# Get Real!



## KmH (Mar 22, 2016)

Get Real Food that is.
If you're an average American, over 1/2 of what you eat is _ultra-processed._ Is it actually food?


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## tirediron (Mar 22, 2016)

Mehh...  as long as it tastes good, so what?


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## Dave442 (Mar 23, 2016)

Bacon is real enough.


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## 480sparky (Mar 23, 2016)

I'm just trying to save money on an undertaker.  He won't have to drain me.... just drop me in a pine box.


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## runnah (Mar 23, 2016)

Not surprising. I often look at my fellow shoppers and while I am buying mostly ingredients to make meals, they are buying ready made meals.

What is funny about all this is the fact that people ***** and complain about the rising costs of healthcare but at the same time don't realize that most people cannot afford to eat healthily. Bad food is cheap and when you are a poor family of 5 sometimes that is why you have to do. Try feeding a family of 5 an exclusively organic non-processed food diet and they would be bankrupt in a month.


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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

are you telling me my Dollar Store $1 cans of chef boyardee and mac-n-cheese isnt real food?


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## runnah (Mar 23, 2016)

pixmedic said:


> are you telling me my Dollar Store $1 cans of chef boyardee and mac-n-cheese isnt real food?



You jest but that is all some kids have to eat. Heck in my area there are kids that only get fed once a day at school.


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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

runnah said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > are you telling me my Dollar Store $1 cans of chef boyardee and mac-n-cheese isnt real food?
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Jest? 

I'm on am EMS budget with a special needs child. (Who gets zero government assistance BTW because we can't get a doctor to give him an actual legit diagnosis besides "developmental delay" which the state does not recognize)
Them specialist visits are expensive.







Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


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## runnah (Mar 23, 2016)

Yep, it's not only expensive it's also time consuming to feed people healthy meals. Both parents working 9+ hrs a day leaves little time for a home cooked meal.


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## MSnowy (Mar 23, 2016)

Yup I save time and money crap in crap out


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## rexbobcat (Mar 23, 2016)

runnah said:


> Yep, it's not only expensive it's also time consuming to feed people healthy meals. Both parents working 9+ hrs a day leaves little time for a home cooked meal.



Then you get all those people who say "Just go to a farmer's market for fresh, cheap produce."

Where exactly do you live? In my area farmer's markets usually have a 200-300% markup over the local grocery chain.

The only reason I go is because there's always this amazing Indian food truck.


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## runnah (Mar 23, 2016)

rexbobcat said:


> runnah said:
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> > Yep, it's not only expensive it's also time consuming to feed people healthy meals. Both parents working 9+ hrs a day leaves little time for a home cooked meal.
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Exactly. We don't have any farmers market here during the winter and in the summer the nearest one is 30 minutes away.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

I agree that it's hard to eat well on a budget, but having said that, the choices do not have to be between organic "artisanal" foods and totally processed canned foods. It's a false dichotomy. There _are_ options that fall along that spectrum of extremes. 

I am not feeding a family, but I am still feeding myself on a tight budget. I never buy canned beans, for example. A 1-lb bag of dried chick peas costs less than $2.00 and takes just a few hours to cook in a slow cooker (while I'm not even paying attention - just dump the beans, water, some salt and seasonings into the crock pot, press start, and leave it alone while it cooks). Minimal investment of both time and money, and it helps feed me for the entire week. Or I'll spend a few hours on a Sunday cooking, for example, a huge pot of pasta sauce or soup. I leave out what I plan to eat for the next week or so and freeze the rest. Yes, it takes some time on that day, but after that, the time it takes to reheat something for the next meal is the same amount of time it would take to reheat a can of pasta.

That's not the whole story, of course, because I'm certainly not eating _only_ chick peas or reheated pasta for the whole week, but the point is that eating healthier _can_ be done on a budget (both time and money) without having to shop at the fancy health food stores or spend hours cooking every day.


