My Strategy For Finagling Those Grocery Store Turkey Deals This Thanksgiving Season

Grocery stores now make shoppers spend a certain dollar amount in order to qualify for a super-low price per pound on their Thanksgiving turkey. I call this marketing strategy the "turkey deal." 

As grocery shoppers have become more savvy in their pre-Thanksgiving shopping with hopes of spending the least to get the most for their dollar, grocery stores have had to change their game plan in order to garner a larger slice of the spending pie. Gone are the deals when turkeys were a simple loss-leader item, and shoppers didn't need to make a special purchase to get the great price per pound for their bird. There are now hoops through which to jump if you want to save a few bucks on your Thanksgiving turkey. In addition, if the last two years are any indication of grocery store trends, gone also are the days where most of the items for your Thanksgiving meal are sale items. Since I don't want to overspend on everything else just so I can get a great price on a turkey, I've had to up my own game. This is my strategy for finagling the grocery store turkey deals.

Step 1. Make my list of what I want to buy at each of my regular stores. These are items that I routinely find at their best price for each store.

Walmart

• milk, gallons -- up to a 6 week supply
• chicken leg quarters in 10-lb bag
• decaf instant coffee
• bathroom tissue, 20-roll, Great Value, 1000 sheet/roll
• bananas
• Great Value garlic powder
• sparkling cider (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter)
• house brand vegetable shortening
• frozen orange juice concentrate

Fred Meyer

• house brand non-dairy milk, up to 2-month supply
• bulk bin nuts -- almonds and pecans
• house brand hot dogs
• house brand butter
• house brand confectioner's sugar
• house brand milk -- up to a 6-week supply
• clearance sections
• shoes/some clothing items
• kitchen gadgets (wanting a pizza wheel)
• batteries
• small gifts -- cosmetics, bath/spa items
• house brand feminine hygiene
• house brand automatic dishwashing detergent
• sparkling cider (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter)
• house brand cream cheese
• vitamins
• OTC meds
• epsom salt
• hydrogen peroxide

WinCo

• canned vegetables, including green beans, corn, pumpkin, and yams
• chocolate chips
• flaked coconut
• marshmallows
• confectioner's sugar
• maple syrup
• kielbasa sausage
• butter
• bananas
• bulk bins -- lentils, powdered milk, powdered coffee
  creamer, cocoa powder, onion powder, chili powder
• sparkling cider (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter)
• tangerines
• frozen apple juice concentrate

I can use these lists to make 2 or 3 turkey deals (one at each store), or I can buy my turkey at the store where I can get the best deal, then buy just what I need from the other stores without thought to making a minimum spend. I can even split one store's list in half in order to buy a second turkey in that same store later that week or during the next. 

I try to make sure that I have enough items for each store, with some as back-up items to cover a shortage of something that I'd planned on buying. As I make my lists, I think ahead to the other special occasions in the coming months. I know that I will be baking for birthdays, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, and Easter, so I include ingredients that I anticipate wanting at those times, too. 

We also have Safeway, Albertsons, and QFC as grocery stores in our area. However, the marketing strategy for these stores has been to have a small handful of loss-leader items with considerably higher prices on everything else. I've found it difficult to spend enough (at rock-bottom prices for items) at any of those stores to qualify for their turkey deals. Even if their turkey price per pound was exceptionally low compared to my other stores (free even at some stores), it still might work out to my advantage to grocery shop at Walmart, WinCo, or Fred Meyer for the items that I truly need and just pay the regular price per pound on our turkey. This will be a matter of doing the math to see which route is the one where I come out ahead.

I also keep in mind that these lists are not necessarily everything I will buy, nor will I buy everything on each list. The lists simply give me ideas of what I could purchase at a great price to bring me up to the minimum spend amount for a store's turkey deal. Once the turkey deals are announced, I'll be able to fine tune my shopping lists for each store.

Step 2. When I am at the store where I'll make my turkey purchase, I will track my spending as I load my cart. Depending on which stores have the best turkey deals, I may need to buy a three or four-month supply of some items to bring my spending up to the minimum amount required. For example, I buy our bath tissue at Walmart each month. A 20-roll package costs about $10. If Walmart requires a $50 purchase to qualify for a discount on my turkey, then I may need to buy as many as 5 packages of bathroom tissue. 

