Grocery Shopping from your own Garden

I remember going to the grocery store when I was a kid.

We didn’t go very often and we would get two buggies full.  All those groceries would be loaded in the back of a 1969 Plymouth Sport Suburban station wagon and hauled home.       

Kroger’s in Victoria was where we usually shopped.  It was a great store because they put a machine in the parking lot and it would give you a coupon if you put your shopping cart in it. Each coupon was worth a penny. But that was pretty good money considering that was also when, on certain mornings in the summer, kids could get into the Playhouse theater for six empty returnable Coke bottles.  A few carts returned and you could buy your own Sweet Tarts like a prince.     

 I think probably the second most embarrassing event of my life happened at that Kroger’s.  Once I could see over the shopping cart handle, I got to drive the second cart. I had gone back to collect a forgotten item.  It was important to get back quickly because I could collect carts in the parking lot while my mom waited to check out. So, I was traveling through the store at NASCAR speeds, made a corner too fast, and the contents of the cart dumped and rolled all over the store and it seemed like half-way down Navarro Street.       

Martha reported on an article she read talking about how much food prices had gone up over the previous month. The next day she went grocery shopping and WHOOP, there it was! When I asked if she needed help unloading the car she said no, she only had one trip to make and it was $46. I asked her what she bought and the list didn’t include any steaks. She said there was a lady in front of her with a cart full and when the total was announced, the lady was shocked. She hadn’t bought anything she didn’t need, but had to put some items back.   

 I’m afraid that is part of our new normal.  I couldn’t imagine how much two heaping cartloads in the back of a 1969 Plymouth station wagon would cost these days. I’ve had to put some things back at the grocery store before and it was embarrassing, though not as bad as dumping that cart.       

The week before Martha’s trip to the store, my grocery shopping included carrots, yellow squash, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, and cucumbers. By the time you read this, I’ll be harvesting cantaloupe and honey dew. I’ve got black-eyed peas and watermelon growing for later in the summer.       

Since Martha told me that Fritos are getting too expensive, I’m asking everyone to say a little prayer for my food supply so that we have enough homegrown to justify splurging on the chips that we don’t need. But don’t worry about me too much because I did notice that she didn’t report that Cheetos are getting too expensive.     

With the rig count down and exploration stopped in the oil field, I hate to report that many of our neighbors are looking at some hard times. Now is not a good time for food prices to go through the roof.     

But you know what you can do about it. Say a little prayer and... Keep on Growing!

Geary Hare of Edna is an avid gardener. For questions, contact Geary at ghare@msn.com