Food costs: Saving money in the kitchen

[Ria]

Since so many of us are trying to battle the increase in food prices, I thought it might be nice for us to list what we do to save money in the kitchen. I cook almost everything from scratch, which does save quite a bit of money. Some things I make include:

 

cookies/brownies/etc

crackers (my latest venture...I'm getting the hang of it)

yogurt (Camy's latest creamy recipe is awesome!!!)

buttermilk

bread (including my beloved sourdough)

granola

pizza sauce

tomato sauce

jams

a variety of syrups or sauces for pancakes/waffles (since maple syrup is so expensive these days)

 

Other hints:

 

I can get three meals from a whole chicken. The first night we have it roasted, and when we are done I cook the carcass along with the liver/heart/neck to make broth. That broth is used for soup. Leftover chicken is used in another meal.

 

When I peel carrots, chop celery, peel onions, etc. I save every peel and every skin (yes, even the onion skins). I put these scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When I make stock with the chicken carcass, I empty the contents of the ziplock bag and cook that in the broth. That way I'm not wasting a thing. The onion skins help give color to the broth. I strain the broth when I'm done. I freeze the broth in 1-4 cup containers and then I have broth when a recipe calls for it.

 

In the summer when our local Amish market has an abundance of red and green peppers, I but a half-bushel of each, slice them, and freeze them in ziplock bags. Then I have them all winter when needed for recipes and I don't have to pay the higher winter cost.

 

I dehydrate tomatoes (again from the local market) instead of buying sun-dried.

 

I buy bulk ground beef and chicken tenders at the store, package them in smaller amounts, and freeze them.

 

ETA: I make my own bread crumbs, too. Any heels or uneaten bread that is stale gets put in the food processor. Then the crumbs go into a low oven (200 degrees). Stir every 5 minutes until dry.

 

 

I'm curious to know what things other moms are doing to save money in the kitchen.

 

Ria

Edited November 11, 2008 by Ria

[PrairieAir]

Can you post your cracker recipes, Ria? I've been looking for some tried and true recipes for crackers since most of the ones you can buy at the grocery store have HFCS in them or are both expensive and nasty.

[Marie in Oh]

Maple syrup makes our otherwise cheap pancakes and waffles almost too expensive, but the cheap stuff is not good to us.

[Rose in BC]

Since so many of us are trying to battle the increase in food prices, I thought it might be nice for us to list what we do to save money in the kitchen. I cook almost everything from scratch, which does save quite a bit of money. Some things I make include:

 

cookies/brownies/etc

crackers (my latest venture...I'm getting the hang of it)

yogurt (Camy's latest creamy recipe is awesome!!!)

buttermilk

bread (including my beloved sourdough)

granola

pizza sauce

tomato sauce

jams

a variety of syrups or sauces for pancakes/waffles (since maple syrup is so expensive these days)

 

Other hints:

 

I can get three meals from a whole chicken. The first night we have it roasted, and when we are done I cook the carcass along with the liver/heart/neck to make broth. That broth is used for soup. Leftover chicken is used in another meal.

 

When I peel carrots, chop celery, peel onions, etc. I save every peel and every skin (yes, even the onion skins). I put these scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When I make stock with the chicken carcass, I empty the contents of the ziplock bag and cook that in the broth. That way I'm not wasting a thing. The onion skins help give color to the broth. I strain the broth when I'm done. I freeze the broth in 1-4 cup containers and then I have broth when a recipe calls for it.

 

In the summer when our local Amish market has an abundance of red and green peppers, I but a half-bushel of each, slice them, and freeze them in ziplock bags. Then I have them all winter when needed for recipes and I don't have to pay the higher winter cost.

 

I dehydrate tomatoes (again from the local market) instead of buying sun-dried.

 

I buy bulk ground beef and chicken tenders at the store, package them in smaller amounts, and freeze them.

 

 

I'm curious to know what things other moms are doing to save money in the kitchen.

 

Ria

 

The tiny chickens we have here get me two meals for my dh, self and three kids and stock with the carcass. There is no way I'd have even an ounce of extra meat.

[Ria]

Here is one recipe I just tried - it's very good. A yummy version is to subsitute orange juice for the water.

 

Brown Sugar Pancake Syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

a pinch of salt

 

Bring all ingredients to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved the syrup is ready to serve.

 

Other great ideas are here:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45138.asp

 

And, you can always heat up jam and use that.