Step 3. My lists have one last purpose. Should I get to the checkout and discover that I have underspent by an amount enough to bar me from receiving the turkey deal, I will have a quick list to consult for adding an extra, last-minute item to the transaction to bring me up to that minimum spend amount. I will hopefully have an additional pair of feet with me to go and grab any last-minute items.

It's just the end of October. Why am I planning my Thanksgiving shopping now? I need to plan all of my November grocery shopping before the first of the month so that I can take advantage of all of the special sales as well as the Senior shopping which falls on the first Tuesday of the month. And you know me, I plan, plan, and plan some more. That's part of my overall strategy to staying within our small grocery budget.

To-Go Breakfast Prep: Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

Morning absent-mindedness 
At least one morning per week, I'll be cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast when I discover my husband has left  for work without his lunch. The bag will be just sitting on the counter near the door. So, I thought that he could use something that he keeps in his desk at work just for those days. nothing spectacular but enough to get him through a day. 

Whatever it is, it needs to be shelf-stable, easy to prepare, and inexpensive. The more that I thought about it, the more that I liked the idea of homemade instant oatmeal packets. By making my own, I could increase the quantity in each packet as well as add some extra ingredients.

Making quick-cooking oats out of regular rolled oats
Instant oatmeal packets use a milling type that results in thinner oat flakes that are chopped into smaller particles, rendering oats with a fast water absorption rate and speedy cooking. I didn't have any quick-cooking oats at home, but I did have regular rolled oats. To make my oatmeal packets "instant," I would need to turn my regular rolled oats into something quick-cooking. I used my food processor to do just that.

on the left, regular rolled oats; on the right, the very coarse meal with bits of oat flakes

To make quick-cooking oats out of regular rolled oats, I used the food processor to pulse 3 cups of rolled oats in very brief bursts, about 25 times, until the oats were a very coarse meal with the oat flakes broken into smaller pieces. The amount of pulsing time varies by the amount of oats in the processor and the make and size of the food processor.

Once my oats were in small enough particles to cook quickly, I began assembling the baggies. 

Here's what I used per baggie:

1/2 cup of processed oats
1 tablespoon milk powder
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 rounded teaspoons of packed brown sugar

Seal each baggie tightly.

To make oatmeal:

Dump contents of 1 packet into a mug or bowl and add 2/3 to 3/4 cup of boiling water. Stir, cover, and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Easy-peasy done.

The variations are limitless
In addition to a simple brown sugar and cinnamon instant oatmeal, there are many other possible ingredients to customize this homemade product, such as dried fruit, chopped nuts, spices like ginger and cloves, and/or protein powder.

Cost Comparison
At Walmart, a 20-packet box of Great Value instant oatmeal costs $2.98, or about 15 cents per packet. My cost per packet was 8 cents (oats), 2 cents (brown sugar, cinnamon, salt), and 4 cents (powdered milk) for a total of 14 cents per packet. That sounds like a very close comparison. But wait! I made my packets larger and heartier. The Walmart packets are 43 grams by weight each, whereas my packets are 65 grams by weight each. My homemade instant oatmeal packets weigh 1  1/2 times that of the Walmart ones. So, a Walmart-sized packet (or 43 grams) of my instant oatmeal cost about 9 cents or about 2/3 the price of the cheapest commercial instant oatmeal at Walmart. 

I believe that the nutrient content of the homemade version also comes out a winner when compared to commercial instant oatmeal packets. The homemade packet contains milk powder, which boosts the protein, calcium, and vitamin D. 

In addition, making this myself means that I have the ability to control added sugar. My version contains about 13 grams of sugar (from the oats, brown sugar, and milk powder) for a 65-gram packet, or 9 grams of sugar for a 43-gram portion. In contrast, Walmart's Great Value Instant Oatmeal contains about 13 grams of sugar for the 43-gram packet, 4 grams more than a comparable amount of my homemade. Obviously, a person could add far more sugar to the homemade version and then exceed the sugar content of a commercial product. But I like being able to control the added sugar in a product. 

