Food in the time of a pandemic

[KennethT]

42 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

This week's CSA.  They gave me two kohlrabi this week, sigh.  I still have the huge one from last week.  Husband is encouraging me to cut them up and throw them in to the woods for the abundant wildlife that live around my house.  I just might do that...  The huge bunch of tatsoi will be going in to a soup soon.

 

I've never done it, but I'd think kholrabi would make a good som tum.

[Anna N]

12 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I've never done it, but I'd think kholrabi would make a good som tum.

You might also try pickling it. With a little heat added to the pickling liquid it might make a great addition to your bahn mie(s). 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

This week's CSA.  They gave me two kohlrabi this week, sigh.  I still have the huge one from last week.  Husband is encouraging me to cut them up and throw them in to the woods for the abundant wildlife that live around my house.  I just might do that...  The huge bunch of tatsoi will be going in to a soup soon.

 

Andrea Nguyen has some great ideas including from other countries like Germany and India. (see comment section)  https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2010/07/asian-ideas-for-kohlrabi.html

[Kerry Beal]

50 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I've only done that drive twice; while it's (sorta) fun, I was so much younger then, I'm older than that now. 

Now I've had a damn ear worm.

[haresfur]

At a popup lunch with friends. Strict rules about distances between tables and only taking your mask off when seated. But no cases reported in regional Victoria in about a week.

 

The food was nice, not wow, but nice.

 

eta: first meal with friends and first sit-down restaurant meal in about 9 months

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by haresfur
and another thought (log)

[TdeV]

So jealous, @haresfur!

[heidih]

Desperate times. Had been craving my simple olive oil orange cake and thought I saw oranges in the distance. Schlepped out there and as they were last year's crop and all tree energy is now into the new crop greenies it was a bust; dry and flavorless skin. About to give up I said "make do!" and pulled out some horridly past prime cinnamon, cheap ancient fake vanilla, and 6 year old pumpkin pie spice. Baked off on the sugar, used a touch of water to make up for lack of citrus juice and....it is perfect with tea. The texture is as I like it and smells comforting.  

[kayb]

6 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

This week's CSA.  They gave me two kohlrabi this week, sigh.  I still have the huge one from last week.  Husband is encouraging me to cut them up and throw them in to the woods for the abundant wildlife that live around my house.  I just might do that...  The huge bunch of tatsoi will be going in to a soup soon.

 

Grate it up and make slaw.

 

 

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

They gave me two kohlrabi this week, sigh.

I suggested earlier that you might want to pickle some of it but now I came across this and thought I would share it. Buttered fries from Ottolenghi..

 

oops That should be roasted kohlrabi!  My bad 

Edited November 1, 2020 by Anna N (log)

[Smithy]

Here's something I hadn't imagined or expected: a shortage of spices because of a shortage in packaging materials! Washington Post article.  I hope this article is included in their free pandemic coverage:

A spice boom has left manufacturers scrambling, and packaging materials can’t keep up

 

 

[weinoo]

9 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Here's something I hadn't imagined or expected: a shortage of spices because of a shortage in packaging materials! Washington Post article.  I hope this article is included in their free pandemic coverage:

A spice boom has left manufacturers scrambling, and packaging materials can’t keep up

 

 

 

 

Yeah, it's been rough.

Surprised this article is in the WaPo, I expected it to be in Food52.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

Here's something I hadn't imagined or expected: a shortage of spices because of a shortage in packaging materials! Washington Post article.  I hope this article is included in their free pandemic coverage:

A spice boom has left manufacturers scrambling, and packaging materials can’t keep up

 

 

It was my understanding when I looked into it closely that it was packaging more than anything else that led to the flour shortage. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

With the hurricane and all it's been too wet to get to Shoprite but I needed Hellmann's.  Whole Foods offered Hellman's organic which was kind of pricey.  But this is a pandemic.  I was glad they had it.

 

[weinoo]

Small delivery yesterday...

 

 

Japanese rice vinegar and soy sauce, flanking the Ume plum vinegar. The soy is supposed to be really good for sushi and sashimi.