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## zombiesniper (Mar 23, 2016)

Beans for a week!!!!
Someones gastrointestinal tract is in overdrive!


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

zombiesniper said:


> Beans for a week!!!!
> Someones gastrointestinal tract is in overdrive!



When cooked right and eating with the right combination of foods, it's fine. Using baking soda in the water when cooking the beans cuts down a lot on the sugars that cause gas, as does eating the beans with potatoes or a whole grain.

I haven't eaten meat in 20+ years; I know how to deal with legumes as a protein source


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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


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I just died a little inside...


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## OGsPhotography (Mar 23, 2016)

Heres the cliff notes;


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

pixmedic said:


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Hey now, Limr actually makes an excellent point here.  See, you could warm up the spaghettios on Sunday in the crockpot, then take them and reheat them later.  That's.. umm. healthier, right?


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> Hey now, Limr actually makes an excellent point here.  See, you could warm up the spaghettios on Sunday in the crockpot, then take them and reheat them later.  That's.. umm. healthier, right?


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> robbins.photo said:
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> > Hey now, Limr actually makes an excellent point here.  See, you could warm up the spaghettios on Sunday in the crockpot, then take them and reheat them later.  That's.. umm. healthier, right?



So, I'm putting that down as a NO then.  That would be a no.  Got it.  Lol


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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> pixmedic said:
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heat it up?
nah..that takes too long. 
I just pop the pull top lid and eat right from the can.


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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> limr said:
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i thought it was an offer. 
I was gonna take a number.


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## DarkShadow (Mar 23, 2016)

My uncle eat heathy home cooked foods,jogged every morning a least a mile or more,ran on the treadmill then one day died of a massive heart attack. Give me a  hot chili dog any day or a cheeseburger with extra greasy bacon juice dripping all over the place.Umm umm good.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

pixmedic said:


> robbins.photo said:
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## pixmedic (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


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make it hurt so bad, 'cause it feels so good when you stop.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> pixmedic said:
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So, upgrade that to a not just no, but hell no.  Gotcha.  Lol


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

pixmedic said:


> make it hurt so bad, 'cause it feels so good when you stop.



Ah, see I know how to truly inflict pain, though...

I'll just make you watch me throw away all your bacon


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## JacaRanda (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> throw away all your bacon



BLASPHELIMRY!!!!!


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> Ah, see I know how to truly inflict pain, though...
> 
> I'll just make you watch me throw away all your bacon



Pretty sure that's outlawed by the Geneva convention.

If not, well, it should be.


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## terri (Mar 23, 2016)

It does take time to cook, but if you make the effort on one day a week to cook "big pot" dinners, you can go for several days.   In the winter, I make pretty basic soups from scratch, and spend a little extra $ to get organic vegetables in there.   You can mix 'em up to form a certain flavor profile.  Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, leeks, turnips, potatoes....toss in some herbs and a little salt and black pepper.   Add some kind of cereal to make it heartier if you want: I like pearl barley.   Towards the end I might add a can of organic chopped tomatoes or frozen peas, too.  

Or make a lasagne, use a meat sauce or meat-free sauce if you want.   Or a big batch of spaghetti, or some other pasta, which can be portioned into lunch-sized plastic tubs to grab & go.   I mean, it _does_ take some planning, there's no denying that - and definitely a day of prep, but during the week all you have to do is heat & eat, maybe throw in a fresh salad, baguette on the side.   But it can be worth it to control what you put down the gullet, and the gullets of loved ones - and in the long run you'll feel the results.

....unless you get hit by a Mack truck, of course.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

JacaRanda said:


> limr said:
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I see what you did there


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

robbins.photo said:


> limr said:
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Geneva Shmeneva, I'll throw ALL OF Y'ALL'S bacon away!!


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## robbins.photo (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> Geneva Shmeneva, I'll throw ALL OF Y'ALL'S bacon away!!



Devil Woman.  Lol


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## weepete (Mar 23, 2016)

It really suprises me sometimes that a lot of people don't cook. It's getting that way in the UK too.