 

Ria

[Ria]

Can you post your cracker recipes, Ria? I've been looking for some tried and true recipes for crackers since most of the ones you can buy at the grocery store have HFCS in them or are both expensive and nasty.

 

The recipes I'm using are all in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book.

 

I'll post them in a bit...right now I have to go clean the kitchen!

 

Ria

[Ria]

Rose, the roast chickens we usually buy are about 5-7 pounds and there are usually six of us at dinner: 2 adults, and boys ages 16, 14, 13, and 11. I try to have additonal food (veggies, potatoes, maybe some bread) when serving the chicken the first night so as to allow for leftover meat. I've really made an effort to use meat as a compliment to the meal rather than the centerpiece of the meal...that helps cut down on the amount of meat I have to buy. The family is good about eating whatever I give them, so if they have a salad, some bread, veggies, and a small helping of chicken they don't complain, lol.

 

Ria

[kewb]

Great idea.

 

I have been baking bread from scratch. I am contemplating getting a grain mill and buying wheat berries in bulk. I have not figured out a way to get a break on shipping.

 

I have started saving all my veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. I have a carcass in there too. When I have enough scraps-broth will be made. I also save my mushroom stumps and Broccoli ends. I use them to make cream of mushroom or broccoli soup. It all gets pureed so it does not matter which part I am using.

 

I buy poultry and eggs from a local poultry farm. The poultry tastes so much better than anything I have bought in the store around here. Since it is so flavorful I can cut the amount that I use in casseroles without dh complaining. I have also started cutting back on the amount of ground meat in recipes. I grind my own meat.

 

I want to learn how to can for next year. I do have a dehydrator that I need to break out again. I have only successfully used it to make apple rings. I need to expand.

[Ria]

Great idea.

 

I have been baking bread from scratch. I am contemplating getting a grain mill and buying wheat berries in bulk. I have not figured out a way to get a break on shipping.

 

I have started saving all my veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. I have a carcass in there too. When I have enough scraps-broth will be made. I also save my mushroom stumps and Broccoli ends. I use them to make cream of mushroom or broccoli soup. It all gets pureed so it does not matter which part I am using.

 

I buy poultry and eggs from a local poultry farm. The poultry tastes so much better than anything I have bought in the store around here. Since it is so flavorful I can cut the amount that I use in casseroles without dh complaining. I have also started cutting back on the amount of ground meat in recipes. I grind my own meat.

 

I want to learn how to can for next year. I do have a dehydrator that I need to break out again. I have only successfully used it to make apple rings. I need to expand.

 

Have you called some of your local health food stores and asked them if they can order grain for you? I had to do that to get 20 pounds of rye berries. The Amish stock the wheat berries but not the rye and I really wanted to make rye bread. :D

 

Ria

[Kris]

The family is good about eating whatever I give them, so if they have a salad, some bread, veggies, and a small helping of chicken they don't complain, lol.

 

It's taken me all these years to learn this -- unless I'm misunderstanding you. I'll make a roast or a pot of stew, thinking it will last two or maybe even three meals, but left to their own devices there are no leftovers! That pot is so clean, it almost doesn't need to be washed! They do the same thing with a roast chicken -- I have nothing but bones!

 

The last time I made a roast, I cut it in half and the other half is in the freezer. No one complained about that! I'm thinking I might actually be able to cook the whole thing next time, and just put half of it in the fridge right from the get-go -- snagging my leftovers before they get a chance at 'em.

 

So if I do the same thing with a chicken, maybe I can get three or four meals out of that? :D

[mcconnellboys]

Great job! I don't make as many things from scratch as you, but I am doing more than before.

 

We grew our own tomatoes this last summer and I took the surplus at the end and sliced them, de-seeded, spread them to dry in my warming drawer, then packed them in olive oil with some garlic. I'm hoping to find them useful over winter.

 

We were in a 4-H Growbiz group over summer, growing basil and marketing it. They gave us the basil when they were finished and we continued caring for it until the first frost. I picked some for my own use periodically and put it up in the freezer. I should have plenty for my use all winter.

 

We plan to grow peppers next summer, along with our tomatoes.

 

I picked herbs from my garden over the course of the summer and dried them in my warming drawer, packing them in jars for use over winter. I have thyme, sage, garlic chives, and oregano.

 

I also dried lavender this year and am experimenting with uses for it besides just as pot pourri in drawers.

 

After we get a couple of good freezes, I will be digging echinacea root and attempting to make an elixir from it for which I've already procured the recipe.

