Real FoodSPECIAL COLLECTION

Easy, No-Knead Crusty Bread

Homemade Ketchup & Mustard

How to Afford Better Food

Picture a bowl of soup or a salad without a slice of crusty bread to go with it. Worse still,

imagine a deliciously tangy

piece of Camembert cheese,

served with a glass of red wine,

but no accompanying hunk of

baguette. Quelle horreur! as

the French would say.

Much has been written over the cen-turies about breads importance in global cuisine. Legendary American chef and food writer James Beard called it the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods and referred to bread served with fresh butter as the greatest of feasts. True to form, the Italians are even more dramatic in describing breads essential role. Senza il pane tutto diventa orfano, they say, which means without bread, everyones an orphan.

About six years ago, I felt orphaned myself. I had just returned from 10 years living in Europe, where artisan bread is so common you almost trip over the stuff in the streets. The same cannot be said of my native state of Maine, where

Wonder Bread still leads wonderful bread by a comfortable margin. If you trip over anything in the winter-worn streets of Maine, its more likely to be a frost heave.

Bread had become so fundamental to my culinary happiness that I realized upon returning to the States that I needed to knead some of my own. After five years playing around with different recipes and techniques, I reluctantly came to terms with my limits as a home baker. I could produce zucchini and banana breads to die for, a decent sandwich loaf in both white and whole-wheat varieties, and a perfectly respectable focaccia.

Easy, No-KneadCrusty Bread

Eat in Season:

Story and photos by Roger Doiron

What I couldnt produce, unfortu-nately, was the type of bread I craved the most: a hearty, round rustic loaf with a moist, chewy crumb (inside) and a thick, crispy crust.

Fortunately, my return proved to be well-timed in that it coincided with an ar-tisan bread-making revival making inroads in Maine. I became a regular customer of Standard Baking Co., a Portland-based bakery that turns out breads and pastries that rival Europes finest. What I couldnt bake myself was available just a few min-utes and a few dollars away.

But for people like me who grow some of our own food and cook from scratch,

close foods can never be quite close enough. I remained committed to being able to produce the loaf of my dreams in my own kitchen. On a Saturday morn-ing bread run to Standard, I asked one of the bakers her secret to a crusty loaf. She replied quality ingredients, time and a $10,000 professional baking oven. Ugh. That was not what I wanted to hear.

She went on to explain that the secret to a loaf that is soft and moist on the inside and crusty on the outside lies in the careful balance of heat and humidity. Professional baking ovens achieve this balance via high temperatures and blasts of steam during the cooking process.

Over the years, ingenious home bak-ers have tried to replicate the humid con-

ditions of a commercial oven by placing a pan filled with water at the bottom of the oven or by spritzing their loaves with water from time to time. My own experi-ments in moisture management, howev-er, left me frustrated. The quality of my loaves just didnt do justice to the time and work that went into making them.

Just when I was ready to give up on crusty, peasant loaves altogether, I came across an article in The New York Times that described a new bread-making tech-nique, the results of which sounded too easy and too good to be true. Dubbed no-knead bread, the method involves using wet dough, letting it rise over a very long time in lieu of kneading it, and cooking it in a hot Dutch oven (heavy covered pot). While the recipe calls for a slow fermen-tation process, its popularity proved an

seasonalrecipesNo-KNead, dutch oveN Bread 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

112 cups warm water3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for

dusting. You may use white, whole

wheat or a combination of the two.

112 tsp saltCornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy

and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, pref-

erably 12 to 18, at warm room tempera-

ture, about 70 degrees.

2The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it.

Sprinkle it with a little more flour and

fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover

loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest

for about 15 minutes.

3Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work sur-face or to your fingers, gently shape it into

a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel

with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the

seam side of the dough down on the towel

and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

Cover with another towel and let rise for

about 1 to 2 hours. When its ready, the

dough will have doubled in size and will

not readily spring back when poked with

a finger.

4At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot

(cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in

the oven as it heats. When the dough is

ready, carefully remove the pot from the

oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand

under the towel and turn the dough over

into the pot, seam side up. The dough

will lose its shape a bit in the process,

but thats OK. Give the pan a firm shake

or two to help distribute the dough even-

ly, but dont worry if its not perfect; it will

straighten out as it bakes.

5Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully

browned. Remove the bread from the

Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for

at least 1 hour before slicing.

