't want to lose is the pleasures associated with food! Most of us at eGullet cook well enough to make our food dollar do what we want. How can we create, share, and give the pleasures of plenty without having to use a paid venue? How can we make or enjoy gifts of food or meals without feeling a sense of privation when avoiding expensively rare or exotic things?

Turning down a dinner invitation means losing touch with friends, cutting down my "neighborhood dinner run" budget means losing a connection with my neighborhood...and more, even when I'm able to afford more than basic foods, my reactions are on a primitive level that is out of synch with the real level of distress. But heck, I'm of a generation that has lurched from economic crisis to economic crisis, and THIS time round, I am NOT going to part with my zest for life or the part that food plays in my life.

One thing I can do is to hire community facilities VERY cheaply for cookfests with friends and neighbors. Gosh, if I hurry, we can all get together and make miso, and if we all do it together, none of us will have to cope with the usual costs associated with making big batches of food!

[djyee100]

I live in an area near some old, formerly neglected orchards. I've noticed that people are taking care of those orchards again, and valuing the free fruit the trees will provide. I'm hoping some old-fashioned canning bees will happen in the fall.

Sausage-making is another event for a crowd. Many hands mean quicker work and lots of great home-made sausage for everybody.

I recently invited a group of friends over for a morning coffee, and baked the pastries myself. Nothing difficult, only scones and banana bread. But people were blown away. One forgets that most people only eat commercially baked pastries that don't compare to homebaked. Of course the ingredients for the pastries were very cheap, maybe a few dollars altogether, and produced enough for people to take some extras home, too.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

We've never had a lot of disposable income, so I try to make the best of what I can afford. I have a lot of friends who don't or can't bake, so any baked good I bring them is appreciated, even if it's something as humble as my own pumpkin muffins, oatmeal muffins, or a loaf of bread.

[helenjp]

Sausage-making sounds fun!

One thing I've finally figured out is that I don't need to give people a mountain of stuff! Two muffins, a small bunch of fresh herbs, just enough fresh-picked snow peas to liven something up...and what the Japanese refer to as "cutting a bit off the hem", or re-gifting a little bit of things you receive.

One nice thing about pot-lucks and baking bees, canning bees etc. is the way it puts you in touch with people who live nearby...dining out seems to be more for friends you already know well.

[snowangel]

Almost every weekend, my cousin and I pick and night and have clean out the fridge night at our house. He cleans out his fridge and brings things, and I clean out my fridge. We get the kids involved in planning with what we have (math, art and creativity involved) and watch a $1.00 Redbox movie, or pull out Apples to Apples for a spirited game. These nights (usually Saturday) are a great memory in the making for the kids, and economical to boot.