The other bonus is that the ingredients for homemade version are all-natural, whereas the label on the commercial packets indicated that the product contained guar gum, artificial flavoring, and caramel coloring.

While it's important that my homemade instant oatmeal is cheaper, more nutrient dense, and has no unnecessary additives, perhaps the most significant outcome was in assisting my husband. He now has some non-perishable food in his desk at work, ready for those inevitable days when he forgets to take his lunch.


You'll find this post, and many others like it, just a click away on this page -- a compilation of my recipes, shopping lists, and menu plans that illustrates how I feed my family of 4 adults on $125 to $135 per month.

A Beautiful Autumn Day at the Pumpkin Farm

What a difference three weeks makes! The above photo was taken today, Saturday the 26th of October. The photo below was taken a year ago on Saturday the 5th of October. Just look at the colors of the trees in the backgrounds in both photos.

This is the same farm, looking toward the same hillside. This year, the colors of the trees were simply glorious. Pastoral views stretched for miles along the winding drive out to farm.

Despite making this outing so late in the pumpkin season, there were still quite of few of the orange globes waiting for their adoptive families to deliver them to their new homes.

While we new it would be a bit chilly, we really did not prepare for the wind.

We did, however, prepare for the mud, or a least three of the four of us prepared for muddy footpaths.

One last view of the pumpkin field before getting back into the warm car.

Ahhh, hot beverages all around to warm ourselves after a beautiful autumn outing to the pumpkin farm.

 

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Late October: The Indoor Garden is Paying Off Already

juicy, sweet, new-crop oranges

Cheap & Cheerful posts show, week by week, how a budget of $135/month for groceries works out for our family of 4.

This week, I bought a 40-lb case of oranges and a 10-lb bag of carrots at Cash & Carry, spending $26.54. That brings our October grocery spending up to $159.67 for October, $11.36 over our allotted amount for this month (the budget of $135 plus the extra from previous month.) I knew I would go over when I saw the oranges on sale. However, I don't regret the purchase. Both the oranges and carrots were within my price range for fruits and vegetables. The case of oranges is actually heavier than 40 pounds. It's closer to 42 pounds, yielding oranges at 52 cents/lb. And the carrots were 45 cents/lb. These have been very welcome in our house. 

Friday

Friday
barbecue lentils and ham (from Easter) over toast, topped with grilled onions 
tossed garden salad of lettuce, baby radish greens, sorrel, baby chard, and tomatoes in a scratch vinaigrette
apple (from our tree) and almond salad
peanut butter cookies

Saturday

Saturday
homemade cheese pizza
carrot sticks and homemade 1000 Island dressing/dip
peanut butter cookies

Sunday

Sunday
tostado salad bowl -- fried, homemade flour tortillas topped with refried beans and ground beef, salsa, cheese, lettuce, and plain yogurt (tostado salad bowl made with flat tortilla)
steamed carrots
these scratch brownies -- a favorite recipe that we think is better than any mix

Monday

Monday
hamburger soup, using rest of ground beef from previous night, canned tomatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, oregano, and salt
scratch drop biscuits
cole slaw
orange wedges

Tuesday

Tuesday daughter's night
lasagna, with beef and cheese
steamed carrots

Wednesday

Wednesday other daughter's night
chicken (59 cents/lb leg quarters - Walmart) and vegetable stir fry over steamed brown rice
orange wedges

Thursday

Thursday
Mexi rice bowls (but on a plate): steamed brown rice, cooked pinto beans, grilled onions seasoned with chili powder, canned corn, cheese, homemade salsa
garden salad with lettuce, sorrel, baby chard, baby radish greens, watercress, lentil sprouts, and tomato in leftover  (Saturday) 1000 Island dressing
hot fudge pudding cake


We had what seemed like a lot of meat this week. It was more than I like to eat, as I'm not a big meat-eater. However, I do think everyone else was happy about the level of meat consumption. Daughter1 bought lasagna noodles at Dollar Tree and cottage cheese at Walmart to use in making Tuesday's dinner and Daughter2 bought some peppers and celery to use in making Wednesday's dinner. Daughter2 showed me a new way to make steamed rice which keeps the grains separated instead of glomming together. I used her method on Thursday. Mine didn't turn out as well -- I'll have to work on this. It's always nice to learn something new.