Yield: One 112-pound loaf.Adapted from The New York Times.

seasonalrecipes

instant success. The recipe was shared and devoured by foodies all over the world via the Internet.

Excited at the prospect of finally creat-ing a crusty loaf of my own, I couldnt wait to try the technique myself. I was also curi-ous to see if it really was possible to come up with something new in a field as old as bread-making. As if that werent enough, I had indulged myself the year before with a $120 cast iron Dutch oven that had thus far not seen much action. I pictured my-self cranking out one crusty loaf after the next, and did some quick math to calculate how many loaves Id need to make before recouping my investment.

From the first attempt, my results like those of others whove used the tech-nique have been nothing short of mi-raculous. Not only are my loaves delicious,

but they are drop-dead gorgeous, every bit as pretty as the ones I was tripping over in Europe. The long, knead-free fermenta-tion process allows the dough to develop good flavor, while the Dutch oven creates the humid conditions needed for a crisp crust. Those of you who have been foiled in your home-baking efforts in the past can find new hope in this technique, which is as forgiving as it is flexible.

Although I may still be a loaf or two shy of paying for my fancy-pants Dutch oven, Im getting close and am even start-ing to think about new challenges. Next time I make a Saturday morning bakery run, I think Ill ask the baker the secret of a buttery chocolate croissant. With my bak-ing confidence at a new high, I just might be up to the task.

Roger Doiron lives on the southern coast of Maine where hes a sustainable agriculture consultant, passionate organic gardener and recreational clammer. He digs good food literally on land and at sea.

Wonderful bread needs nothing more than flour, yeast, salt and water.

Homemade

&KetchupMustard

Featuring everything you need to know to put up the seasons bounty, The Art of Preserving (Weldon Owen, 2010) by Rick Field, Rebecca Courchesne and Lisa Atwood illuminates how to savor your favorite fresh produce year-round. From beginners looking to learn, to those familiar with the technique, everyone will appreciate this contemporary and comprehensive approach to preserving the wealth of fruits and vegetables from backyard gardens and farmers markets. In this excerpt from the chapter Condiments & Sauces, learn how to make homemade ketchup and mustard that will put the store-bought varieties to shame.

Makes 6 8-oz jars

4 pounds tomatoes2 tbsp olive oil2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped4 cloves garlic, crushed1 tsp ground coriander1/2 tsp ground allspice1/2 cup cider vinegar2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauceSalt to taste

Have ready hot, clean jars and their lids. Blanch, peel, and core the tomatoes, then cut into chunks. In a large nonreac-tive saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, and allspice and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, and sugar and cook, uncovered, stirring oc-casionally, until the tomatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the chiles in half and remove some or all of the seeds, depend-ing on how spicy you want the ketchup. Reserve the adobo sauce and chop the chiles. When the tomatoes are ready, stir in the chiles and a quarter cup of the sauce. Let cool briefly.

Working in batches, transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and pure until smooth. Return the pured mixture to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until thick-ened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt.

Ladle the hot ketchup into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm) of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.

Process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Pairing chipotle chiles and tomatoes yields a perfectly balanced accompaniment especially suited to grilled meats such as hamburger, flank or skirt steak, or pork chops. The chiles, jalapeos that have been dried in a smoke-filled chamber, have a deep, sweet flavor.

Chipotle Ketchup Recipe

Makes 6 8-oz jars

12 pounds tomatoes1 tbsp olive oil3 yellow onions, coarsely chopped3 small red bell peppers (capsicums), seeded and coarsely chopped4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed1 cinnamon stick, crushed1 tbsp celery seeds11/2 tsp whole allspice11/2 tsp whole cloves1/2 tsp peppercorns1/2 tsp red pepper flakes11/2 cups cider vinegar2 tbsp sugar11/2 tsp salt

Have ready hot, sterilized jars and their lids.

Blanch, peel, and core the tomatoes, then cut into quarters. In a large nonre-active saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the garlic and the spices on a square of cheesecloth (mus-lin), bring the corners together, and tie with kitchen string. In a small nonreac-tive saucepan, bring the vinegar and cheesecloth bag to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and remove from the heat.