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## JacaRanda (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> robbins.photo said:
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Hmmmm, time to play hide the bacon - save your hide - save your bacon.......


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## rexbobcat (Mar 23, 2016)

weepete said:


> It really suprises me sometimes that a lot of people don't cook. It's getting that way in the UK too.



It's not surprising when you consider work weeks have gradually been getting longer and longer since the 60's (speaking of the U.S. here) combined with stagnant wages.

My roommate works 10-12 hours a day with no overtime since he's on salary. Even though he makes enough to get a complete haul of fresh produce _occasionally, _by the time he gets off work the last thing he wants to do is put forth to mental power to create something out of it. And fresh produce goes bad quickly, so you already have to have something in mind before you buy it in the first place.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

rexbobcat said:


> weepete said:
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This is true, and that's another issue that makes it difficult - you have to figure in time to buy it as well as cook it, because it can't be bought too far in advance. And now...I hate to be obnoxious but there's a 'but' coming...

BUT frozen vegetables are often just as, if not more, nutritious than fresh veggies. Vegetables start losing nutrients the minute they are pulled from the ground/tree/whatever. They are frozen pretty quickly so that actually captures the nutrients better. Fresh vs. Frozen Vegetables: Are we giving up nutrition for convenience?  - EatingWell

And frozen can be more affordable because you can load up on them when they are on sale.

Basically what I'm saying is, to eat healthier on the cheap, plan carefully and have a big freezer


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## Derrel (Mar 23, 2016)

runnah said:


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There is absolutely ZERO need, not one bit of "need" for a farmer's market. I'm so sick of hearing this excuse. Learn how to COOK. Buy some real food. Stop buying sh*+ food in cans and boxes. Buy whole, real, un-processed foods, or frozen vegetables. *Frozen veggies are fine, since they have been harvested, taken to the cannery, and frozen within hours.* I used to work at a cannery....canned beans SAT for HOURS, or even overnight....FORZEN piles were washed, flash-frozen, and packed in about 55 minutes per truck load. Just so you know...

Vegetables are filling, and have fiber. Carrots, celery, heads of green cabbage, and one of the best of all-bok choy. Bok choy is 78 cents a pound here. The key is to get some fricking FIBER in your belly, so you literally ARE full of food, feel full, and your food, being low-glycemic, sloooowly provides energy. You can eat a massive sausage-and-veggie and sausage and black bean burrito, with a glycemic index that is so low you will NOT immediately pass out with a massive blood sugar rush....your kids will be fine all morning at school if he eats some REAL food at 7:45 AM--not a bowl of Trix or some similar crap.

You want to eat "healthy"? Spend a day and learn what *low-glycemic index eating* is all about. Stop eating crap food. If your kid or kids are addicted to crap food, they'll soon start eating real food within about five days, once their addiction gets a cold turkey crash course in getting off of quick ,salty, sugary, empty calorie foods like canned pasta, cookies, crackers, cereals, and so on.

Eat apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe...here, bananas at the discount grocery chain WinCo, are 48 cents per pound--and will be, the entire year. Navel oranges right now? 68 cents per pound. This is far, far, far less than canned or plastic cup food. Cantaloupe is 68 cents per pound. Eat beans, carrots, lettuce, celery, garlic, potatoes, peppers, bean sprouts, berries, and other actual, real, not-processed foods.

Stay the hell away from juices!!! Fiber and whole-chunk foods are far better than finely minced or ground, or even worse, pureed vegetables where the fiber has been broken down by a 10,000 RPM blade. Juices are NOT healthy, especially if they have a lot of sugars in them...the idea is that the foods are processed by the digestive system, over tiiiiiiiiiiime...not dumped into the gullet in liquid form.

Buy the apple variety that is 78 or 89 cents per pound that week. Stock up on things that keep well, like apples, oranges, onions. cabbage, bok choy. Buy frozen vegetables. Go to a stores that has lower prices, instead of making excuses.