Breakfasts, lunches, and snacks
My breakfasts continue to be a small dish of homemade yogurt (I add sugar and vanilla) plus a piece of homemade whole wheat toast with jam or jelly, most days. This is my favorite breakfast, as it's easy. We also did a couple of days of overnight steel cut oats in the crockpot. 

For lunches, we've been making a little extra dinner each night to use for our lunches. Leftover soup is my favorite kind of lunch when it's chilly. We also use eggs, cheese, peanut butter, bread, carrot sticks, and oranges in our lunches. Basic stuff but always easy to prepare. For snacks, we made popcorn a few times and had leftovers, fruit, and various peanut butter concoctions. You can make something that resembles peanut butter fudge in a bowl with peanut butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar -- satisfying chocolate cravings in the moment.

peanut butter cookies: Bisquick-like baking mix, peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla

Desserts this week
I usually bake a cobbler, crisp, or pie each week. Early this week, however, I was in the mood for cookies and bars. My daughters baked brownies for us over the weekend. We're watching our butter use, so I asked them to use all oil in place of butter. The brownies turned out perfectly with oil instead of butter. Who would've guessed? I made a batch of peanut butter cookies on Friday. I used the homemade sweetened condensed milk that I made earlier in the week, along with some homemade Bisquick, dollar store peanut butter (that cheap stuff that was $2 for a 64 oz jar), and a swig of vanilla extract. The cookies were delicious. Then on Thursday I made a fudge pudding cake. Always yummy and very easy.

radish greens in a trough on the deck

The garden
I've been surprised at how many of our fall garden greens make for tasty salads. The garden is still eking out some lettuce, Swiss chard, watercress, sorrel, kale, and radish greens. The radish greens I planted thickly to use just for their greens -- faster and greater production in a small footprint this way. In addition, we've been letting the kale grow as big as it can this month. When November comes, we'll use the kale until it's picked bare. In our maritime climate, we don't pull up kale or chard plants when they're done. Instead, we leave them in the garden. Then in spring, the plants put on new leaves, which I can use in cooking, before going to seed. I consider it a bonus crop. 

The tomato and squash plants have been pulled up. I laid some straw over those beds during planting, which I'll now dig into the soil to decompose. We discovered the straw in our attic in a large garbage bag this past winter. We've been sorting through the attic and finding all kinds of things about which we'd forgotten. The straw was a purchase from a local farmer, oh, about 20 years ago. We thought this would be great to keep weeds down. Little did we know that the straw had its own seeds. Soon enough, the garden was covered in tiny hay plants. Even after 20 years, some of those seeds were still viable. I pulled up those plants as they sprouted this summer. 

So, that's the 2 back beds (out of 4.) I need to find some time to work some good organic material into the 2 front beds this spring. Those beds currently have the chard and kale, which means that I'll need to wait until April to work that soil.

lentil sprouts ready for use -- about 10 cents worth of lentils grew all of this!

In addition to the outdoor garden, our indoor garden is just swell. The sprouts are surprisingly quick to grow. And my kale micro greens are now baby seedlings. It was mild enough yesterday and today to give them a sunbath on the deck just outside the kitchen door. Free sunlight, no need to use the grow light for such a small batch. You may have noticed, Thursday's dinner salad contained the first of our lentil sprouts. A nice addition to the outdoor garden greens in the salad bowl. 

itty bitty kale seedlings, soon to be micro greens

At dinner, the 4 of us sit around talking about how fortunate we are. We enjoy our dinners greatly and are constantly surprised by how much we are able to find in the garden, pantry, freezer, and fridge. There's so much for which to be thankful.

How was your week of meals? What's your favorite home-cooked to-go lunch? Do you have any particular containers that you prefer for to-go lunches?

Gilded Pressed Leaves: A Modern Twist on a Centuries-Old Craft

When I was a child, we often visited my very creative grandmother. As an artist, she sensed a deep connection between humans and nature. She scattered seeds for the quail who came to visit her each day. She often brought her canvasses outdoors in the cool hours of a summer morning to catch the perfect light in paint. Winter days would find her indoors with her watercolors, translating what could be seen through the small square window by the breakfast table onto a sheet of paper. 