[Jennifer in MI]

Ria - I love the recipe for "maple" syrup!! I'll be using that!

 

I do a lot of what has already been mentioned here. I make my own bread and baked goods.

 

Lately, I've been working on making the meat one of the side dishes. Someone here mentioned cutting anything with ground beef with rice - taco meat, chili, etc - and my kids don't even notice a difference! Makes the meat last a couple meals instead of one.

 

I've been beefing up our veggies by adding nuts and a bit of oil and salt. Adds protein, fills up the kids faster, and it's good for you!

 

Mostly I save money by shopping at three different places - Aldi (didi you know they sell some organic things now?), Trader Joes, and Kroger. It takes about an hour every Sunday for me to compare ads, plan meals, and cut coupons. Overall, I think it's worth it!

[MMinMN]

We found a very basic model at Walmart on sale for $15.00. It will long outlast it's equivalent value in waffles..

 

As a side note...my mother and her two sisters were born in the 30's. If their mother made pancakes or waffles for breakfast, they had to eat the first one plain. They could have syrup on anything after that. Things were not plentiful for them, and this was one method they used to extend what little they had.

[joannqn]

I'm thinking I might actually be able to cook the whole thing next time, and just put half of it in the fridge right from the get-go -- snagging my leftovers before they get a chance at 'em.

 

 

That's what I do. When I'm dishing up meals, I dish up the leftovers too.

 

In addition to the three meals per chicken. I do 20 meals per turkey.

 

I also make homemade refried beans which can be frozen.

 

With other meats, I cut it up into bite sized pieces before cooking them. They cook faster and I can get away with using less. I use 2 half breast of chicken or 2 pork chops to feed the five of us and usually still have leftovers for a lunch or two.

 

I also make my own alfredo sauce for pasta. $2 makes a pasta alfredo meal for lunch. Add $1.88 of chicken to that for dinner.

[Ria]

Rice-Sesame Crackers

3 cups water

1 cup brown rice

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Boil the water and add the rice and salt. Bring back to a full boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the sesame seeds. Mash using a potato masher; be pretty vigorous about this.

When cool enough to handle, form the rice into two flat discs, pressing and squeezing to get the rice to stick together. Oil two rimless baking sheets generously. Put one disc in the center of the sides tidy Cover w/ a sheet of waxed paper as big as the baking sheet, and roll with a rolling pin until it is as thin as possible; patching is okay. Remove waxed paper and cut the dough into whatever size and shape you please.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until crisp the edges usually lift off the baking sheet at this stage, and when you pull a piece off, it breaks quite crisply. The crackers will not brown very much.

From Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book page 308.

[Ria]

Sea Biscuits (I haven’t made these yet, but they sound fantastic; they are like Rykrisps)

½ cup wheat berries

1 T oil

½ t salt

½ t baking soda

1 t caraway seeds

¾ cup rye flour, approx.

Sprout the wheat for 2-4 days but not so long that there is any green in the shoots. Grind fairly fine (I am going to use my blender or food processor, I guess). Mix in the oil, salt, soda, seeds, and enough rye flour to make a stiff dough. Form into golf-ball-sized rounds, then roll out on a well-floured board as thin as possible, not thicker than ¼ inch. Bake on a dry griddle on low heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or in a medium-low oven, until very slightly brown.

 

From Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, page 283.

[AuntieM]

I think the cost saving, percentage-wise, is phenomenal!

 

I have used a recipe similar to Ria's:

 

1 cup water, brought to a boil

1/2 cup white sugar, added to boiling water, stir til solution is clear

1/2 tsp maple flavoring, added to slightly cooled syrup

 

The kid have brand-named our syrup "Maple Home."

 

The other day I made syrup, but discovered too late I was out of maple flavoring, so I used a tsp of vanilla extract instead. It was very good. Next time I will try Ria's brown sugar instead of white, I bet it will be a richer taste. Not to mention the butter!

 

Other things I have done to save costs, add more rice alongside our meals, bread from scratch, roast whole chickens and debone them (instead of those boneless, skinless breasts that are so convenient!), use thigh meat instead of breast meat when I do buy frozen chicken parts, cook beans, soups, gumbos & jambalaya more frequently. In general, just keep the meals simple. Not a ton of extras, no fancy recipes, not a bazillion ingredients or expensive spices.

 

I enjoyed reading all your ideas, I will continue to watch this thread. Gas prices may be coming down, but I have yet to see grocery prices follow!

[Ria]

Corn Crackers These are very good for snacking!