Dinner of a bok-choy stir/fry or steam fry with chicken or sausage, with cheese and fruit for dinner and even ice cream takes me 24 minutes to prepare AND to cook. Opening a Souffer's frozen lasagne givesyou high blood pressure after about 10 years. Ask me how I know! Invest some time in making real food, and not wasting it watching some stupid half-hour ABC comedy.

Eat a* LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX diet. *Why? You will have plenty of fiber and plenty of food in your belly, and it will break down slooo0wly, over hours, so you will not be hungry in five minutes. All you need to do is spend one single NIGHT on the web.

Oh...and the reason you want to get off the Typical American Prepared Food Death Sentence is so you will not develop diabetes in your 40's, like I did. Once I learned about the low-glyceminc index method of food selection, my health improved markedly within two weeks. I also managed to eat better, feel better, and to lose 96 pounds over two years without doing any more exercise that I have done the last 20 years. You might not realize that white rice and white bread are far,far worse than ice cream. Ice cream is fine...I have PLENTY of it...

The neighbor kids, the CHinese ones, that eat white rice at least 12 times per week, as a staple...they all are 12 years old and are FAT, and already have pointy man-boobs. They are fat as little hogs--because their STAPLE is white rice--one of the most deadly foods, and one Harvard medical School has linked to being a key food to avoid; its consumption leads almost directly to Type 2 diabetes.

You want to lose weight, eat better, eat more, and be contented with the food you eat? Stop eating CRAP. Start buying REAL food--nobody is talking Farmer's Market organics or ANY of that crap...

My 140 pound fitness doctor cannot believe how LOW my cholesterol and A1-C levels are...I eat mostly eggs, sausage, chicken breast, bok choy, onions, green and red peppers, bananas, apples, potatoes,onions, cabbage, melon, peanuts, black beans, tortillas, refried beans, lettuce, celery, sardines, and so on... Actual, real food...I cook every single meal in a skillet or an oven. I eat ice cream like craxy because with a glycemic index of around 54 to 58 it is BETTER for a diabetic than bread or rice. I drink WHOLE MILK because whole milk has fats, which make it process more slowly than skim milk: if you love you kids do NOT let them drink skim or low-fat milk, especially with chocolate powder. You need "some" fat, "some oil", to buffer carbs and their conversion in to sugar. Low-fat milk + chocilate powder is a terrible, terrible drink for kids--it;'s almost as bad as soda.

Start buying real food. Real food. Not crap in packages and cartons and ready-to-heat. Stop buying "meal in a can" snack crap.

Get real, indeed. Start investing in your family and yourself, and stop buying the processed, non-food crap the stores are filled with. Eat veggies, fruit, meat, fish, chicken, turkey, and start looking at low-glycemic index food. MOST of it is very affordable, and the stores are FILLED with it. Learn the basics of nutrition. Stop making excuses about it being impossible to eat well with a limited food budget: I eat well, and my grocery bill is very small. My kid is normal in height and weight; the many CHinese kids here that eat rice,rice,rice constantly...man-boobs and pot-bellies by age 12. The idea that "organic" veggies are needed is rubbish. Start eating like people ate for centuries...real, whole FOOD...nothing in a package! Easy on the high-carb, processed foods.

I ate as MUCH as I wanted every night from 2013 to 2015. I dropped 96 pounds and got my A1-C level to lower-than-diabetic.


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## Derrel (Mar 23, 2016)

Glycemic index and glycemic load for 100+ foods - Harvard Health

I lost 96 pounds based on THIS, ONE single page, as it was in 2013. And I ate like a king.

Take a look. Look at one of your healthy "cheat" snack foods: Peanut M&M's, glycemic index of 33.

If you are diabetic, consider that more fat can actually sloooow sugar conversion, so a slightly higher glycemic index can be offset by having more fat.