As a little girl, regardless of the season, she would have my sister and I tromp all over her property in search of the perfect pinecone, acorn, blossom, or leaf. With a bundle of fallen leaves in our arms, my grandmother would pull out her phone book and show us how to press the leaves for keeping one of autumn's treasures. 

When my own children were young, I followed in many of my grandmother's little traditions. In fall, my children and I would traipse through our yard in search of beautiful leaves. I would bring the children back indoors to the kitchen, where we would make placemats by pressing the leaves between two sheets of waxed paper, cut to approximately the size of a kitchen table placemat. Of course, a mother's perspective forgets the tears, little arguments, and "me firsts" that might dampen my cherished memories of craft-time spent with my small children. Those were beautiful times spent together.

Today, I still love to collect autumn leaves. Sometimes, I find a beautiful one to bring indoors and simply leave it at my place at the kitchen table as a reminder to savor all of the beauty this season produces. I also like to use pressed leaves in fall and winter holiday decor. Many years, I keep the leaves in their natural colors, as nature often has the best paintbrush and palette. 

This year's Thanksgiving table decor plan will follow a gilded color scheme. The leaves from our trees have been falling for the past 10 days. I collected some big and small ones, then pressed them between sheets of waste paper and under stacks of books. (Those Time-Life books that my parents purchased one month at a time really do have a use.)

After about a week, the leaves were pressed flat and mostly dried out. I gathered them up, and out in the garage, I painted them with a can of gold spray-paint (same paint from last year's Christmas tins, Valentine's heart-shaped candy boxes, and other projects). I just painted the top side of the leaves and left the underside natural.

I've strewn both large and small gilded leaves down the center of the dining room table. When November is over, the smaller of the gilded leaves will be repurposed in homemade gift tags for Christmas gifts. I think they'll be lovely, tied up with ribbon and topping a package.

Just a note, a couple of my largest leaves curled up a bit after painting. The leaves were quite wet when I gathered them, and I think that some of them were not quite dry enough for painting. So, after the paint had dried for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours (surface of paint dry to the touch), I pressed all of the leaves between paper and books once more, leaving them overnight. They turned out beautifully. A little bit of crinkling in the leaves is attractive in a natural way -- it gives them texture that can't be duplicated by machine-made leaves.

I think my grandmother would approve.

Cheap and Cheerful Supper or Brunch: Waffle Omelets

One of the challenges to scratch home-cooked meals is adding some excitement to the family dining experience without a lot of extra work or expense. This past week, these waffle omelets met that need for both me and my family. 

I already had the waffle iron and all of the ingredients, so there was no extra expense. With regards to the work, waffle omelets were actually easier to make than traditional skillet omelets because I didn't need to add the filling during cooking or fold the omelet over. And, I was able to allow the omelet to cook while I tended to other meal prep tasks for dinner. My family was in agreement-- these were very good. 

Here's how to make waffle omelets in your home.

What you'll need:

a waffle iron
non-stick cooking spray or oil and a pastry brush

eggs
omelet fillings, such as ham, cooked bacon, cooked sausage, cooked chicken/turkey, cheese, and diced or shredded vegetables -- per each egg, use about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, 1/4 cup of cooked meat, and 1/3 cup of prepared vegetables (it's important that any meat is cooked before adding to the waffle iron, but veggies can be raw)
salt, pepper, herbs
"wet" topping, such as salsa, cream soup/sauce, or leftover gravy

• Preheat your waffle iron.
• Meanwhile, prepare your filling ingredients. Beat your eggs in a medium-size bowl, then dump your filling and seasoning ingredients into the eggs.

• Prepare your waffle grids, both top and bottom, by spraying very well with non-stick cooking spray or by brushing very well with oil, using a pastry brush. With eggs, it's very important that the grids are well greased.