 

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 t salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp chili powder

2 T grated cheddar cheese

 

2 T oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

 

Preheat oven to 350. Put dry ingredients in bowl and stir in cheese (hint: we decided it would be much better to put all this in the food processor, otherwise the cheese pieces are too large). Add oil and buttermilk to dry ingredients, forming a soft, moist dough. Form into two balls.

 

Her directions: Use two well-greased large (12 x 18) baking sheets without sides. Flatten the balls one at a time, and roll them out to cover the baking sheets - if you have the persistence, they will. Use a piece of waxed paper on top to keep the dought from sticking to the rolling pin.

 

My directions: Put a dough ball between two large pieces of parchment paper on the counter and roll to fit the size of your baking sheet (can have sides with this method). Transfer the paper with the rolled dough to the baking sheet and remove the top layer of parchment paper.

 

With a pizza or pastry cutter, knife, spatula, or whatever, score the rolled-out dough into cracker-sized pieces.

 

Bake for 5-10 minutes, being very careful not to let them get more than delicately brown.

 

From Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, p. 330

[cindyinTexas]

I actually saw this show where Alton Brown said, "Homemade oils might contain botulism?"

 

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1542272

 

Here is the link....

Edited November 11, 2008 by cindyinTexas

[Colleen in NS]

A yummy version is to subsitute orange juice for the water.

 

 

Oh, yum! I might try that sometime - I make syrup, too!

[Serendipity]

I've been making stuff from scratch to save money at the store, too. Last night I made a pineapple upside down cake! Tomorrow I am going to make a pumpkin spice cake. It's gotta be better for us than processed. :)

 

I'm plugging my ears and covering my eyes in case someone disagrees with my last sentence. :)

[kalanamak]

 

When I peel carrots, chop celery, peel onions, etc. I save every peel and every skin (yes, even the onion skins). I put these scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When I make stock with the chicken carcass, I empty the contents of the ziplock bag and cook that in the broth.

 

I dehydrate tomatoes (again from the local market) instead of buying sun-dried.

 

 

I pop those frozen peelings into the pressure cooker, and the broth is fully ready by the time I have the onions sauteed and everything else for the soup washed and chopped.

 

Buy toms when they are very cheap, cut out the stem and lightly squeeze to get the seeds out, and freeze. The skin will come off when frozen solid after 5 seconds under hot water, and you have lovely tomato meat to chop and make sauce, add to soups, make salsa, etc. This works really well.

[kalanamak]

Maple syrup makes our otherwise cheap pancakes and waffles almost too expensive, but the cheap stuff is not good to us.

 

When a fruit stand has berries for a good price, juice them and boil down with sugar for a syrup. In the past (when I didn't work full time and homeschool), I did this and "canned it" like liquid jelly. This is divine. My favourite was boysenberry and I juiced it with a steam juicer.

[mamaof2andtwins]

I make my own bread. I have been doing it for the past 5 years. My mom bought me a wheat grinder for Christmas that year. It is not to say I never buy bread. I get in slumps, but bread has gotten so expensive.

 

I also make my own taco shells, bagels and English muffins.

 

We garden. This year my garden got flooded out.

 

I also stock up a lot when items go on sale at the grocery store. For example, over the past 6 weeks tomato puree has been $0.69. I have a stock of about 20 cans. That should easily last me a year. Since I didn't can tomatoes this will help. I try to do this for as many items that I use. All I did was by 4 cans each week that I shopped.

[Raders Fan]

I make my own tortillas and bagels and spaghetti sauce. I also make large batches of everything and put the excess in meal-sized portions in the freezer. There is far less waste that way, and it reduces the temptation to pick up a pizza when Mom is sick or the day has been hectic.

 

Jennifer

[LisaKinVA]

Leftover chicken is used in another meal.

 

You have leftover chicken? :D We'd have to cook two chickens for left-overs growing up...

[Aubrey]

Aaaaaaahhhh! Y'all must have ginormous freezers!

[laughing lioness]

Use powdered milk for cooking instead of liqued. We have been making our own dried apples all fall (posting a tutorial on my blog about it either later today or tommorow) and a lot of what the others are doing.

My biggest tip is grow your own. I brought in 4 parsley plants from the garden inside for the winter and while the taste is more bland it's still fresh. My dh is going to rig up an inside growing area this year so we can start our garden earlier- extending the harvest. We dried a ton of herbs, tomatoes and apples this year, along with canning, freezing, etc. I think I'm addicted to dried tomatos- they are amazing!!