Pass the tomato mixture through a food mill into a clean nonreactive saucepan. Disc ard the cheesecloth bag and pour all but a quarter cup of the vinegar into the tomato mixture. Stir in the sugar and the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and sim-mer, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced by more than half and mounds slightly on a spoon, 45-60 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, sugar, and the remaining vinegar.

Ladle the hot ketchup into the jars, leav-ing 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.

Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Classic Ketchup RecipeMake this ketchup when tomatoes are at their summer best. Sweet, juicy garden-fresh tomatoes are reduced to a gently spiced, lusciously thick condiment. Your favorite purchased ketchup will never taste the same after you sample this irresistible homemade version.

Makes 2 8-oz jars

1 1/3 cups dry mustard2 cups dry white wine or flat champagne1 yellow onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 tsp sugar 2 tsp salt

Honey Dijon MustardOmit the sugar. Stir in 2 tbsp honey before transferring the mustard to the jars.

Tarragon Dijon MustardAdd 1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon before transferring the mustard to the jars.

Dijon with Mustard SeedsAdd 2 tsp brown mustard seeds during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Have ready hot, sterilized jars and their lids. In a bowl, stir together the mustard and half a cup water until smooth. Set aside.

In a small nonreactive saucepan, com-bine the wine, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the sugar and salt, and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Pour the wine mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the mustard and stir until com-bined. Transfer to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Spoon the hot mustard into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm) of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids. Store the jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. For the best flavor, let the mustard stand for at least 2 weeks before using.

The famed mustard associated with Dijon, France, is easy to make. Some versions require grinding whole mustard seeds and spices. This one champions simplicity by combining dry mustard with a few essential ingredients. The result is smooth and creamy, and not too hot.

Dijon Mustard Recipe

Cut Cost, Not Qualityhow to afford better food

Join ForcesWHY? Community supported agriculture (CSA)

programs used to be charming novelties in cer-tain neighborhoods that enjoyed eco-abundance, but their huge surge in popularity in recent years

means CSA programs are now available na-tionwide more than 4,000 are listed in the Local Harvest data-base. A CSA program is essentially a local-farm subscription ser-vice, in which a group pays the farmer di-rectly for the food she delivers. You can save money on super-fresh, high-quality produce, and many CSAs also offer meat, eggs, dairy, honey, flowers and herbs. Some offer free

or lower-cost subscriptions to those who donate time or qualify for low-income shares.

HOW? Find a CSA program in your area through the Robyn Van En Center or Local Harvest (www.l.ocalHarvest.org).

WHATS NEXT? Now that youve acquired so many great ingre-dients, youd better believe you can start saving big if you ...

Buy LocallyWHY? When you spend $1 on supermarket food, not much of it goes to the actual

producer. Some of your dollar goes to the person who grew it, while some goes to the per-son who picked it. Some goes to the companies who processed, packaged and transported it, and some to the firm that designed the packaging and advertising. Finally, some of your dollar ends up in the hands of the grocery store owner, and also in the hands of the stores employees. The fewer middlemen, the less the seller will have to charge you.

HOW? Find farms, restaurants, co-ops, farmers markets and other great local-food resources on our website. In addition, locally owned specialty shops can often help you find things that local farmers cant grow, such as fresh-roasted coffee.

WHATS NEXT? Money spent locally stays in your community, which is ripe with resources to ...

Buy In SeasonWHY? Like most goods and services, foods cost less when theyre abundant.

Eat foods during their peak season for scaled-down price plus amped-up qual-ity. Foods that get to you quickly lose less flavor and nutrients, and you can enjoy varieties of produce that cant survive long-distance shipping. Buying in-season foods directly from farm-ers is the easiest way to save money on great produce especially at the end of market day, and especially if youre willing to buy less-than-per-fect items. Buying in season is also the best way to get good prices on more-expensive organic produce.

HOW? Arm yourself with strategies for eating fresh dur-ing any season with the com-prehensive resources weve compiled for you on our website at www,MotherEarthNews.com. WHATS NEXT? If you eat sea-

by TABITHA ALTERMAN

Theres growing evidence that industrial food just aint what it oughta be. Lucky for us, the path to super-nutritious food at affordable prices offers many entry points. Well pilot you through the diverse options in this guide to shopping smart and eating well.

