As prices rise more than usual, we need to adjust more

May 14, 2022 – As vegetarians/vegans we’d already cut down on grocery expenses before COVID. No longer did we have to deal with the higher meat and seafood prices. Then COVID cut our incomes, we faced empty shelves, and stores discontinued some items.

Vegetarian dishes in stores were already rare; now some no longer exist. Some specialty items like agave syrup more than doubled in price.

What are we vegetarian/vegan babies going to do?

1. Eat safe weeds. Some of us grew up eating pokeweed salad, but we might have forgotten how to make it. First, we have to make sure no pesticide has touched the pokeweed. Next, we leave it alone if berries have formed because now the weed is poisonous. Then we wash, boil and drain the leaves 3 times. Finally, we cook them with seasonings. All the YouTube demonstrations for pokeweed salad use bacon and eggs, which can be replaced by apple cider vinegar or by liquid smoke and an egg substitute (in https://southchicagolandvegetarians.com/what-can-i-substitute-for-animal-flesh-or-animal-products-in-recipes/ ).

Another common lawn weed is dandelion, and it’s harmless. Nick Polizzi of The Sacred Science offers 3 recipes for dandelion – a salad, a pesto, and greens – at www.thesacredscience.com/a-delicious-healing-flower .

2. Make plant milks. YouTube and Yahoo have several demonstrations for making soy, nut and oat milks. (Two simple ones are https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-iba-3&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-3&hspart=iba&p=how+to+make+plant+based+milk+from+scratch&vm=r&type=gyff_9318_FFW_US#id=1&vid=0d5c1886c311d49f1706b85d294eaf01&action=click and https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrNOHCeu35iAwIso1c0nIlQ;_ylu=c2VjA3NlYXJjaAR2dGlkAw–;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTcwMARfcgMyBGFjdG4DY2xrBGNzcmNwdmlkA3Y4RGV1akV3TGpJVFR4VXBZWnZ5MHdFc01qQTNMZ0FBQUFCS1UuSmkEZnIDeWhzLWliYS0zBGZyMgNzYS1ncARncHJpZANWMDhmUTFOcFFTZTE4ZnVoeVBlanpBBG5fcnNsdAM2MARuX3N1Z2cDMTAEb3JpZ2luA3ZpZGVvLnNlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20EcG9zAzIEcHFzdHIDaG93JTIwdG8lMjBtYWtlJTIwb2F0JTIwbWlsawRwcXN0cmwDMjAEcXN0cmwDNDAEcXVlcnkDaG93JTIwdG8lMjBtYWtlJTIwb2F0JTIwbWlsayUyMGF0JTIwaG9tZQR0X3N0bXADMTY1MjQ3MzQxMw–?p=how+to+make+oat+milk+at+home&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&fr=yhs-iba-3&hsimp=yhs-3&hspart=iba&type=gyff_9318_FFW_US&vm=r#id=8&vid=9e5b547321d6f5c304e78f973f8d04c7&action=view . The plusses are that they cost less and have no preservatives; the minus is that they don’t last as long as the store bought versions. All you need are a blender, a strainer and a storage container.

3. Vary your daily ingredients to accommodate the good microbes in your gut. Change up what you’re eating all week with different seasonings or sauces(Field + Farmer and Margie’s are plant based and have no added sugar), fruits or toppings, kinds of grains, greens, beans or nuts. Every time you make stew, change some of the ingredients and sauces. Switch between processed and whole plants. If you go to food giveaways, buy different produce at the grocery store or farmers market. If you grow your own produce, alternate different plants. (Go to https://southchicagolandvegetarians.com/grow-all-you-can-eat-in-3-square-feet/ ) To save water invest in or get free rain barrels. If you belong to a community garden, trade some of your stash with a fellow gardener’s. If you are uncomfortable doing things by yourself, befriend people who aren’t by joining meetups (Go to www.southchicagolandvegetarians.com/category/resources/meetups-south-chicagoland/ or www.southchicagolandvegetarians.com/category/resources/meetups-that-came-south/ ) or attending vegetarian-friendly potlucks.

4. Stop buying toilet paper. Instead, order a nonelectric bidet accessory for the main toilet in your house. Mine was simple to install and cost around $33 before COVID. It saves on my toilet paper purchases and makes me feel cleaner. It’s better than using other kinds of paper, isn’t it?

If you seem overwhelmed by the tips, select one part of one and set aside time for it. Add your comments to this page later, and then try another. Can you add any additional suggestions for adjusting to the current price hikes?