Food Prices Are Too Damn High!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how food prices are too damn high.  Going through my monthly grocery bill is a lesson in self-induced trauma, but then when I look at the amount of food those high costs get me, I also feel bewildered…and sad!

I started to think about how my grandparents would make almost everything from scratch and how most of us today have gotten far away from that lifestyle.  From there I took inventory of my most common groceries and sought out ways to reduce costs by increasing kitchen productivity.  In that previous post I went over the amount of money I spend annually on hummus, and how much I save by making it myself (at least $100/year).

Now it’s on to pickles!

I love pickles, which you may read as “Carrot enjoys pickles”.  That is not accurate at all.  I mean yes, I do enjoy pickles, that is true, but that statement undervalues my affinity for pickles!!!  I want to eat pickles every single day, and most days I do.  I used to plow through about 4 jars of pickles a week, then was turned off by the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) used in most shelf brands.  Looking at you Claussen, Mt. Olive, and Vlasic!

So, I moved to the more expensive fridge pickles.  I know they’re super bougie, but they are so delicious!  Most of the brands are local, except for some like Grillo’s.  The problem is that when you enter the bougie pickle market, you pay bougie pickle prices.  While the HFCS gutter-pickles cost about $2 a jar, the fancier fridge pickles run around $8. 

I was spending about $10/week on pickles which adds up to $520/year.  The solution?  Learn to make fridge pickles.

It is so easy and so much cheaper.  Let me share the recipe I use, then we can do a quick cost analysis.

Carrot’s Fridge Pickles (No pickling required)

2 English Cucumbers sliced to desired thickness.

1 Cup of Water

1 Cup of Vinegar (I use 1 bottle of Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar)

3 Tablespoons of Sweetener (I use Agave)

2 Teaspoons of Salt

½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Pack Fresh Dill

1 Tablespoon Garlic

Mix ingredients in the brine (liquid), add the sliced pickles.  I usually try to wait 12 hours before digging in, but in reality, I start chomping after about 12 minutes.  The good news is that after you finish the first batch of pickles, you can use the brine again for a second batch.  I usually try to squeeze out a third batch, but the flavor is mostly gone by that point, and then I just start over.

Most of these ingredients are just on hand.  The Vinegar costs $3.50, the cukes are $1, and fresh dill is $1.50, for a total of $6.00.  Add 2 cukes a week, and you are looking at a cost of about $12/month or $144/year.  That is a savings of $376/year.  You can save even more by using white vinegar which amounts to about $.50/batch, bringing the yearly total to about $108/year.  You can save even more by growing your own dill and getting you under $100/year thus saving over $400/year.

If you are incredibly ambitious, you can turn your new pickle skill into a side hustle by opening a booth at the local Farmer’s Market, and selling Cathy’s Cukes or Phil’s Dills or Pickle Tickles (On second thought: please don’t brand your pickles as Pickle Tickles it might attract the wrong type of customer). And just like that you went from spending hundreds of dollars a year on pickles to making millions of dollars a year!

Between making my own hummus and making my own pickles, I am saving nearly $500/year.

That is a win for both the environment, and the bank account!

THIS IS THE RESISTENCE!!!