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Grow Your Own FoodWHY? A sure way to rock your world with superior flavor and better

nutrition, and still save money, is by growing your own food. Rosalind Creasy, author of Edible Landscaping, saved $700 on groceries in 2008 when she grew a simple, 100-square-foot garden. Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, saved $2,000 from a 1,500-square-

foot plot in 2009. Just think grocery prices are even higher now.

Accumulating evidence is revealing the sad truth that todays commercial fruits, veggies and grains contain fewer nutrients than their counterparts of yore, and many heirloom varieties are nutritionally supe-rior to modern hybrids. Growing food yourself with time-tested heirloom va-rieties, in healthy soil is the best way to get those nutrients back into your diet.

If youre unsure, start small! Try rad-ishes, greens, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes to start. Even a modest herb garden could save you big bucks, as fresh herbs are usually pricey. If youre adven-turous, start big! You can grow whopping quantities of food by using your front yard, too (if your community doesn't forbid it). Many edibles, such as rainbow chard and climbing beans, are as beauti-ful as they are useful. No sun? Join one of the 18,000 community gardens dotted all over North America. Live in an apart-ment? You may be lucky enough to find a rooftop garden sprouting up near you.

HOW? Learn to grow food and find gardens that need you with our deep archives (see http://goo.gl/aC4zq).

WHATS NEXT? Whether you grow it or buy it fresh, you can make that garden goodness last all winter long by learning to ...

Cook Your Own FoodWHY? The absolute fastest route to

grocery savings is the path to your kitch-en. Avoid eating out or buying packaged foods by cooking your own meals from whole, unprocessed ingredients. Simple breakfasts of whole grains, fruit and eggs eaten at home will kick-start your day with long-lasting energy. Take your own lunch to work or school for a meal guar-anteed to be much more flavorful than fast-food or vending machine fare. Save time at dinner by spreading the work among family members and prepping double batches of dinners that freeze well. And save money all around by making your own staples, such as stock, pasta sauce, butter, condiments, yogurt and many others.

Did you know you could save at least half the cost of fancy fresh cheese by making it yourself? Plus its fun, I promise. And what about fancy artisan bread? Whoa Nellie! Delicious rustic loaves from fine bakeries can cost up to $7 a loaf, but you can make your own loaves of comparable quality again, I promise for about 50 cents each. Youll also be able to use more nutritious flour made with whole grains. Really serious about getting high-quality food at awesome prices? Grind your own grains for peak freshness and flavor. Grain mills start at around $25 (though some nicer ones are in the hundreds), and if you buy 50-pound bags of whole grains, you could make that back with your first grain purchase.

HOW? Just search for whole grains at www.Mother EarthNews.com, for links to several fabulous homemade bread recipes, plus easy tips to keep more lunch money in your pocket. Check out a long list of our readers excel-lent grocery budget tips in How Do You Save Money on Groceries? at www.MotherearthNews.com, and while youre on our website, visit www.MotherEarthNews.com/Real-Food for all kinds of recipes and cooking in-formation.

WHATS NEXT? If you want to get in even closer

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Preserve Your Own FoodWHY? Even if youre not growing food yourself, you can save up

to 75 percent on home-canned and up to 80 percent on home-frozen foods if you buy the produce fresh during peak season. Theyll taste better than store-bought convenience foods to boot.

Drying foods is another way to concentrate flavor and nutrition. Dried fruits and veggies make wonderful, easy snacks, and you can save quite a bit on pricey mushrooms by buying them when you spot a sale, then drying them yourself to reconstitute later.

HOW? Search for canning, drying and freezing at www.MotherEarthNews.com to find plenty of articles about the basics. Download our canning app for smartphones and tablets at http://goo.gl/B8ymJ. You can learn how to ferment delicious beverages at home, too (see http://goo.gl/Z3brK ), and youll find a neat kit for a hybrid solar/electric food dryer at http://goo.gl/zGZr6.

WHAT ELSE? Just as you can preserve fresh foods for out-of-season eating, you can purchase seasonal dry goods at deep discounts and store them for later use. So why not ...

The grocery budget is the third

largest money hog in most

household budgets, after hous-

ing and transportation. While it

can be difficult to reduce your

expenses on the latter, saving

money on food is easier than you

probably think.

Youre in luck: There are

plenty of easy ways to save a

bundle on food. The surest

way? Dont eat out. Just dont

do it! Reducing the cost of

lunch may seem like a drop

in the bucket, but its a drop

you can make every single day,

and those drops will add up to

buckets of savings.