Raders- do you have a tortilla maker? Do you use lard. Please share more!

[LilyK]

Well, I'm sort of ashamed. All of you guys do so much from scratch to save money. My tip is the opposite. We get Costco pizza once a week for dinner. There is no way that I could feed my entire family dinner for 10 bucks, no matter what I make, so this is really a very good cost cutter for us.

 

Also, if any of you have husbands who fish, we eat the fish that he catches (if it is in legal limits). A long time ago, we invested in a Foodsaver. We freeze the fish in air-tight packaging and it tastes totally fresh when we open it. If dh has a really productive Saturday fishing, we could potentially have a couple weeks worth of dinners in the freezer. He has offered to put some venison in the freezer for me too, but I said no thanks.

[Rose in BC]

Rose, the roast chickens we usually buy are about 5-7 pounds and there are usually six of us at dinner: 2 adults, and boys ages 16, 14, 13, and 11. I try to have additonal food (veggies, potatoes, maybe some bread) when serving the chicken the first night so as to allow for leftover meat. I've really made an effort to use meat as a compliment to the meal rather than the centerpiece of the meal...that helps cut down on the amount of meat I have to buy. The family is good about eating whatever I give them, so if they have a salad, some bread, veggies, and a small helping of chicken they don't complain, lol.

 

Ria

 

I guess I need to start buying the larger roasting chickens rather than the fryers which are considerably smaller.

 

I like the idea of making meat the side dish and the veggies the main.

[PariSarah]

. . . is by doing without.

 

Well, that's not entirely true. There are some places we could save money if health (fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain stuff) and moral conviction (cage-free eggs, a portion of our weekly budget spent at the farmers market) weren't an issue.

 

But I won't go back to standard eggs, and I'd like not to have to give up the farmers market entirely. And I'd rather have a little fruits and veggies than lots of Doritos and Wonder Bread.

 

So, we're just eating less. No seconds, no snacks except for the kids, desserts rarely, no drinks but water and a little milk, very little alcohol, meat only once or twice a week, very simple side dishes, etc.

 

Other things I've been doing for forever:

 

Homemade bread. This is just so tasty!!

 

Lots of homemade soups. Yummy yum yum! My MIL saves me all her carcasses. It embarrasses dh horribly. :D

 

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart!

 

I take those tiny little cloves in the center of the garlic--the ones that are too small to bother with--and plant them in my window boxes and my little houseplants. After about two or three weeks, they're ready to use like scallions.

 

I am the leftover queen. Almost nothing goes to waste in our house. This is almost as big as simply eating less. Supposedly, the average family of four throws away $600 worth of food a year. (That's a month and a half of groceries!!)

 

Plug-in cooking. I have a few standby recipes where I can substitute widely. So, I plan "stir fry" or "pasta with veggies," and I can use whatever's on sale at the grocery store, or whatever's cheap at the FM.

 

I buy all my herbs and spices from the bulk aisle at Whole Foods. It's so much cheaper than those jars of McCormick's, because you don't pay for the jar every time! I think to refill my basil jar costs me about ten cents.

 

Homemade vanilla, with vanilla beans bought off eBay. My MIL was so impressed with this that she even bought the vodka last time.

 

Breakfast is toast or oatmeal. (We used to have grits, too, but the cheese got too expensive.)

[AnnetteB]

Lentil soup is quick, tasty and inexpensive. Some of the kids like it over rice with a little melted cheddar cheese on top. It is a meal in a bowl :) We enjoy stir fried chicken and fresh veggies over rice, too. We buy our chicken breasts at costco. They don't have chemicals added. We add mashed bananas to homemade spelt pancake batter. Maple syrup is a rare treat around Christmas. Oatmeal is more nutritious and inexpensive than packaged cereals. One child has type 1 diabetes and we try to keep sugars to a minimum and eat fresh unprocessed foods. We love local fresh produce in season. We have about 50 pumpkins that the local farm gave us after Halloween for the seeds and to feed our goats and sheep :)

[laughing lioness]

We have been gifted a lot of venison since moving here- not my fav meat but if you cut it 1/2 and 1/2 with gr. beef you can't tell that there is venison in it. It is great for meatballs, taco meat, etc.

I just wanted to add that my dd made Hungarian cabbage rolls with the venison/beef mix and no one could tell (this was for a huge party).