 

[ElsieD]

@weinoo  what do you use the Ume Plum Vinegar for?  I have a bottle but I have forgotten why I bought it.🙄

[weinoo]

48 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@weinoo  what do you use the Ume Plum Vinegar for?  I have a bottle but I have forgotten why I bought it.🙄

 

I think I'm gonna use it for the pickled ginger.

[Shelby]

I went to the big city store today.  I'm glad I did.  I don't have a clue yet what I'm making for Thanksgiving, so I'll be going back probably the week before the week of Thanksgiving.  I was sad to see the TP and paper towel isle were looking skimpy again.  So was the flour.  I took a picture (no one was in the isle with me).  

 

The bags on the far left are wheat flour.  The bags in the middle with the orange label are what I usually buy.  They still had some, but not fully stocked for sure.  And they had no whole turkeys.  I think many people might be having ham for dinner ....unless they order one  .  I have some turkey quarters in the freezer so those might have to do--and that's ok. The two of us definitely don't need to make a whole turkey lol.  I was going to pick up some hopefully discounted Halloween candy, but nope.  None to be found.  They already stocked the shelves with Christmas candy!

[rotuts]

@Shelby 

 

why so glum ?

 

they did have flour

 

and fome Tp , but you've probably already stocked up

 

Im sure . ish

 

yes its Tues , and a bit glum

 

but :

 

 

Turkey SV this way and that ?

 

better than ever.

 

maybe next Tues. will be better

 

I hope so

 

MC is Sunbsthing 

 

and I have not asked him.

[Toliver]

53 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I went to the big city store today.  I'm glad I did.  I don't have a clue yet what I'm making for Thanksgiving, so I'll be going back probably the week before the week of Thanksgiving.  I was sad to see the TP and paper towel isle were looking skimpy again.  So was the flour.  I took a picture (no one was in the isle with me).  

 

The bags on the far left are wheat flour.  The bags in the middle with the orange label are what I usually buy.  They still had some, but not fully stocked for sure.  And they had no whole turkeys.  I think many people might be having ham for dinner ....unless they order one  .  I have some turkey quarters in the freezer so those might have to do--and that's ok. The two of us definitely don't need to make a whole turkey lol.  I was going to pick up some hopefully discounted Halloween candy, but nope.  None to be found.  They already stocked the shelves with Christmas candy!

You're doing fine.

I'd chalk up the missing flour to novice bakers in the Pandemic (the yeast shortage was their fault earlier this year). No worries.

And your turkey selection sounds perfect, My brother in San Diego would do the inverse turkey parts (just a fully cooked turkey breast bought at Costco). At least your turkey will give you bones for stock. Buy just the breast and you're not able to make a good turkey stock whatsoever (which he and his wife wouldn't do anyway).

 

You should look at local drug stores (Walgreens, etc.) for Halloween candy on sale. The main grocery stores get wiped out of their stock early on Nov. 1st. Ya snooze, ya lose.

All the stores here have fully stocked their Christmas candy. Halloween's "body" isn't even cold and they've already moved on to Christmas. I don't blame them during this time of Pandemic for trying to make as much money as they can over the holidays.

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

I went to the big city store today.  I'm glad I did.  I don't have a clue yet what I'm making for Thanksgiving, so I'll be going back probably the week before the week of Thanksgiving.  I was sad to see the TP and paper towel isle were looking skimpy again.  So was the flour.  I took a picture (no one was in the isle with me).  

 

The bags on the far left are wheat flour.  The bags in the middle with the orange label are what I usually buy.  They still had some, but not fully stocked for sure.  And they had no whole turkeys.  I think many people might be having ham for dinner ....unless they order one  .  I have some turkey quarters in the freezer so those might have to do--and that's ok. The two of us definitely don't need to make a whole turkey lol.  I was going to pick up some hopefully discounted Halloween candy, but nope.  None to be found.  They already stocked the shelves with Christmas candy!