The biggest danger is pure, small-size carbs: white rice is horrible. You'll note that the converted rices, like Uncle Bens with its g.i. of 30, has had MOST of the starch cooked out of it; the "converted" rice has been pre-cooked, and the starch removed, so it cooks in 5 minutes. Plain, whole-grain white rice has an average glycemic index of 89--substantially higher than brown rice at a glycemic index of 50.

Premium ice cream has a glycemic index of 38; white rice 89; plain, *white French style bnaguette bread has a glycemic index of 95*: which is about the same g.i. as a low-blood-sugar first aid drink called Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink), with a g.i. of around 95--or higher!

A Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker) has a glycemic index of 42. Waffles, Aunt Jemima® (Quaker Oats), glycemic index of 76. Huh...who wouldda' thunk that CAKE for breakfast would be more nutritious than packaged frozen waffles. Yeah, science and s**+.

*An orange's average g.i.? 40*. I eat oranges like candy. I eat three if I feel like it. Hell, canned peaches in light syrup have a g.i. of 40! An average apple has a g.i, of 39. A frozen bagel?
Bagel, white, frozen -- its glycemic index is *72!!!
*
Wheat tortillas, one of my staples for big, bean-and meat-filled wraps? Glycemic index is 30.
50% cracked wheat kernel bread, g.i. is only 58. Cheap, white balloon bread? Wonder brand, 73.

Cornflakes®, average 93. Ninety-three!!! One of the WORST foods--ever, for kids! Might as well feed them ice cream for breakfast--it is healthier, and has more _actual food value over time_.


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## table1349 (Mar 23, 2016)

Derrel said:


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Sorry, have to disagree with your first statement.  I have yet to find canned or frozen whole uncooked heirloom tomatoes.  I make a wicked heirloom tomato pie from scratch.  Must be heirloom for their beefier texture and lower moisture content.  Farmers markets in this area provide some types of fruits and vegetables not normally available in the mega marts.  A farmers market grown in the dirt, in the field in the sunshine tomato tastes worlds better than a hot house mega mart tomato.


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## table1349 (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


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Weekend cooking for the week, a freezer and one of these and you can eat well, eat healthy and eat with fresh ingredients.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

I think Derrel's point is that one does not NEED to get vegetables at a farmers' market when the main goal is to try to avoid processed foods. I don't think he was saying there is no need for anyone, ever. He was reacting to the same idea that I was: that a person has _only_ the choice of eating canned, processed foods OR spending a bunch of money on organic produce that they can't afford. That is an either-or (false dichotomy) logical fallacy. 

Your example of needing specific tomatoes for a dish you like to make is a different story. The point remains that in a lot of ways, farmers' markets in many areas of the country are expensive and less accessible to an average person who is just trying to feed their family on a tight budget.


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## table1349 (Mar 23, 2016)

limr said:


> I think Derrel's point is that one does not NEED to get vegetables at a farmers' market when the main goal is to try to avoid processed foods. I don't think he was saying there is no need for anyone, ever. He was reacting to the same idea that I was: that a person has _only_ the choice of eating canned, processed foods OR spending a bunch of money on organic produce that they can't afford. Your example of needing specific tomatoes for a dish you like to make is a different story. The point remains that in a lot of ways, farmers' markets in many areas of the country are expensive and less accessible to an average person who is just trying to feed their family on a tight budget.


You may well be right but there is only one definitive statement that can be made with certainty, we are all going to die.   All the rest are open to interpretation.

Things must be different back east than here in the midwest.  The famers market on our side of town is usually cheaper or no more expensive for most things than the local mega mart.  That includes things like bison and ostrich, which the mega mart does not carry.  The quality of the produce is often better and it is generally for a fact fresher.  Most of it picked, or harvested on Friday, since the market is only open on Saturday.  Probably 1/3 of our farmers market is Amish/Mennonite.  In addition to the fruits, vegetables and meats there is an abundance of baked goods that are scratch made.  The taste and quality are amazing.