[Raders Fan]

4 cups flour

1 t salt

1 T baking powder

1/4 c shortening

1 1/2 c warm water

 

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in shortening. Add water a

little at a time, mixing with your hands. Knead until smooth. Divide into 16

equal portions and shape into balls. With a rolling pin roll into circles

about 1/8 inch thick. You shouldn't need extra flour to roll the tortillas

out. Cook on a hot (400 degree) ungreased griddle about 1 minute per side.

 

This is my grandmother's recipe. The tortillas aren't as thin as store-bought, but they do taste so much better. If I have bacon grease, I will use that instead of shortening, but I usually save the bacon grease for making homemade refried beans.

 

I don't use a tortilla press. I just roll them out with a rolling pin (which is actually a piece of oak closet rod dowel--that's what my family--Mexican heritage--has always used).

 

Use a knife to trim the tortilla and make it rounder. After 15 years of admiring my aunt's tortillas for their perfect shape, we learned their secret.

Edited November 11, 2008 by Raders Fan

[Nicole not in CA]

Ria, would you mind sharing your homemade pizza sauce recipe? This is something that I have been buying jarred that I have been meaning to start making myself.

[laughing lioness]

My apple drying tutorial is up on my blog - it's very easy but I thought maybe others might not realize how handy the oven is for dehydrating (though given the dishwashing thread, I'm probably just behind as usual). Link in sig block.

[PrairieAir]

This is not a tip I would use, but this is the best place I can think of to share this story.

 

Last Saturday 11yodd was invited to spend the night with a friend. Now, this is a sweet, wonderful family, if a bit quirky. When I dropped dd off at their house I went inside to talk with friend's mom. She mentioned that they might go out driving after a while to see if they could find a deer someone had just hit. She said she was actually hoping to see someone hit a deer so she'd know it was really fresh meat. I guess you can call the sheriff and have him issue a tag for roadkill.

 

As she was explaining all of this, I kept wondering how she expected she might just happen to see someone hitting a deer. Did she have a particular spot where a lot of deer get hit? I had the fleeting thought that perhaps they were going to try to hit a deer on purpose. Nah, surely not with the kids in the car.

 

The next morning when dd got home she had quite the story to tell. Sure enough, they'd driven around trying to find deer to hit. While listening to hip hop music. With 7 kids in the car. She said friend's mom didn't find anything except a raccoon, but she only managed to run over the tail. That's right. This was the mom. Dad wasn't even with them. He had been out hunting (bow) all day with no luck and was working the night shift that night. Mom wanted to be able to say she got a deer before dad. Welcome to the hillbilly hunt club!

 

Now, dh says that with the big ol' SUV they have he doesn't think anyone but the deer would get hurt. I still think we won't be letting dd go along for the ride on any of these hunting expeditions. It's a nice SUV, too, so they must have good insurance.

 

Let me explain also that while I don't believe this is at all ethical for so many reasons, I do think it's pretty hilarious. It's also a good example for that thread someone else started about people who would never break any other law but don't think twice about speeding. (That would be me on the speeding.) These are good people who, just last week, were concerned about the language on of their dd's other friends was using but see nothing wrong with "hunting" this way. :blink::001_huh:

 

So, roadkill can be a good way to save money in putting meat on your table. Just please be sure you obtain it safely and legally;)

[joannqn]

Sure enough, they'd driven around trying to find deer to hit.

 

This is insane! My dad hit a deer while we were traveling over night once. Totally by accident. He tried to swerve but the deer ran the same way we swerved. It HUGELY damaged the car. It dented the whole front end of the car and moved the radiator back. We were fortunate that the radiator wasn't broken and leaking. My dad also said we were lucky we went over the deer rather than it popping up and coming through the windshield.

 

Potentially dangerous and expensive way to hunt.

[joannqn]

I use this flour tortilla from Laine's Letters.

 

It only uses water, oil, salt, and flour. Very simple recipe.

[Aggie]

This is not a tip I would use, but this is the best place I can think of to share this story.

 

Last Saturday 11yodd was invited to spend the night with a friend. Now, this is a sweet, wonderful family, if a bit quirky. When I dropped dd off at their house I went inside to talk with friend's mom. She mentioned that they might go out driving after a while to see if they could find a deer someone had just hit. She said she was actually hoping to see someone hit a deer so she'd know it was really fresh meat. I guess you can call the sheriff and have him issue a tag for roadkill.

 

As she was explaining all of this, I kept wondering how she expected she might just happen to see someone hitting a deer. Did she have a particular spot where a lot of deer get hit? I had the fleeting thought that perhaps they were going to try to hit a deer on purpose. Nah, surely not with the kids in the car.