Make Your Own Savory StaplesTaking any kind of lunch will

save you a ton over eating out,

but dont stop there. Get cre-

ative and enjoy the adventure,

because you can save plenty

more by making your own

staples rather than settling for

factory-made, flavorless and

nutritionally inferior standbys.

Think flavorful sandwiches on

home-baked bread with fresh

mayo; easy-to-make soups that

freeze well; yummy, easy-to-

build wraps; and delicious green

and whole-grain salads. To find

recipes and instructions for

each step of these budget lunch

ideas, visit this article at www.MotherEarthNews.com.

Bake Your Own Bread. Follow

the wildly popular, super-easy

no-knead method to keep ready-

to-use bread dough in your fridge

at all times. You can bake amaz-

ing loaves for just 50 cents each

this way. Check out these recipes

for delicious, homemade bread:

Easy, No-Knead Crusty

Bread: goo.gl/VVBYFive minutes a Day for Fresh-

Baked Bread: goo.gl/Mu1uHealthy, No-Knead Bread

Recipes: http://goo.gl/ZC1x2Homemade Bread:

Truly Easy and Delicious:

http://goo.gl/43ps4almost No-Knead Bread:

also Worth Trying: http://goo.gl/8iqfg

Roast Your Own Meats. Roast

your own beef, chicken and

turkey for significant savings,

not to mention way better flavor.

Just once a month, schedule a

meat-roasting day. Slice it up,

refrigerate a weeks worth, and

freeze the rest to use as needed.

Use Seasonal Vegetables.

Whatevers abundant at the

farmers market or grocery store

will no doubt cost the least, and

itll be at its nutritional peak to

boot. many veggies you may not

consider sandwich and salad

staples zucchini, squash, bell

One of the Quickest Ways to Grocery Savings? Pack Your Lunch!

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Buy In BulkWHY? The price differences between packaged foods and plain,

whole foods sold in bulk can be astounding. For example, you can save about 50 percent on pasta and peanut butter, and up to 70 per-cent on oats and popcorn. You may be surprised at how much you can find in bulk sections these days everything from spices, herbs, tea and coffee to beans, grains, flour, olive oil and more. Buying clubs and food co-ops also offer tremendous savings to grocery shoppers who dont mind planning ahead and working with others.

HOW? Look for the bulk section in your grocery or natural foods store. Connect with a food co-op or buying club through www.CoopDirectory.org or www.UnitedBuyingClubs.com. Go to http://goo.gl/WJyFK to see a detailed look at the cost savings of bulk items.

WHAT ELSE? Buying food in bulk is a great way to save grocery dollars, but when it comes to the smartest money savings, youll want to ...

Choose WiselyWHY? Supporting a reduction in our nations

pesticide dependence by choosing organic foods is worthwhile the effects of industrial, chemical-based agriculture reach much further than what we ingest as individuals and the effects it has on our personal health. But sometimes we must make strictly budget-conscious decisions. If you can only access organically grown food some of the time, youll want to make the best choices. For example, fruits with permeable skin, such as straw-berries, absorb more chemicals than thick-skinned on-ions and eggplants. And did you know that apples and celery top the list of pesticide-laden foods, while mush-rooms and sweet potatoes are consistently clean?

HOW? The Environmental Working Group main-tains the most up-to-date list of which conventionally grown foods are likely to be contaminated with pesti-cides and which are safest to eat: www.FoodNews.org.

WHAT ELSE? While were considering the health of our bodies and of the soil beneath our feet when making purchases, we should also consider the health and well-being of the animals that offer up their eggs, dairy and meat products. This means youll want to ...

peppers, eggplant work perfectly

between two pieces of bread, in

a whole-wheat tortilla, atop crisp

greens or with nutritious quinoa if

theyre sliced, roasted with a bit

of olive oil, seasoned with salt and

pepper, and then refrigerated.

Forgo Factory-Sliced Cheese. Is

it really that much work to slice

or grate your own cheese if it will

save you money? Nope, didnt

think so. and if youre out for

super-fresh flavor and want to cut

the cost of gourmet cheeses, try

making your own with our recipes:

Go to www.MotherEarthNews.com/Cheesemaking.

