So many of us have changed our food habits with the pandemic. At my house, we happen to be vegetarians, so I’ve always done a lot of cooking. The new regime is not different in that sense. Yet I think about food very differently now. Before, I could send the Long-Suffering Husband out to get whatever I needed from the grocery store 3 blocks away. That option has been off the table since early March (pun intended).
My plan was to wait a full two weeks before hitting the store again–no exceptions–but then the Governor said to try avoiding even that, because this is the “peak week.” I debated the risks with no real knowledge of them. How dangerous would it be to breathe the air in the store? Would a mask help? Are fresh fruit, Hendricks gin and Sauvignon Blanc really that important? (Don’t answer.)
Our virtual cocktail hour with friends involved whatever bits of cheese I had left, rice crackers, and croutons made from stale bread. (They are quite tasty as snacks.) We drank box Chardonnay.
Eventually I decided not to risk the grocery store, and to look for other options. Turns out we have a produce wholesaler nearby who offers curbside pickup, for those willing to buy what they have on hand. So tomorrow I’m getting 10 lbs of broccolini, some large bags of salad, two pineapples… sounds fun, right?
Then I emailed the little cheesemonger shop in the next town over. Turns out they have delivery and would come to my house if I ordered great heaps of cheese. If only all decisions could be as easy as that! While I was ordering, I found out that they have wine. Perfetto.
I don’t have a solution for the gin, but the LSH has bought some online. It ought to arrive some time next summer…
The biggest shift for me has been a growing anxiety not to waste anything. Now, we have always eaten leftovers, and only once in a while did I let veggies rot in the crisper drawer. Still, I was never the type to make my own stock from kitchen scraps, or peel broccoli stems and use them as crudités. I cut a LOT off my asparagus stalks to ensure no woody bits. We have a compost pile, so I figured it was all good.
With the pandemic, however, I got serious. How much food did we actually have on hand? I made an Excel spreadsheet of everything in the pantry, and vowed to use the expired stuff (I am now eating two elderly dried apricots from Costco every day). I started asking questions like “What can I do with half a bag of dried blueberries, a bottle of expired mirin, and a packet of vegetarian gravy mix?” (And the Magic 8-Ball said, “MY REPLY IS NO.”)
Serious conservation of lemon juice is the order of the day. I zested them, froze the zest, and froze the juice in ice cube trays. Same treatment for the orange zest (my oranges are long gone, sad to say).
Last time I wrote about sourdough starter. The bad thing about starter is that it can create a LOT of waste. You have to feed it constantly, and if you don’t use or discard most of it, you end up with a gargantuan bucket of hungry slurry. On top of that, my starter really hasn’t been earning its keep. It is weak and flabby even when I feed it twice a day. The good news is that you can use discarded sourdough starter in all sorts of recipes, just for the flavor and whatever added oomph it gives the rising. It makes the most amazing pancakes!
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever./ Its loveliness increases; it will never/ Pass into nothingness.” Pancakes may be an exception to Keats’ rule because they disappear quickly. I am one who could never make a good pancake before, so I’m hooked on sourdough starter.
Here is how I put my discarded starter to use: Moo Shoo Veggies for dinner!
Step 1: Thin out what’s left from the morning’s huge batch of pancake batter and add an egg to enable bigger, more elastic and rollable pancakes.
Step 2: Sauté the cabbage and carrots that were ageing in the fridge. Add home-made hoisin sauce concocted from prunes, garlic, honey, vinegar and ssamjang paste.
Step 3: Add shredded egg omelet and the very last two scallions.
Step 4: Roll the mixture in the pancakes. The LSH loved these, and I used up half a head of cabbage. But I can’t make them again, for lack of ingredients.
Despite these thrills, I finally had to put my starter to sleep in the fridge, where it will only be fed once a week (if it’s lucky and behaves itself). Meanwhile, I am nearly out of instant yeast, and I’m looking for more online. Yeast is worth its weight in gold these days.
What are all of you cooking with your odds and ends?
Linnet Moss 
I found myself nodding in agreement all the way through this post. Although I’m not vegetarian, we do share the same attitude to food. I’m not the cook in my house, but I do like to keep tabs on what’s in the larder. I never waste anything, my only concession is the odd slice of bread for the wild birds in the garden. I do like your idea of creating an Excel spreadsheet, and the food you’ve shared here looks great. I’ll have to join you in a virtual cocktail hour before all this is over.
Yes! This whole experience has taught me to be aware of what I’m throwing away, and to be grateful for every bite I eat. Making the spreadsheet was kind of fun, but now I have to make sure I keep it up to date. I’m also grateful for friends : )
Like Paul, I was nodding all the way through your post. We are very fortunate I think, to have a healthy attitude towards food (pun fully intended). My LSH is a trained chef, and I’m a sommelier so we are in the “we live to eat – and drink” category. Thankfully, we have a pantry that would put many doomsday preppers to shame and I have an indoor vertical garden in winter for fresh lettuce and herbs.
I am also a sourdough fan and have had on-and-off luck with starter until this time. I found a good set of videos to start but was still disappointed about the discard, as you said. (Although sourdough crackers are delicious, and fritters made with the discard are dangerously addictive.) I stumbled on videos by a bakery in London that is helping people cope by baking and their method with starter is NO DISCARD. Bread Ahead Bakery – check them out.
Thank you for mentioning the idea of food waste, too – one of my pet peeves. I have a blackboard on the fridge that reminds us what to use up first, and especially in the days of having to stock up, it’s invaluable. Chefs aren’t usually keen about leftovers, but I’m getting really good at re-purposing bits in new dishes.
Please keep the encouragement and tips coming. And cheers! Here’s to virtual happy hours keeping us all sane 🙂
Thanks for reading, Happy! And thanks for the tip about the sourdough crackers, which I definitely want to try. I will check out NO DISCARD, too. I am all agog at the idea of your vertical garden. I ordered an “Aerogarden” to supplement what we will plant outdoors, and I’m waiting impatiently for it to arrive. I wonder if you distinguish between “leftovers” and cooking a large amount to freeze the extra for later? As a working spouse responsible for the cooking, I’ve always done that. But I am lucky that the LSH doesn’t mind having the same thing again. As a bachelor he used to make EXACTLY the same meal every night (cod, boiled potatoes, veg). Can you imagine? For months on end! But he will happily eat almost anything I cook. He draws the line only at slimy eggplant.
I was about to alert you to tip on yeast, but alas, I just looked again and King Arthur Flour is sold out. I did manage to order 16 oz. of SAF instant yeast, but that was a few days ago and I still haven’t received a notification that it’s been shipped. If you’d like, I can let you know when I get it, and if your comfortable with this idea, you can send me a private email (rung2diotimasladder@gmail) with your mailing address and I’ll send you some.
Thanks so much, that is extremely kind of you! But hopefully there is no need, as I’ve ordered some myself from Baker’s Authority. They are out of some things, but still seem to have yeast, if one is willing to buy a pound, as you did. Like you, I must now wait and see if it actually comes through.
Oh good! I’m glad to hear you found some. I suppose it’ll take some time to arrive, but it’s a good feeling to know more is on the way, in theory.
There once was a time when I baked bread every week—Jeffery Hammelman’s pain rustique—and I actually did go through a pound of yeast. These days it does seem like an awful lot to have sitting around, and I like the idea of sharing with fellow bakers, especially in times like these.
Yes, I have a good felling just knowing I got my order in. Before the virus, We ate a lot less carbs, but I guess everyone wants comfort food now!