We saw lots of skimpy shelves at Kroger last week.  Packaged deli meats, paper products.  And empty shelves for mixes - rice, mac and cheese, Asian foods, Mexican foods.  Still no Lysol spray, though there has been a constant, but not plentiful, supply of disinfectant wipes the last 3 weeks.  Tons of whole, frozen turkeys.  Actually, all of the meats, fresh and frozen, seem to be in good supply.  Produce is OK, but I think it could be cleaned out with one good panic.  Our Kroger can't decide if they want to open the salad bar or not.  One week it will be open and the next it's closed and surrounded by product displays.  I wouldn't get anything off a bar right now and I haven't seen anyone using it.  The serve yourself bakery goods (rolls, bagels, doughnuts) are still available.  

[BeeZee]

Regarding leftover/marked down holiday candy...I found a lone bag of Easter Hershey's kisses at the ShopRite near my office about 4-5 months after the fact, on the sad clearance rack that they hide back by the door to the warehouse. You never know. Target is my usual stop for those things, but you only have 2-3 days before it gets picked clean, usually.

As far as grocery store stock in general, I'm still finding odd things missing on and off. One day they had no loose Russet baking potatoes. Another day it was yellow onions. The paper goods aisle continues to have some low stock. I bought a pack of TP even though I didn't need it, and it wasn't on sale, and I hate myself for doing that. My pandemic weakness...I can make do with substituting for missing food items...but I need MY brand of TP.

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, BeeZee said:

Regarding leftover/marked down holiday candy...I found a lone bag of Easter Hershey's kisses at the ShopRite near my office about 4-5 months after the fact, on the sad clearance rack that they hide back by the door to the warehouse. You never know. Target is my usual stop for those things, but you only have 2-3 days before it gets picked clean, usually.

As far as grocery store stock in general, I'm still finding odd things missing on and off. One day they had no loose Russet baking potatoes. Another day it was yellow onions. The paper goods aisle continues to have some low stock. I bought a pack of TP even though I didn't need it, and it wasn't on sale, and I hate myself for doing that. My pandemic weakness...I can make do with substituting for missing food items...but I need MY brand of TP.

Don't hate yourself at all!!!!  It's SMART to pick up an extra now and then.  I never want to feel like I did in march and April and may that I had to count the squares of TP that I use.  You need to stock up on what gets you through this with NO feeling bad about it.  It's not like you bought a zillion packs of anything and wiped them out.  

[dtremit]

21 hours ago, BeeZee said:

As far as grocery store stock in general, I'm still finding odd things missing on and off. One day they had no loose Russet baking potatoes. Another day it was yellow onions. The paper goods aisle continues to have some low stock. I bought a pack of TP even though I didn't need it, and it wasn't on sale, and I hate myself for doing that. My pandemic weakness...I can make do with substituting for missing food items...but I need MY brand of TP.

 

I think in general there are random kinks in the distribution chain -- if a truck driver calls in sick on any given day, then some random thing is going to be missing from some stores the next day. 

 

Apparently there is a particular shortage of paper towels, though — or at least there was about a month ago. People are using way more and it's hard to ramp up capacity. I've also heard there are shortages of cans (the actual cans, not the contents).

 

Back in early March I specifically avoided hoarding anything -- didn't want to be part of the problem! -- and then regretted not having grabbed certain things when we could. Now we have a few months' supply of items we absolutely can't live without like TP / paper towels / cleaning products — but nothing we won't work through quickly once this whole mess is over.

[liamsaunt]

I read somewhere that the little jars that spices are packed in are in short supply.  It is so random what goes out of stock.  In my last Wegman's order, there were no cashews, ginger, or basil in stock.  

[kayb]

A new adventure in mail order: Misfits Market, which takes misshapen, flawed and otherwise imperfect produce and ships it out to you, at least in the eastern half of the US and a few states west of the Mississippi River (but nothing further west than the states bordering on the river, I think).

 

I ordered the smaller box, which yielded me 12 different kinds of produce, in amounts they say should serve for one or two portions. Here's the haul:

 

 

for the princely sum of $22. You get to choose from, I'd guess, 40 to 50 kinds of produce they had available. I thought it was a damn fine bargain. There's also a "market" where you can add on some condiments, sauces and the like.

 

I've scheduled a box every other week.