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Surviving the times 2

Hello there! How are you doing? Hope you have had a restful weekend?

Mine has been filled with activity but I don’t mind because it is all geared towards my business.😁

It is another week already and the month of May is about to end. June is my birth month and it is always so exciting for me when June rolls in for reasons I can’t really explain. Maybe it is because June always brings me glad tidings and brings my family favour. Lol

Yesterday I had put off my freezer to let it defreeze so I can check if I still have tomatoes in all of that ice and boy! Was I glad I did😁.
I still have some tomatoes to last me at least the next 3 to 4 weeks that is after I had blended some to make a huge pot of stew. With the recent price of tomatoes in the market,you can’t even blame me for rejoicing over still having some of the tomatoes I got first week of March.

This brings me to talking more about ways to survive the current situation of price increment in almost everything courtesy of the further Naira depreciation.

Now when I buy my freah basket of tomatoes,I mostly just wash and freeze store in a huge sack in my freezer,I also do same with my pepper(ata rodo and shombo) I do not use tatashe in my cooking at all.

I can store my tomatoes this way because electricity supply is fairly stable in my area so the tomatoes and pepper all just freeze while maintaining their freshness. When I want to use it,all I have to do is take out the quantity I need before going to bed and it would have thawed enough for me to blend by pmorning.

The more common method is to wash and blend everything,let some of the water drain a little in a sack and then boil it till dry or fairly dry depending on your preference and then pack in cellophane or ziploc bags and store in the freezer. This is my mum’s method of preserving her bulk tomatoes purchase. I rarely do this because I actually do prefer blended fresh tomato stew.

Another thing I will also like to mention is Okro. I buy okro and store too. I do not cook my okro soup with potash and if you have ever eaten okro at mine,the first thing you would notice is how it draws so much.
Easy hack. I buy say like a a huge bowl of okro,wash and cut everything,then I add in some water and beat it with a fork,wooden spoon or whisk(the way you beat an egg) I then leave it for about an hour or two,pack it up in portions that we eat per meal.

Eggs have also become quite expensive so I interchange fish sauce,garden egg añd also tomoto sauce for eating yam,potatoes and even bread(with fish sauce). I have not eaten white bread in a very long time(2014)but I eat wholewheat bread once in a while and I find that fish sauce actually really goes well with wheat bread.

Breakfast for the kiddos have mostly been cereals. Oats,cornflakes and some other cereals,pap,beverage and eggs with bread or just beverage and bread. I am one of those that believe breakfast is an important meal that should not be skipped so my kids have breakfast before 7.00am usually.

However,we have not had pap in a while so I just decided to return to them taking pap at least twice a week.
I make my own pap or get someone to make it and I like to use mostly just millet and ginger. I also do not sieve it to retain most of the fiber in it. I just make sure it is blended as smooth as possible.

Pap is still a cheaper and far healthier alternative to the other processed cereals. Custard is junk as far as I am concerned so I never buy it or give it to my kids.

Also you can incorporate fruits into your meals such that one of your meals is made up of mostly fruits and or fruits and vegetables.
When fruits like pineapples,watermelon,sweet melon,oranges and mangoes are in season,they are mostly cheap and that way you get two benefits for the price of one.😁

Let me round this up by saying you can find ‘local’ farmers around your area who sell fresh produce and don’t have too much chemicals on their fresh vegetables and fruits,that way you are getting fresh and largely chemical free produce at a cheaper rate as well as healthier alternatives to some of the overly chemical or enhanced produce that even have questionable taste.

As a rule though,I do not haggle with these farmers as long as their prices are fair. I mostly pay what they ask for and even a little more sometimes as their prices are mostly reasonable and sometimes almost ridiculous.

I think these are pointers that someone out there may find helpful in some way as we are all in this together😊.

In all of these,do nor forget to prioritize yourself and your well being. The economy can be what it is but God will always make a way for you and for me. Be happy despite the economy😊



Yetunde.


Photo Credit: www.shutterstock.com

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