Prepping 2022 holiday meals/treats

[ejagno]

With food shortages, more food distribution plants burning, increasing grocery prices and the ever present labor shortages I feel strongly that this year we need to shop and prepare for our holiday family meals like never before. After much consideration I finally broke down and bought myself a freeze dryer. I've had so much fun preparing and freeze drying all of my holiday dips (ranch, bacon-onion, spinach-artichoke, shrimp). I'm going to prepare and freeze dry all of my dressings, hot cocoa, and various side dishes we traditionally have during the holidays. I have been freeze drying all of the bananas, apples, berries and fresh fruit I can that will make wonderful holiday desserts......when I can get my husband to quit eating them as snacks.

I also do alot of canning but with space so limited and hurricane season still upon us I'm holding off until October.

We aren't huge turkey fans but I will try to get my turkey on my next weekend off. I will debone, stuff like you would a roast, and use the carcass to make my stock for the gravy. The hams will be basted, baked and sliced as well. This will all be vacuum sealed and put into the freezer until needed.

Am I the only one feeling apprehensive about availability of many things this winter? With this drought across the breadbasket of America, increased fertilizer and shipping it's not looking great. It took 5 trips to various stores to finally get my hands on corn starch. I'm not generally a doomer but just like preparing year round for holidays I do try to keep a good pantry for the "just in case" situations (illness, job loss, catastrophes). Family holiday meals are too important to me to leave to chance. If things improve then I've lost nothing. If things continue to decline then I pray we will not feel the harsh impact as severely.

I am two years into rebuilding our home lost in Laura & Delta. I know all too well the problems with availability, labor shortages and triple price increases. Forgive me for being a pessimist but it's been a very rough few years so I don't want to leave anything to chance. Money can't buy what isn't there. We've paid top dollar and still can't seem to get professional craftsmen to even show up once the supplies are finally obtained. It took 11 months to receive my refrigerator, microwave and stove once bought and paid for.

What are some of the holiday treats, meals and beverages you can buy, prepare and safely store for your holidays?

 

[Lori K]

I'm in the Great Lakes region and am in a good place for my staples. I am, however, watching news reports re: potential shortages. I've always kept a back-up of most often used goods, and am continuing to do so and sometimes x2. I've already got flour and sugar fully stocked and will likely pick up another of each for holiday baking. Same with vegetable oil and olive oil (Ukraine is major supplier of sunflower oil, which is predicted to be in short supply, so people will likely switch to vegetable oil; droughts in Spain are predicted to impact olive oil production). We're in the heat of produce harvest season right now, and I've just finished 18 jars of pasta sauce, and 3 cases of pickles (3 kinds; will be shared with DD and DSIL, canned at his request). Tomato sauce and pizza sauce are up next, maybe some peaches, and then apple season begins, followed by hard squash. For the most part, I'm in a use-it replace-it space right now, even with frozen goods and my paper and cleaning supplies are good to go.

 

[missjane]

Like Lori, I try to keep a well stocked pantry and freezer. I have started to pick up a few things, like the oil, that some have said will be in short supply. I already have two containers of cornstarch. I did notice that flour isn't always in stock and that the price has significantly increased.

Good ideas, Elllen.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Back in the early part of this year I did post my concerns about this exact things and as a result have managed to purchase most things on my Christmas needs list and have them stored appropriately.

I am working hard to keep a fully stocked pantry and stock pile. So far I have been ahead of the food shortages by listening to what is going on and acting quickly. I am regularly buying sugar, flour, oats. I have a pretty decent stockpile of canned goods preparing for the upcoming Summer. Tinned veggies, olives, fruit and drinks have been my focus over the past few weeks.

I have never known a time where there has been so many shortages. We are at the end of the Winter here, there has been a shortage of facial tissues (Kleenex) and most shops have maintained a 2 box purchase limit for the last few months. Eggs are quite hard to come by at the moment. Fruit and veggies when available are very expensive, we were looking at $12.00 for iceberg lettuces recently but are now down to about $6.20 each.

All I can suggest is to make a list now of what you can not live without and start looking for those products. If you find an item that you require maybe purchase multiples if you have the budget and room to store the items.

 

[Whusky]

Sorry to hear what you went through (and what you're still dealing with re: builders etc) Ejagno. You sound very organised and on top of everything - something I aspire to be!

In the UK EVERYTHING has increased in price. What was a £40 shop last December is now £100, and it's set to increase in October.

I did start an emergency pantry this January, but it's all gone. The cost of living wiped it out in a month, and I haven't the money to replenish it.

I have started buying for Christmas however! We don't have the traditional dinner, and this year we're having Mexican (Old El Paso kits. We're not cooks!). We got £40 worth of kits, jars, cans for free by using club points at a supermarket. All we really need is the meat, dairy, and veggies which we'll buy fresh.

