Full disclosure, I’ve been struggling with living with less waste these past few weeks. I feel like I should confess that I have bought some brand new items and purchased food in packaging that I don’t normally let myself do. Gah! That feels better already just getting it off my chest. On another note, we recently bought a Hybrid Toyota Highlander (well, part of one, the bank owns the rest of it for now) and let me tell you that nothing turns a lifelong offensive driver into a defensive driver more than literally getting to watch a meter that shows you the rate at which you are saving gas. I wish I could say that I’m most concerned about it for environmental reasons but the reality is that I like to watch the money that I’m saving. So I apologize to all the St. Louis drivers that get behind me as I slowly take off from red lights. I’m just out here trying to save a buck! (and the planet?)

Now for the whole reason I got back on this page after my guilt ridden/new item purchasing hiatus… freezing produce for later. July is prime time for corn and tomatoes here in the Midwest. Two foods that my family goes through like crazy. I’m attempting to buy up a lot of each, spend a few days prepping them and then freeze it all for this winter in order to avoid buying cans. It would be great if I could get the courage to actually legit can the tomatoes but I’m not sure that will happen this year, there has been a lot going on around this house recently. But freezing it will work, too! Local corn is usually really easy to come by cheap in the stores but I’m finding that the shear number of tomatoes I have to put up in order to fill the bellies of these beasts come winter is going to be a lot and I haven’t found a place around here yet that will sell me loads of them and not charge me an arm and a leg. I’m going to start researching some farms farther outside the city in the hopes that I can find what I’m looking for. Also, if anyone in the St. Louis area knows of a scenario like this, please let me know!

I hope you all are enjoying your summer whatever you’re doing and wherever it takes you!