 November prices up from August but below January.
It's hard to beat the summer prices, when melons and tomatoes fill the markets. But fall has its own reward. It's a terrific time to stock up on baking supplies, like yeast and flour. Peppers are at rock-bottom prices just before the first frost. Freeze peppers in strips to use when the price goes up by 5 or even 10 times from January until the next season's crop is available. New crops of potatoes and onions are in, greatly reducing prices from the summer peak. And dairy prices continue to be low, which helps explain why the November prices for both plans are less than they were in January. Bottom line: a week of thrifty Cook for Good meals cost $90, the green meals cost $146, and the North Carolina food-stamp allowance is $167. Read more on the Save Money page and check out the Top 20 Items.
Rising food stamp usage calls for training, equipment.
The New York Times reported this week that "With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children." We must help people how to learn to use the assistance wisely, including teaching shopping and cooking skills and providing basic equipment like slow cookers and even bread machines. I bought a used bread machine this week for $20. It will pay for itself in 3 weeks, yet someone living hand-to-mouth may not be able to save up enough to get one.
Rising hunger also calls for food.
Last Christmas, the adults in our family decided to celebrate by donating food instead of exchanging gifts. We had a blast loading up two big carts of rice, beans, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, and more Cook for Good staples and taking them over to the local food bank. We're looking forward to making it a tradition. Think about trying this in your family, if not for all of the gifts, at least for a portion of them.
Logo contest.
Cook for Good is getting a makeover! If you are or know a professional graphics designer, check out the contest on Logomyway. It's free to enter and the winner gets $300. I'd love to see a newsletter subscriber win!
Recipe
 Great Northern Bean Soup, Southern Style. Great northern bean soup only gets better when you add classic southern ingredients: sweet potatoes and collards. The soup has a festive holiday look, with snowy white beans, bright orange cubes of sweet potatoes, and streamers of dark-green collards. This filling soup is ultra-healthy: no fat and loaded with nutrition. Pack a thermos of soup for lunch during December to help avoid packing on holiday pounds.
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