 

The next morning when dd got home she had quite the story to tell. Sure enough, they'd driven around trying to find deer to hit. While listening to hip hop music. With 7 kids in the car. She said friend's mom didn't find anything except a raccoon, but she only managed to run over the tail. That's right. This was the mom. Dad wasn't even with them. He had been out hunting (bow) all day with no luck and was working the night shift that night. Mom wanted to be able to say she got a deer before dad. Welcome to the hillbilly hunt club!

 

Now, dh says that with the big ol' SUV they have he doesn't think anyone but the deer would get hurt. I still think we won't be letting dd go along for the ride on any of these hunting expeditions. It's a nice SUV, too, so they must have good insurance.

 

Let me explain also that while I don't believe this is at all ethical for so many reasons, I do think it's pretty hilarious. It's also a good example for that thread someone else started about people who would never break any other law but don't think twice about speeding. (That would be me on the speeding.) These are good people who, just last week, were concerned about the language on of their dd's other friends was using but see nothing wrong with "hunting" this way. :blink::001_huh:

 

So, roadkill can be a good way to save money in putting meat on your table. Just please be sure you obtain it safely and legally;)

 

There's actually a menu somewhere for 'Roadkill Cafe'. :lol: I hit a deer with my parent's brand new cadillac and did enormous damage. Then I hit one in our mini-van and barely got an inch-long dent.

 

I met another hs mom once whose dh was a policeman. When they first got married, he brought home a deer someone had just killed and started processing it on their kitchen table. Then he got a call and had to leave, so he gave his new dw instructions on how to finish. ugh!

 

We love venison and dh does a great job every year filling our freezer. He says the key to getting venison that isn't gamey is by processing it the correct way. And, he does that himself, in the shop, so that saves us $100 per deer.

 

We also eat a lot of beans and eggs. No cereal, very little processed food at all. I don't mind spending money on fruits and veggies, though. And when meat is on sale, watch out...I'll clean out a sale freezer in no time! :O

[RoughCollie]

The next morning when dd got home she had quite the story to tell. Sure enough, they'd driven around trying to find deer to hit.

 

I don't care how nice the woman is or how big her SUV is, if she'd taken my child out to find a deer to hit, that would be the last time I'd let her have responsibility for my child.

 

People have died or been injured in vehicle accidents with deer. I think it is irresponsible to take children on a drive with that purpose in mind. I also think that is a barbaric way to hunt deer. What was she planning to do if she merely injured the deer? Back up and hit it again?

 

RC

[Arch at Home]

To add to the list, I grow my own bean sprouts. I also buy rice, fish sauce, rice vinager, bok choy, rice noodles, and similar from the the local Asian market to get them on the cheap. Shopping around really saves us money.

[Deidre in GA]

I don't care how nice the woman is or how big her SUV is, if she'd taken my child out to find a deer to hit, that would be the last time I'd let her have responsibility for my child.

 

People have died or been injured in vehicle accidents with deer. I think it is irresponsible to take children on a drive with that purpose in mind. I also think that is a barbaric way to hunt deer. What was she planning to do if she merely injured the deer? Back up and hit it again?

 

RC

 

two friends of mine hit a deer in Tennesse a few years ago. the dear went through the windshield of their minivan and out the back window. (no, i'm not exaggerating.) the hooves of the flying deer seriously injured the skull of my friend who was driving; she has neurological damage that will plague her the rest of her life. it was a miracle my passenger friend was able to grab the wheel and navigate the van to the side of the road.

 

'hunting' deer in the manner described is far from hilarious. it is dangerous for all and particularly inhumane for the deer. not only would my child not ever visit that family again, i would be doing some heavy googling to determine if this was legal and if not, who to report this incident to.

[laughing lioness]

My dh and I have both hit deer this fall -it's hunting and harvesting season and they are everywhere! -we've paid over $1200 in repairs to our vehicles (after the deductible) and I wrenched my shoulder pretty well- not a sport I'd willingly participate in! Yes, you can go back for the meat, but frankly, after seeing the bloody mess that was left from the buck that rammed our passenger side door, I wouldn't really want to. Thank God the antler didn't go through the door- that happened to my mil and it almost punctured her side.

And the key to wild game is getting it legally. I can't imagine that a sherriff would consider broadsiding a wild animal legal!!

