Any March Birthdays Here?

This morning I spent a few hours shopping for a couple of birthday gifts for my two daughters.  I love shopping for birthday presents. This coming Monday (St. Patrick's Day) is their birthday. 

Because it's their birthday, we tend to not do much that is St. Patrick's Day-ish. While the rest of the continent is wearing green, eating Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, and talking about leprechauns, two members of my family are blowing out candles and opening gifts while the rest of us cheer on.

Having a birthday that falls on a holiday,. even a smaller holiday, will mean there have to be some choices and sacrifices by the rest of the family.  It also means that going out to celebrate can be challenging, as restaurants, parks, and other fun venues are jammed with merry-makers for the holiday. We do the best we can and choose venues and times that don't overlap too much with the Irish-at-heart in our community.

This year, we'd planned on a picnic in a local park for Saturday. However, it looks like rain this weekend. So, our picnic may be at home. We'll make it festive somehow. My daughters chose supercharged BLT sandwiches (extra bacon), apple wedges, potato chips, and cake for their picnic birthday lunch. Should be tasty!

Are there any other March birthdays here? Any St. Patrick's Day birthdays? How do you make an occasion festive when outdoor plans are forced indoors due to weather?

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. We had the tuna casserole planned, using the homemade cream of mushroom soup that I froze last week. With the casserole we had homemade applesauce from the freezer. Another easy-peasy dinner. Tomorrow I'll make pizza using frozen dough and frozen sauce. All I'll have to do is stretch out the dough, top with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, then bake.

Cocoa Shortages? Maybe Not?

I made my weekly shopping trip this morning, this time to WinCo. I had heard rumblings from several mainstream news sources that there was a worldwide cocoa shortage brewing. So I added cocoa powder from the bulk bins to my shopping list. 

I got to the bulk bin section and lo and behold, the cocoa bin was completely empty. I asked the friendly woman refilling various bins if cocoa powder was on the list to be refilled today, thinking I'd gladly hang around a little longer if it meant getting cocoa powder in bulk (the bulk is always less expensive than the packaged cocoa powder). She went to the stockroom and came back with bad news. Not only was the cocoa powder not to be restocked today, but the next shipment wasn't due until mid-April. She said her supervisor said something about problems with the shipment.

I made a beeline to the regular baking section, and to my relief, there were several containers of cocoa on the shelf. But, it was so much more expensive than the last time I bought packaged cocoa powder, three years ago. The price on store brand cocoa powder was almost double per pound what it would have been if bought from the bulk bins. Still, I bought 2 canisters of cocoa powder today. 

When I got home, I did a little more reading on the cocoa situation. Here's what I learned. Cocoa prices hit an all time high this past December. 70% of cocoa is grown in Africa, mostly along the west coast. Crops have been poorer than usual due to excessive rainfall and higher than typical temperatures. In addition, a virus has been attacking cocoa trees, reducing their productive years. And finally, supply chain has been interrupted due to political instability, regulatory pressures, and logistical bottlenecks in exporting the harvested cocoa pods. 

One news source suggested that cocoa prices would remain high through 2025. However, I also checked the cocoa futures page on tradingeconomics.com for more up-to-date cocoa trading information. Cocoa futures are trading significantly lower now in March than they were in December. Weather prospects in West Africa have improved and it appears there will be a supply surplus for the current growing season, the first surplus in four years. Cocoa inventories in US ports have climbed significantly since December 2024. The longterm 2025 outlook is for cocoa futures prices to moderate to a mid-point (around $10,000 per tonne) between December's high future's price and today's low future's price, in about 12 months time.

So it looks like a severe shortage for the year has been averted. Still, more and more of the world's population now enjoys cocoa products, which means the limited amount currently being produced has to be shared amongst a larger group of people. 

To the rescue, innovative ideas in both how to grow cocoa and the introduction of newer cocoa substitutes which could replace part of cocoa needed in chocolate-flavored treats and beverages. The combination of the above innovations could take the pressure off tighter supply and keep cocoa affordable, even during poor growing seasons and with more people around the world enjoying chocolate.

I'm relieved that my chocolate-y fix is assured going forward. My personality could suffer some disturbances should my personal supply chain of cocoa be interrupted.