• When the waffle iron is heated, scoop the eggs and fillings onto the bottom grid, using about 1 egg and about 3/4 cup of filling (just eyeball this) per waffle, then close the waffler. The eggs will expand substantially during cooking. So, when you see the egg and filling on the grids when first added, it may not look adequate. Trust me, it will be once the omelet is cooked.
• (My waffle iron is a Belgian waffler with deep pockets and square waffles. Each square used 1 egg and 3/4 cup of filling ingredients. A shallow waffler or one that makes smaller waffles (the waffler that makes 1 large round waffle that breaks into 4 sections may fit this description) might take a reduced amount of egg and filling ingredients.)

• Cook the omelet until the steam has ended and/or the light goes off. Carefully open the iron and pry the waffle off with a fork. The color should be golden brown. If the omelet is sticking badly, you may have not greased the iron adequately for this preparation or the waffle may not be completely done. 
• Waffle omelets are delicious topped with salsa, a cream sauce/cream soup, or gravy.

Like all omelets, this idea is versatile with regards to ingredients. Here are a couple of possibilities:

• post-Thanksgiving -- leftover turkey (chopped well), cheese, leftover veggies plus onions, and seasonings mixed with beaten eggs and cooked in the waffle iron. Once cooked, topped with leftover gravy and a dollop of cranberry sauce on the side.  
• New Year's Day -- a filling of chopped leftover ham, cheese, veggies (finely chopped broccoli would be good) and onions. Once cooked, topped with some diluted cream soup or salsa.

Enjoy!

Have you made waffle omelets before? What other uses have you found for your waffle maker?

Condiments and Sauces That Add a Spark to Everyday Meals

some of the condiments that I make: watermelon pickles, blackberry syrup, ketchup, crabapple jelly, 
spicy mustard, mint syrup, yellow mustard, pickle relish, thyme vinegar, chive blossom vinegar

A while back, Ruthie asked if we could discuss condiments and sauces that we keep on hand. So, today, I put together my list of condiments/sauces that I use on a regular basis, including those that I purchase and those that I make from scratch. 



Having a well-stocked kitchen with interesting herbs, spices, sauces, and condiments helps me create tasty meals at home, which in turn saves us a small fortune on eating out. 

Seriously, in my house, I can make scrambled eggs topped with salsa and everyone thinks its the most delicious thing. Or, I can open a packet of ramen, add a drizzle of sesame oil, a boiled egg, a dash of chive blossom vinegar, and spoonful of plum sauce and I get rave reviews from my crew. How about a simple grilled cheese sandwich that is spread on the inside with spicy mustard and served with a few green bean dill pickles on the side? See, you take something utterly simple, add one, two, or three condiments, and the simple is elevated to sublime. 

A condiment is an ingredient that is used to enhance the taste and texture of other foods. Condiments can also be used for food preservation or to stimulate the appetite. Sometimes they're used during cooking. More often, condiments are added just before serving a prepared food. They are typically pungent, spicy, tangy, or otherwise highly flavorful. 

I estimate that I save about $150 per year by making as many of our family's favorite condiments as I can. If it makes sense dollar-wise, I make it myself. Some condiments are made on an annual basis (or alternating with other condiments every two years) and others are made periodically throughout the year. For the once per year condiments, I make a batch large enough to last my family for 2 or 3 years. This way, I don't have to make as much variety each year. 

Here's my list of my homemade condiments and links to some of my recipes:

• ketchup -- using tomato paste, vinegar, molasses, sugar, onion powder, salt, and water
• yellow mustard -- I follow a copycat recipe found online
• spicy mustard --using mustard powder, vinegar, salt, herbs, and water (and sometimes apple cider)
• pickle relish --  a sweet relish and a dill relish, both using green tomatoes
• sweet pickles -- watermelon spice pickles, watermelon bread & butter pickle slices, and zucchini bread & butter pickles
• dill pickles -- using green beans
• chutney -- using apples, plums, raisins, vinegar, brown sugar, onions, and spices
• Chinese plum sauce -- I use this to make Chicken with Plum Sauce and as a dipping sauce for egg rolls and wontons
• herb beverage syrups -- peppermint, spearmint, and basil to add to beverages like lemonade
• jams, jellies, preserves, and spreads -- a wide variety of sweet spreads, using apples, plums, cherries, figs, berries, and rhubarb from our gardens
• infused honey -- my two favorite infused honey flavors are lavender and vanilla bean. The flavored honeys are delicious on scones, toast, and in tea.
• blackberry pancake syrup -- using foraged blackberries and prepared according to these instructions. The syrup can be made with frozen berries as well. So I make several pints a few times per year. 
• flavored vinegars -- chive blossom, rosemary or thyme, blueberry, blackberry or raspberry 
• salad dressings -- both creamy and vinaigrette. For creamy dressings, I use a base of homemade yogurt and mayonnaise then stir in herbs, garlic powder, and salt. 
• tomato salsa -- big batch recipe using canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapenos, vinegar, cilantro and seasonings
• barbecue sauce -- I make this a few times per year and only make a jar at a time.
• herb pesto -- basil and sorrel
• plain yogurt -- we use plain yogurt as one would use sour cream, to garnish a bowl of soup, a tostado, or baked potato