One of the things that may make a difference here, everything at our Farmers market MUST be Kansas grown.  No shipped in out of state produce.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> limr said:
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> > I think Derrel's point is that one does not NEED to get vegetables at a farmers' market when the main goal is to try to avoid processed foods. I don't think he was saying there is no need for anyone, ever. He was reacting to the same idea that I was: that a person has _only_ the choice of eating canned, processed foods OR spending a bunch of money on organic produce that they can't afford. Your example of needing specific tomatoes for a dish you like to make is a different story. The point remains that in a lot of ways, farmers' markets in many areas of the country are expensive and less accessible to an average person who is just trying to feed their family on a tight budget.
> ...



It really depends on where you are. This area is rotten with "farmers'" markets, but there are precious few farmers at most of them. There are many vendors from dairy farms, wineries, bakeries...and yes, the quality of the food is excellent but it's also EXPENSIVE (and most of them are Hudson Valley farms.) The few stands that sell vegetables can also be pretty expensive. They are not catering to the average, working-class kind of customer. They are catering to the people who like to brag to their friends that they shop for organic food at the "quaint" little farmers' market, and aren't they just saintly for feeding their families so well AND saving the earth at the same time by bringing their designer cloth grocery bags?

Granted, this is suburban NY and there's a lot of silliness around here. It's different the farther you get away from the city. I am lucky enough to have found one that is very close by where there are some Amish vendors who drive from PA. And the other vendors at that market are pretty down to earth and charge more reasonable prices.

BUT I am also lucky enough to have a car to drive there, which a lot of lower-income folks don't have. Sure, the market is in a city that has a lot of lower-income families and they can walk there, but if someone doesn't live in that city, they'd need public transportation, which isn't very good out here in the suburbs. And chances are they are still working one of their jobs on Saturday morning and can't take enough time to spend the entire morning waiting for the bus, transferring maybe one or two times, shopping, then making the return trip. And further upstate? It's even harder. There are a lot of economically-depressed areas in upstate New York, and even fewer options for public transportation.

So yes, perhaps it's easier in some areas of the country, but for many many people, buying fresh vegetables at a farmers' market is a pipe dream.


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## limr (Mar 23, 2016)

But this is all beside the point. 

The point is that if someone lives in an area where farmers' markets are affordable, accessible options, then that's fantastic! They should take advantage of them. But it's not the ONLY option, and if someone lives in an area where farmers' markets are expensive or far away, there are still other ways to get vegetables at an affordable price. The choice is NOT "farmers' market veggies or no veggies at all."


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## rexbobcat (Mar 23, 2016)

I grew up in what was basically a food desert. Both my parents worked. The local grocery store was inadequate because they would get left over stock from larger subsidiaries. Their vegetable aisle - both fresh and frozen - consisted of wilted lettuce, tomato,  like 3000 potatoes, and occasionally broccoli. To go to a _real_ grocery store we had to drive 1.5 hours both ways just to buy meat that wasn't brown. We weren't poor, but we sure as hell didn't have the time to make frequent afternoon trips (my parents were constantly on call for work) and we didn't have the cash to drop on a month and a half worth of vegetables, fruits, and meats.

What we did have was a hunting rifle and a grandma who had a massive 2000 square foot garden. So we tried to eat as healthily as we could. But not everyone is as fortunate.

I can't in good conscience tell people, "It's so simple. Just go hunting and grow a garden," because that disregards so much about the different life experiences of others.

God, why are people so patronizing when it comes to food? Someone will say "I try to eat healthy but it's difficult," and then there's some primal urge to tell them, "You must not be trying hard enough. Quit making excuses." (Not referring to you Leonore...)