 

[PamelaG]

Sorry to hear what you went through (and what you're still dealing with re: builders etc) Ejagno. You sound very organised and on top of everything - something I aspire to be!

In the UK EVERYTHING has increased in price. What was a £40 shop last December is now £100, and it's set to increase in October.

I did start an emergency pantry this January, but it's all gone. The cost of living wiped it out in a month, and I haven't the money to replenish it.

I have started buying for Christmas however! We don't have the traditional dinner, and this year we're having Mexican (Old El Paso kits. We're not cooks!). We got £40 worth of kits, jars, cans for free by using club points at a supermarket. All we really need is the meat, dairy, and veggies which we'll buy fresh.

Off topic, but I'm always curious about my fellow Christmas-lovers. Where in the UK are you located, @Whusky? My mum was from Manchester and we spent a great deal of time there in my childhood and teenage years. All of her immediate family was there. We eventually moved to California but my parents eventually retired back to the UK, living in Haslingden in Lancashire before my mum died. I miss everything about living there, always make sure to order a few British goodies for the Christmas sideboard. We have a local British food shop but oh my goodness, the prices! I'm sure they will have gone up again with the price increases in the UK and international shipping.

 

[Whusky]

Off topic, but I'm always curious about my fellow Christmas-lovers. Where in the UK are you located, @Whusky? My mum was from Manchester and we spent a great deal of time there in my childhood and teenage years. All of her immediate family was there. We eventually moved to California but my parents eventually retired back to the UK, living in Haslingden in Lancashire before my mum died. I miss everything about living there, always make sure to order a few British goodies for the Christmas sideboard. We have a local British food shop but oh my goodness, the prices! I'm sure they will have gone up again with the price increases in the UK and international shipping.

I'm near enough in the middle of England; about 20minutes drive from Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare lived.
I've never been to Manchester or Lancashire, or anywhere that far North!

Did you ever consider moving back to the UK?

I looked in a British shop when I was on holiday in America and couldn't believe how much things cost! Especially since the items sold are not considered special here.

There's a shop near me that sells American confectionery like Laffy Taffy, Warheads etc, and they are crazy expensive. American Poptarts are around £6 for a small box

 

[Minta]

I also try to keep a well stock pantry and as of now I am pretty stocked up and even have extras of my more heavily used items.
Not seeing of a lot shortages right now. Certain pantry items are a hit or miss but I think that has to do with the store it self as I can find those missing items at a different store. Prices have certain gone up but I have noticed prices on some items have started to come back down although not as quickly as they went up.
I am stocking up when I come across rock bottom prices on items we use whether we need it or not. If we don't need it now, we will later.

 

[farmerswife]

I have stocked up on olive oil, but other than that nothing as of yet. Will be getting my flour and sugar next week as well as coconut oil and a few other items in case of shortage. I have noticed prices coming down on many items with the exception of cheddar cheese in Aldi‘s has gone up quite a bit.

 

[PamelaG]

I'm near enough in the middle of England; about 20minutes drive from Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare lived.
I've never been to Manchester or Lancashire, or anywhere that far North!

Did you ever consider moving back to the UK?

I looked in a British shop when I was on holiday in America and couldn't believe how much things cost! Especially since the items sold are not considered special here.

There's a shop near me that sells American confectionery like Laffy Taffy, Warheads etc, and they are crazy expensive. American Poptarts are around £6 for a small box

What a beautiful area you live in! I have family from Aberdeen to Pembrokeshire and in Birmingham in between. I would move back to the UK in a heartbeat but we're both still working and our daughter is here so it's unlikely that we would move so far away from her (even though she's an adult!). If my husband could get an assignment in the UK, I would quit my job and pack my bags to go with him for a couple of years! Yes, the prices of imported goods (UK for me, US for you) are ridiculous and it's basic things that I buy most of the time - piccalilli, digestive biscuits, the odd Bounty or Turkish Delight, steamed puddings (I really need to make my own - I'll have to break out my BeRo cookbook), and custard. At Christmas, it's a Christmas cake and pudding (again, need to make my own and when my kitchen is completed, that's a goal) as well as mince pies and I also put Cadbury's Buttons and Smarties in the Christmas stockings as well as pick up a tin of Quality Street for the sideboard. We have a local gourmet grocery store that carries quite a bit but again, I have to have a separate budget for Christmas goodies. My Mum used to send a care package at Christmas with everything in it.

