Monday, April 27, 2015

Buying Meat.....

before the prices go completely through the roof.

I couldn't find any chicken in the sale ads that came out over the weekend.  But hamburger was on sale.  If you call the already outrageous prices a sale.  But still, I'm saving around $1.25 per 3# chub of meat, so I guess that's better than full price.

Son went to the store and brought me back 18 pounds of hamburger, along with some taco seasoning.  I'm doing an experiment.  I like to have a variety of home canned food on my shelves, so I browned up 9 lbs. of burger, drained it and seasoned it with the taco seasoning.   It will stay in the fridge overnight and in the morning I'll can it in pint jars.

Then I took another 3# of meat, browned it, drained it and added the ingredients for Sloppy Joes.  We will give both a taste test in the next week or so and decide than if I want to do more.

Wednesday this week is grocery delivery day.  I have another 18 pounds of hamburger ordered, giving me a total of 24 more pounds of hamburger to can just plain.  

I hate paying the high prices for meat at the store, but I know that prices are not coming down any time soon.  Even if I have to pay full price for chicken breast to can next week, should there be none on sale, I think it will still be worth it.  Minnesota, as well as some of the surrounding states, is dealing with the bird flu outbreak.  Our governor has called out a National Guard unit to help in hauling truckloads of water to the poultry farms where the birds were killed, to mix with the chemicals used to get rid of the disease.  I fully expect that the lower prices we have enjoyed for chicken and turkey will soon be a thing of the past.  Anything that I can have on my shelves at today's prices is a good thing.

6 comments:

  1. Gorges...We have been watching food prices here go up across the board for some time now. When our local news reports are telling us that poultry prices are going to skyrocket in the next few weeks, when they usually ignore stories like that, it is time to kick the canning of meat into high gear.

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  2. We are in Tx. and it has been on the news here, so sad. I feel sorry for all the farmers who have lost their flocks. The eggs will be going up too. Beth on Our Half Acre has a YouTube video on dehydrating eggs. I have never dehydrated eggs, but I do freeze them when I get to many.

    Smart canning the taco and sloppy joe's. I know they will be delicious. I canned the Meat Sauce in the Ball Canning Book and we had it for supper last night; very good.

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  3. steakandeggs...It is sad. We have a lot of turkey growers here in Minnesota and many have lost their entire huge flocks. I expect to see egg prices increase, too. I have seen that video on dehydrating eggs. I dehydrate a lot of things, but haven't as yet tried eggs. I think if I had access to farm fresh, I might try it. Might anyway.

    I'm trying to get some variety in the meats I can. My family are all meat eaters, and that's the one thing I am really low on, so that's what I need to work on at the moment. I don't think I can afford to wait too long.

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  4. I have an acquaintance who works in a plant where they raise breeder chicks. They ship them all over the world. The bird flu issue has cut their business so badly that the plant, which usually operates seven days a week, is now running only four.

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  5. Harry...I just read a news report today that says the number of birds destroyed here in Minnesota tops the 3 million mark. And there are cases of bird flu still being found. Not only will it affect prices of meat and eggs in the stores, but as with the person you know, production is drastically reduced and some people, where entire flocks have been killed, have no jobs at all. The plant where my son worked before he moved is the largest user of eggs, for the products they make, in the country. He said that if he were still working there, his job and others would probably be on the line if this continues. I'm glad he found a job that isn't in the egg or poultry industry, and I feel for those who are now worrying whether or not they will still be employed.

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