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## limr (Mar 24, 2016)

rexbobcat said:


> I grew up in what was basically a food desert. Both my parents worked. The local grocery store was inadequate because they would get left over stock from larger subsidiaries. Their vegetable aisle - both fresh and frozen - consisted of wilted lettuce, tomato,  like 3000 potatoes, and occasionally broccoli. To go to a _real_ grocery store we had to drive 1.5 hours both ways just to buy meat that wasn't brown. We weren't poor, but we sure as hell didn't have the time to make frequent afternoon trips (my parents were constantly on call for work) and we didn't have the cash to drop on a month and a half worth of vegetables, fruits, and meats.
> 
> What we did have was a hunting rifle and a grandma who had a massive 2000 square foot garden. So we tried to eat as healthily as we could. But not everyone is as fortunate.
> 
> ...



I appreciate you saying you weren't referring to me, but I still want to be clear that I wasn't trying to be judgmental and I certainly wasn't trying to tell anyone here how to eat. I just was suggesting a middle ground that might be feasible for those who do have some options and would like to have fewer processed foods in their diet.

I absolutely understand that it's difficult, even for people who don't live in a food desert, and there's no simple solution. People do what they need to do, and they are the only ones who know what's possible or not.

But it's also true that many people who complain about no choices or no time really do have ways to manage more whole foods and fewer processed foods into their diet without paying more money or spending hours cooking dinner every night. (Again, I'm not talking about anyone here! I've seen it plenty, though.)

Ultimately, I've never really cared how other people eat. I've seen people become defensive around me about their food choices when they hear I'm a vegetarian (or they make a joke about PETA meaning People Eating Tasty Animals and really folks? It's tired and old, and your bacon jokes aren't funny the 1st time, much less the 1,537th time I hear them), because they think I'm going to get all preachy, but I really don't give four flying frogs about what they want to eat. If you want to eat Cheez Whiz, Ritz crackers, and guzzle Mountain Dew, knock yourselves out. If that's really NOT what you want to eat, then take a hard look at what your _real_ choices are and figure out if there is a way to eat better. Not everyone will have a lot of choices, but a lot of people will find there are more options for healthier eating than they think there are.


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## robbins.photo (Mar 24, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


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> > runnah said:
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Being a Nebraska boy I too see a value in farmers markets.  Many vegetables can be frozen just fine, no argument here.  However, if you've ever had corn on the cob you'd know there is a huge difference between the taste/texture it has when it's fresh and when it's frozen.  Nothing quite like slow grilling a couple of fresh picked roasting ears.  Frozen just can't compare.



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## robbins.photo (Mar 24, 2016)

limr said:


> I think Derrel's point is that one does not NEED to get vegetables at a farmers' market when the main goal is to try to avoid processed foods. I don't think he was saying there is no need for anyone, ever. He was reacting to the same idea that I was: that a person has _only_ the choice of eating canned, processed foods OR spending a bunch of money on organic produce that they can't afford. That is an either-or (false dichotomy) logical fallacy.
> 
> Your example of needing specific tomatoes for a dish you like to make is a different story. The point remains that in a lot of ways, farmers' markets in many areas of the country are expensive and less accessible to an average person who is just trying to feed their family on a tight budget.


True, around here you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one.  In the late summer/fall during harvest you will see roadside stands and farm families everywhere selling sweet corn out of the back of a pickup truck.  I doubt you'd see that quite as much in less agricultural areas

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## runnah (Mar 24, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Derrel said:
> 
> 
> > runnah said:
> ...



Tomato pie? You mean pizza?


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## minicoop1985 (Mar 24, 2016)

I HAVE AN OPINION!!!! What are we talking about now? Because I'm sure I have an opinion YOU NEED TO HEAR about it.


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## table1349 (Mar 24, 2016)

runnah said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Derrel said:
> ...


Nope!




 

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons shredded manchego cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes
Kosher salt
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper



Directions
Make the crust: Pulse the flour, cornmeal and fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and 3 tablespoons manchego; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough comes together; add 1 more tablespoon ice water if necessary. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

Put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the crust with foil, then fill with dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes; toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Let drain, gently tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup manchego, the mozzarella, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons each chives and parsley, the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper, and the sauteed onion in a bowl. Spread in the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon each chives and parsley.


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