I love everything about Christmas in the UK - it's hard to describe but the best way to put it is to say that everything seems more muted, softer. Here in the States, there is a lot of glitz and bright colors and patterns. Cards and wrapping paper in the UK seem more olde worlde traditional - telephone and post boxes, lots of red-breasted robins, picturesque snow scenes. Maybe it's just because I remember it that way, perhaps it's all changed now. I love that you can go out for a festive meal on Christmas Eve and it will be in a historic pub with a roaring fire and crackers for everyone. I know in London you may have the glitz, but away from there, I think the traditional aspect is still present. Oh my, I miss my Mum terribly, we would talk about things like this all the time.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I did read that the US is having a problem with tomatoes. If you use spaghetti sauce, ketchup or other tomato items it might be prudent to top up.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

The canned tomatoes I have used this week were just horrible. Hardly any taste at all. I kept adding spices to the sauce. Will be stocking up on tissues, cranberry sauce and some Christmas goodies this week. Probably should grab some gluten free flour too.

 

[missjane]

The price of eggs here has almost tripled. Interesting, Laurie, your comment about cheese. It's one of the items here that has been on sale frequently at a really good price - at a local grocery store and at Super 1 Foods.

 

[Lori K]

Got that holiday baking list going! Just added Crisco. I use it so infrequently that the last 3-pack of Crisco sticks has lasted 5 years. Just opened the 3rd stick. Brown sugar is also on the list, along with coconut flakes. I'm good on chocolate chips and the red cinnamon hearts. Will need to get a bottle of cinnamon and some cumin (just spilled my metal box of cumin -- the only spice I have that's not in a bottle, and the lid popped open when it hit the counter).

We've had no problems with fresh tomatoes here (Great Lakes). In fact, the place where I get my Roma tomatoes for canning is a commercial grower (I think he grows for Red Gold?) who also plants acreage for local sales. The prices on his seconds are less than last year. I've been paying $10 for a 20# box all season; last year, he didn't drop the price that low until the very last 2 weeks. Maybe the issue is with the canneries?

 

[jampss]

At Aldi's yesterday (Florida) .... $5.38 for pure vanilla bottle, $3.18 doz eggs (had been $3.43), $1.69 celery, $1.25 box of tissues ....

 

[PamelaG]

Got that holiday baking list going! Just added Crisco. I use it so infrequently that the last 3-pack of Crisco sticks has lasted 5 years. Just opened the 3rd stick.

How do you keep it fresh? Is it something you freeze?

 

[Lori K]

How do you keep it fresh? Is it something you freeze?

What I get comes in sticks, like butter, individually sealed in a plastic tray. I just put it away with my baking supplies. Never had an issue with it going bad. The cans, yes, but not the sticks.

 

[missjane]

How do you keep it fresh? Is it something you freeze?

Crisco can be frozen. When I taught home economics and had it left at the end of the school year, I would put it in the deep freeze because the air conditioners were turned off for the summer, and it would go rancid from the heat. It can be kept in the refrigerator, too, if you don't use it quickly, both the can and the sticks.

 

[Whusky]

What a beautiful area you live in! I have family from Aberdeen to Pembrokeshire and in Birmingham in between. I would move back to the UK in a heartbeat but we're both still working and our daughter is here so it's unlikely that we would move so far away from her (even though she's an adult!). If my husband could get an assignment in the UK, I would quit my job and pack my bags to go with him for a couple of years! Yes, the prices of imported goods (UK for me, US for you) are ridiculous and it's basic things that I buy most of the time - piccalilli, digestive biscuits, the odd Bounty or Turkish Delight, steamed puddings (I really need to make my own - I'll have to break out my BeRo cookbook), and custard. At Christmas, it's a Christmas cake and pudding (again, need to make my own and when my kitchen is completed, that's a goal) as well as mince pies and I also put Cadbury's Buttons and Smarties in the Christmas stockings as well as pick up a tin of Quality Street for the sideboard. We have a local gourmet grocery store that carries quite a bit but again, I have to have a separate budget for Christmas goodies. My Mum used to send a care package at Christmas with everything in it.

I love everything about Christmas in the UK - it's hard to describe but the best way to put it is to say that everything seems more muted, softer. Here in the States, there is a lot of glitz and bright colors and patterns. Cards and wrapping paper in the UK seem more olde worlde traditional - telephone and post boxes, lots of red-breasted robins, picturesque snow scenes. Maybe it's just because I remember it that way, perhaps it's all changed now. I love that you can go out for a festive meal on Christmas Eve and it will be in a historic pub with a roaring fire and crackers for everyone. I know in London you may have the glitz, but away from there, I think the traditional aspect is still present. Oh my, I miss my Mum terribly, we would talk about things like this all the time.

I know exactly which telephone boxes and robins wrapping paper/cards you mean! It's Victorian-style. There's still a lot of that about; Marks and Spencer's carry that style, however the UK is following in the USA's glitzy and bright footsteps!
I forgot you don't have mince pies in the States! I love the one's with icing on the top (I think you guys' call it fondant?).

 

[farmerswife]

Am I correct in thinking mince pies are the same as Mince meat pie? That is my mom’s favorite pie, so, we always had one at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma would make them.