Produce
When possible, cook with vegetables that are in season or were frozen in season. I got a great deal on some tomatoes at our local farmer's market this summer and froze them- some simply skinned, and some made into sauce- for the winter. Last week I fetched a ziplock full for minestrone and WOW! Compared to opening a can of big brand tomatoes the flavor was intense.
It hardly seems fair to mention fresh produce long after harvest. Your local grocery store is likely stocking things that "keep" well over winter, like root crops and hard-shelled squash, and others that have been brought in from far away. Aside from potatoes or anything you would prefer to eat crisp, look to the freezer section. Corn, peas, berries, broccoli... you can find them all frozen at their peak.
Meat
Among my reasons to refuse to buy pork at the grocery store is the taste. Is it from the unnatural way that the hogs are confined and fattened in the factory farm, or does that subtle funkiness come from the processing? No idea, but if seasonings are required to cover it up I don't want to eat it.
I was fine going though life without eating pork, but poor Stealthy Dad missed it. We found a local farmer who raises hogs the "old fashioned way," and purchased half a hog this spring. Everything, from chops to roast, has been great tasting and naturally lean.
Speaking of funky, how about that roll of mystery ground beef? It came from a huge processing plant that ground up meat from umpteen different sources. What may seem to be a good buy might actually provide less nutrition per dollar because of the amount of fat that you have to pour off. Sometimes the mystery ground beef has an odd smell, too, that has to be covered by a plethora of seasonings. Is it "pink slime?" Decay? Contamination? One can only speculate.
Buying grassfed beef from a local farmer is the best alternative. Second is to buy from the grocer's butcher department instead of pre-packaged. Fresh ground chuck makes better burgers, runzas, and lasagna and was ground from a recognizable cut, right there in the store.
Eggs
You will find many of the recipes from the Stealthy Kitchen have been adapted to be egg-free. No one in this house is allergic to eggs (thankfully) but there were a couple months when we had no eggs. We do not buy eggs from the grocery store and our local supplier- who has the chickens running around in the yard- had none for a while. No egg is better than a factory farmed egg, I say. How healthy can those hens be, stuffed into crates and laying eggs onto a conveyer belt? The factory farm eggs are tasteless, have soft shells, and are already several weeks old before they get to the grocery store. No thank you. We'll stick to good old fashioned eggs from chickens who eat bugs in the yard.
To find a local producer in your area, check the Eat Well Guide's listings.
Buying grassfed beef from a local farmer is the best alternative. Second is to buy from the grocer's butcher department instead of pre-packaged. Fresh ground chuck makes better burgers, runzas, and lasagna and was ground from a recognizable cut, right there in the store.
Eggs
You will find many of the recipes from the Stealthy Kitchen have been adapted to be egg-free. No one in this house is allergic to eggs (thankfully) but there were a couple months when we had no eggs. We do not buy eggs from the grocery store and our local supplier- who has the chickens running around in the yard- had none for a while. No egg is better than a factory farmed egg, I say. How healthy can those hens be, stuffed into crates and laying eggs onto a conveyer belt? The factory farm eggs are tasteless, have soft shells, and are already several weeks old before they get to the grocery store. No thank you. We'll stick to good old fashioned eggs from chickens who eat bugs in the yard.
To find a local producer in your area, check the Eat Well Guide's listings.
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