Make Your Own Condiments.

mayo, mustard, ketchup, hot

sauce and more theyre all

simple to make, and homemade

condiments are most definitely

tastier and more nutritious than

anything in those jar aisles. (Find

a recipe for homemade mayo on

our website.)

Snack AttackIf snacking on vending machine buys throughout the day is your budget

(and health) enemy, be sure to toss fresh fruits and nutrient-dense nuts,

raisins and dried veggies into your lunch pail, too!

Follow Your Own Soup Adventure!

When you tire of sandwiches, mix things

up by taking piping hot soup to work in a

trusty thermos. Its easy to make a different

soup every day if thats what you fancy, and

its a superb way to use inexpensive staples.

The first step is to learn the building

blocks. usually youll start by sauting some

version of mirepoix a mixture of celery, car-

rots and onions then browning any meats,

especially the cheap cuts. Next, add stock,

which is easy to make at home in order to

save over buying pre-made products. To this,

you can add bulk with nutritious beans and

grains, plus whatever vegetables youve got

on hand (fresh or frozen). Finally, you can

get fancy by adding herbs and seasonings, as

well as flavor boosters such as mushrooms,

nuts, miso, cream or even coconut milk.

From cabbage to cashews, its hard to

imagine a food that cant go into some soup recipe somewhere. Search by ingredient for

recipes online, or visit http://goo.gl/vWjw2 and http://goo.gl/UYHcC to learn the basics of soup-making.

Go Grass-FedWHY? Foods from animals

that were raised humanely on healthy pastures are no doubt more expensive than their factory-farmed counterparts, but that cost is coming down as more consumers become aware of the multiple benefits (tell your friends!). Along with top-notch flavor, pastured products offer better nutrition than industrial animal prod-ucts. You can save money by choosing cuts of meat that are less expensive but still healthy and flavorful, such as bone-in chuck roasts, shoulder and shank cuts, round roasts, stew meat, and organ meats. You can also save a bundle by buying larger portions directly from the farmer, or by choosing to pay for what you value and simply eating meat less often. You might also consider investing in a deep freezer so you can store that quarter of a cow, half a pig or whole lamb that will provide many meals. Or split a large meat purchase with friends.

HOW? Use www.EatWild.com to find farms and butchers in your area, or check with your local county extension for poten-tial sources. For more information on sourc-ing and cooking all cuts of grass-fed meat, check out Good Meat by Deborah Krasner and Pasture Perfect by Jo Robinson.

WHAT ELSE? You can save money on meat by buying the right cuts, but youll save even more if you ...

Share Your IdeasSubmit your tips for saving money on food to RealFood@

MotherEarthNews.com with Save Money as the email sub-ject line, or post comments to the online version of this story at www.MotherEarthNews.com.

Raise Your Own animalsWHY? Pastured meat, eggs and dairy are tremendously more nutritious than

their industrially farmed versions. The meats are leaner and have a fatty-acid profile that helps combat heart disease rather than contributing to it. Pastured eggs also contain these beneficial omega fatty acids, plus vitamins and miner-als that are deficient in factory farmed eggs, including vitamin D, which many Americans may not realize they are lacking. Most importantly, homegrown meats usually taste better than products that come from the animals raised in crowded, stressful conditions in feedlots and factory farms.

Taking care of chickens is not much more complicated or expensive than tak-ing care of a dog, and many urban and suburban areas are now allowing residents to do so. Plan on harvesting about one egg per hen per day. Sustainable agricul-ture expert Gwen Roland has raised her own flavorful broiler chickens at a cost of only $1 per pound of meat produced. If you decide to keep a dairy cow and calf, youll spend up to a couple grand, but will recoup between $4,000 and $6,000 in delicious, healthy grass-fed milk and beef. Plus, youll be among the lucky few who truly understand all that is required to bring meat to our tables.

HOW? Learn about grass-based farming at www.MotherEarthNews.com/SafeMeat and www.MotherEarthNews.com/Eggs. Youll also find a wealth of information about raising pastured animals through one of our favorite mag-azines, The Stockman Grass Farmer (www.stockmangrassfarmer.net), and via

the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (www.ATTRA.org).

WHAT ELSE? We hope youve found many of these tips and tricks for spending less on food helpful. And now that youve grown or sourced healthy, delicious produce at great prices, made your own bread, cheese and mayo, raised your own nutritious, flavorful and affordable meat and eggs and more! we hope youll

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