This is my list of the condiments that I feel make the most sense to buy already made:

• mayonnaise -- commercial mayo keeps far longer than homemade. I buy it in a 1-gallon container at the restaurant supply and decanted it a pint at a time into glass jars, as needed.
• soy sauce -- making soy sauce at home sounds like a very long and risky process. If making your own soy sauce interests you, here's a link to instructions.
• plain vinegar -- one of the food-making activities that I remember from reading the Little House books was Laura's description of making apple cider vinegar. It's definitely possible to make vinegar at home, using a mother to start the process. However, this is one ingredient that I'm pretty happy to simply buy. Vinegar is a cheap ingredient and I can add a lot of flavor to plain white vinegar with very little effort.
• plain honey -- we talk about getting bees. But so far, that's just talk. Beekeeping might just be a very good hobby with benefits, as honey is very expensive in the stores and my orchard would definitely benefit from having pollinators living on site. I'll let you know if I ever feel comfortable enough around bees to keep them as residents.
• lemon juice -- if I lived someplace that I could grow a lemon tree, I would definitely juice my own lemons and freeze the juice. 
• lime juice -- ditto on lime juice
• toasted sesame oil -- you can replicate the flavor of toasted sesame oil by adding toasted sesame seeds to the food that you're preparing. Some folks make a toasted sesame oil substitute by infusing safflower (or other light-tasting oil) with toasted sesame seeds. I may give that one a try soon. Toasted sesame oil is expensive but adds a unique flavor to Asian soups and stir fries.
• oyster sauce -- oyster sauce is what I've used in homemade beef with broccoli. The flavor of the sauce comes very close to restaurant Chinese beef with broccoli dishes. A small bottle lasts a long time and keeps well in the fridge, for about 6 months or longer.
• red pepper sauce -- like Tabasco
• maple syrup -- we do make a fake maple syrup using maple extract, molasses, granulated sugar, salt, and water. But we greatly prefer the real deal when we can get it. I buy it in half-gallon jugs and decant into pint-size bottles.

There are also the condiments that I would like to start keeping. These include:

• chili sauce -- not the sweet kind that's a little like ketchup, but the hot, spicy kind
• hoisin sauce
• kimchi -- I've only had kimchi once, but thought it was quite good and would add some zing to many dishes, not just Korean ones.

There are a couple of hidden benefits to making my own condiments. In addition to saving money, I can control the ingredients and I always have a small supply of last-minute gifts to offer friends. Some bakers twine and raffia tied around the neck of a jar and I've got a pretty little gift.

You can add significant variety to ordinary and otherwise bland foods with the addition of condiments. Sandwiches can be spicy, tangy, or sweet by dolloping or drizzling with mustard, chutney, salsa, jam, vinegar, relish, or pickles. Fried or scrambled eggs are transformed by salsa, chutney, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, sesame oil, red pepper sauce, or Chinese plum sauce. Beans and rice take on spicy, sweet, tangy, or earthy tones with the right condiment. The week's menu might repeat many of the same basic foods but taste unique due to the condiments that are added. And keeping all of these unique flavorings needn't be costly. Many of them are easily made at home from scratch ingredients.

What's on your list of must-have condiments and sauces? Do you make any yourself? Link to recipes, if you'd like.


This is a companion piece to  my guide to basic seasonings associated with different cuisines.

You may also be interested in my complete guide to essentials in my baking cabinet.