 

Raders and Joannqn- thanks for the totilla recipes :001_smile:

[PrairieAir]

No, I don't think it's a humane way to hunt deer. No, dd will not be allowed to do it now that I know what's going on, and if she had come out and said that's what they'd be doing, I would have told her dd couldn't go. I should have paid attention to that thought I had, but I just thought, "Surely not." Didn't I say this all already? However, looking at the situation in hindsight, I do think it's funny. It's just so bizarre to me that I have to laugh. No one was hurt.

 

Dd will be allowed to visit the family again, but I will have to have a conversation with the parents about the deer "hunting" and let them know dd is not allowed to go along for that if she ever spends the night again. It is illegal and I won't be reporting it. They didn't get anything anyway and I just don't feel the responsibility to report anything in this situation.

 

Now, as to the question of what she would have done if she hadn't killed the deer, I know she planned to gut it on the spot. She took a knife. If dh does not kill a deer with the first shot, he tracks it down and uses his knife to finish the job as this woman would have. Though I feel killing a deer with a car on purpose is not very sportsman like and that it is less humane, I'm not certain how much more a deer would suffer being killed this way instead of with an arrow or bullet. Dh has seen deer that irresponsible, lazy hunters have allowed to get away injured only to develop gangrene and die a slow and very painful death. When he sees them, he wishes he could shoot them to put them out of their misery. The meat is no good, so he wouldn't be taking that, but if he would have to use his deer tag or risk getting a huge fine just to help that deer. If it were me, I think I'd rather be hit by a car and finished off with a knife or by having my neck broken. Wow, that's a morbid thought for so early in the morning;)

 

Someone else mentioned processing the deer properly to make it taste less gamey. Dh butchers his own deer but sends some of the meat off for processing if we want hamburger or sausage since we don't have a meat grinder. We usually just use it as is. The butcher who taught him how to do it told him that it's important to get every bit of fat off the meat because that's what makes it taste gamey. When they grind the meat for hamburger, they often cut it with a little beef tallow because the meat is so lean.

[danielle]

I love this thread but a couple of the ideas cause me concern. I wouldn't want to lose any of you, so I'll raise them for your consideration! I'm not an expert so you might want to double check me and make your own conclusions.

 

1. Tomatoes stored in oil and garlic may not be safe unless they were canned. There have been lots of warnings about not making flavored oils, particularly with garlic, as there may be danger of botulism. I love that flavor, too, but I only put herbs in vinegar any more.

 

2. Tragically, eating any caught fish may not be safe anymore. Several seafood/fish watch organizations have cautioned that eating fresh water fish caught anywhere in North America is not safe due to mercury and other chemical contaminants. We gave up Lake Superior whitefish (which I love) after reading many alerts not to feed ANY amount to children or pregnant women. Even lakes or streams that appear pristine may be contaminated by out-of-sight mining or ground water. Please check this out--effects can be very immediate if you eat much of it.

 

3. I love venison and I am not against hunting for food (most environmentalists would acknowledge that deer have no other large predators to keep the system in balance). However, chronic wasting disease has been reported in Wisconsin, Colorado, and Montana. This is a variation of mad-cow and the evidence (as far as I know) is unclear whether it can jump to humans. If you're going to eat venison, you might want to do a search on chronic wasting disease to assess how you regard any risk.

 

Now, my best food saving tips: I try to stay out of the grocery stores as much as possible. I buy cases of staples and try to shop for most supplies only once a month. I try to pick up only produce on a weekly basis--otherwise I tend to cruise, pick up a couple of magazines, extra crackers, etc. The less I shop, the less I spend. Also, I can save a lot if I carefully plan a week's menus and only buy what's actually needed. Third, I used to do 1x a month cooking and this saved a ton, but I can't stay on my feet for that long anymore--back and knees. So I try to double up on freezable entrees--saves time and money.

Danielle

 

Danielle

[AnneD]

Would be much appreciated :)

 

Anne

[Lovedtodeath]

. . . is by doing without.

 

Well, that's not entirely true. There are some places we could save money if health (fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain stuff) and moral conviction (cage-free eggs, a portion of our weekly budget spent at the farmers market) weren't an issue.

 

But I won't go back to standard eggs, and I'd like not to have to give up the farmers market entirely. And I'd rather have a little fruits and veggies than lots of Doritos and Wonder Bread.

 

:iagree:Thank you!!! I am amazed by how many people think eating healthy costs less. Processed foods are very cheap, especially with coupons. It is how my sister saves money. I will not do it.