April Shopping Brings May Yummies

Yes, I’m about to go shopping.

My last step into a grocery store was on March 20, and though we could eat deliciously and still with some variety for at least another 2 weeks, I’m down to the last 2 onions and we’re almost ready to rip into the last bag of flour. Time for the stock up.

There’s a six step process to this, absolutely similar to what I do when provisioning for an extended period. Maybe I’ll pretend I’m stocking the boat up for a Pacific crossing - only with a freezer and a large refrigerator at my fingertips. That would be 4100 miles, at a conservative estimate of 100 miles a day. Call it 7 weeks (although if I were actually planning this passage, I’d be adding at least an extra 2 weeks of rations on top of this to be really sure I didn’t run out.) Okay, I’m just going for 6 weeks here.

My goal is to do a one-day strike, so all my exposure is limited to one day. It’s a wild toss-up in my mind as to what’s worse, to go to different stores over different days or just do them all on the same day. For me, I’ll do it this way (the all in one day) so that my mental worry about how long to hold my breath after being out is lessened.

Why am I not doing any grocery delivery or curbside pickup options? Quite simply, there are no dates/times available that I’ve been able to find. Plus there have been too many local horror stories about substitutions (or none) with no price adjustment. I wish I could get everything I need from smaller local vendors, but I can’t. So I’m creating a mask, will be very careful about social distancing, have planned the containment/decontamination station in the garage, and just hope it all works out okay.

Step 1: Inventory my stores. I’m trying out the Pantry in Paradise app (available for iOS and for Android) which I think will come in deep handy as I get used to it and teach it what we use. It’s designed for use as a boat provisioning app, but if you’re going longer between grocery trips it is a really useful piece of kit. There are a few hiccups but overall it’s well-thought out. I start by writing down everything in a notebook, then transfer it. Probably if you’re more used to using your phone on the fly you could just inventory directly into the app.

Inventory list, page 1

Note. My meal planning process, and therefore my list building, is very basic. Basically, I know we like to eat meat a few times a week and are coming into grilling season. We love black beans and rice. My condiment and spice stash is robust, filled with primarily Mexican and Asian type flavors. Canned tomatoes make many dishes possible. Onions and garlic are life. We’re far more likely to think “oooh I’d like xxx how can I create it” and go rooting in the pantry for ingredients than saying “on Monday night in 2 weeks we will be having paprika chicken with lemon yogurt and spicy potatoes”. Hopefully on Monday night in 2 weeks if we want paprika chicken with lemon yogurt and spicy potatoes we’ll still have potatoes left. And I hope the Nido milk has arrived from the mail order grocery order, so I can make yogurt. But I don’t create a grocery list with that kind of meal planning going on.

Step 2: Think about amounts. Dinner drives my thinking here. Lunch is usually leftovers or salad or scrounge up interesting combinations. If we eat meat 3 times a week at 1 pound each time, that’s 3 pounds a week. Times 6 is 18 pounds of meat. Round it up to 20, just because. Get a decent mix (universe do you hear me?) of chicken, pork, ground beef, and even the occasional steak. Eggs: a dozen a week would be great, for another meal. I’m starting with 4 dozen eggs on hand; we’ve got neighbor friends who have chickens so if I can’t find eggs I’ve got a hyperlocal source. Beans make up the rest of the protein, or 3 meals of beans. I am generous with serving size so that’s either 2 cans a dinner or half a pound. That’s 6 cans or 1.5 pounds. Times 6? 36 cans or 9 pounds. Add in 3 pounds of onions a week (so 18 lbs) as a base, plus 2 heads of garlic a week. We seem to be going through just about 5 lbs of flour each week with making bread and goodies, so 30 lbs would be really nice to get. Canned tomatoes, canned evaporated milk (for when the fresh half and half is gone), and salsa rounds out the essential long life items, though there are many other “treats” (come on - there are teenagers in the house. Also, Jeremy and I are not immune to the siren call of a good chip). Sausage (and bacon!), both fresh and dried, can spice up pasta or rice dishes. The one big item for lunch is sliced deli meat, since Julian really prefers to make himself a sandwich for lunch each day. There are 6 lbs of sliced ham and turkey on that list.

Step 2b: Fresh stuff. Our house fridge is a side-by-side fake counter-depth, so for the first week or so the fridge will be filled to overflowing until we eat it down to manageable. There will be some veg that start life outside the fridge and get moved in as space becomes available. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, peppers, apples, and citrus last a very long time. Half a cabbage, a pound of carrots, and 3 pounds of potatoes is a good base for our family each week. Peppers and the rest? I’ll probably buy a bag or two of each. We’ve had really good luck with romaine lettuce lately, so I’ll get 6 heads of that. I’ll get herbs and then any other fresh stuff that looks good. Oh, of course a lot of tomatoes. Dairy is in this category too. Milk, half and half, orange juice are foods to enjoy while we have them and then we’re going without or making do with long-life equivalents. Cheese has priority space in our fridge as that’s up there with onions and garlic as something not to run out of! We’ll eat like royalty on fresh food for a couple of weeks and then transition to mostly longer life items.

This isn’t the full list, but gives you an idea of my process.

(Do you need help memory jogging on what not to forget? My “stocking up sanely” resource is really helpful for that!)

Food is worth celebrating!

Step 3. Put my list on my preferred grocery store’s app. Many large grocery stores (at least in my area, in central Virginia) have apps these days, and the ones I’ve seen have the ability to store your grocery list AND SORT IT BY AISLE. This is extremely helpful for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is actually finding something that might not be in an intuitive spot. (No joking, one of the stores I used to frequent had tampons and pads in with CLEANING SUPPLIES. Never, ever would I have thought to look for tampons next to the bleach.) This sorting by aisle can also help with fast in and out. I will print out this list and physically cross off items as I go along; unless I’m really lucky, I’ll have to go to a few stores to get it all in hand. Plus I’d prefer NOT to pull my phone out while I’m shopping.

Step 4: Plan the order of my attack, both within the store and also in terms of which stores I will go to. Within the store? First comes the hunt for items that are in short supply these days. Things like flour and meat, eggs and butter. Then it’s aisle by aisle, guided by my list. Stores? I’ll start at my preferred spot, then methodically go to stores in order of proximity. I also need to hit the liquor store, the pharmacy, and the garden supply center (where I’ve already ordered and paid for plants and soil). There is a cooler in my car where I can stash more perishable items.

If not in a pandemic, I’d have my spreadsheet all sorted by what is best priced where. Now, the priority is more on having the items and exposing myself as little as possible. If I can’t find flour anywhere else I will cross my fingers and go to Costco where my understanding is they have 50 lb bags. This is not ideal, because repackaging 50 lbs of flour is not fun on any day, let alone after hours of combat mode wearing long sleeve everything, gloves, and a homemade mask.

Step 5: Come home and unload, clean, stow. During this time there’s a bit more rigamarole around the cleaning and stowing than usual; I don’t usually bleach wash everything before it comes into the house (or boat), or take a shower and run laundry immediately afterwards. That said, I don’t consider grocery shopping done until the last bag is empty and put away.

Step 6: Chill out and enjoy a very well-earned drink. Did I mention that I need to hit the liquor store?