When Groceries Get Political
Are you ready for a "Pantry Challenge"?
I had to throw out half a canister of brown rice yesterday. It had formed that really awful rancid smell. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of experiencing it firsthand you’ll know what I mean. People seem to think that rice and other dried goods last forever, but that’s not true. Brown rice still has its exterior coating (the bran) and the oils will turn it rancid within 6 months. White rice on the other hand will last about 2 years. While I can handle the smell the thing that really bothers me is wasting food.
I am always bothered by food waste, but with the looming threat of a major trade war between Canada and the US food scarcity is also on my mind. My social feeds are filled with people asking which foods are made in Canada, which are imported, how to shop local, and which brands to support. As someone who writes about food people assume that you are unaffected by world events. That food bloggers are merely concerned with fluffy things and pretty pictures. But food is inherently political. How it’s grown, who picks it, which agencies oversee its safety. Even the act of having a garden can be layered with meaning.
With all of this in mind I’ve decided to give myself a task for February, and I welcome anyone who is interested to join in. I’m going to do a “Pantry Challenge”. The idea is to use up the food I’ve been saving for an emergency. All those dried beans and lentils? We’re going to learn the best ways to cook them. The leftover meals I’ve been storing away in the freezer? Time to defrost and enjoy. Canned goods, condiments I’ve been saving for a special occasion, random odds and ends? Let’s get creative.
My hope is that not only will I have saved some money on groceries and takeout, but I also will use up anything that might be going unnoticed in my pantry. It will also give me a sort of test run of how resilient I can be if tensions continue to rise and living off of dried beans becomes a reality. And it will give me a chance to rotate my stores.
The rules I’ve set out for myself are pretty simple:
After February 1st no ordering food or eating out
Once a week get fresh produce through $20 Odd Bunch delivery
I can still buy bread from my local bakery (sorry everyone, I don’t have the energy to learn how to bake bread from scratch this month)
I recognise these rules are pretty tailored to my own situation. I also want to acknowledge that I have the privilege of a well stocked freezer and pantry, something that not everyone has access to. The spirit of the Pantry Challenge can be adapted to something that is sustainable for your life.
My personal goal is to last through the month of February, and if it goes well maybe even longer. If you’ve done anything like this before or would like to join me in the Pantry Challenge let me know!
~ Katherine
Raincoast Roundup
If you follow me on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube you will have seen that I’ve continued my “what I eat in a day as a vegan” series for Veganuary 2025. While a lot of content creators focus on putting out brand new recipes every day (where do they find the energy?) I decided to take a different approach. I want to show people what my daily life looks like as a vegan. That not every day is something complicated, that we aren’t all surviving on lettuce, and that tater tots can be a breakfast food.
The series takes a lot of time to film and edit every day so I limited my focus on long form content to a few things. On the blog you’ll find the longest recipe I’ve ever written that includes a full how-to on my vegan lasagna including my secrets for a good Mornay sauce. I also continued with my second ever vlog showing a little more of my life and how I make Raincoast Vegan happen. And I finished up with a Vegan Supply cheese haul. I’m working on “the Ultimate Guide to Vegan Cheese” at the moment and hope to have that on the blog in the next few weeks.
Raincoast Recommends
Odd Bunch
Speaking of combatting food waste - did you know that 50% of all food produced in Canada is wasted? If you’ve been following these newsletters for a while you’ll have seen me write about Ugly Potato Day and how so many farmers end up having their food go to waste even for something as simple as having too much grow in a season. Grocery stores also have strict standards on the appearance of produce and will reject things that look a little, well… odd. And thus the company Odd Bunch was born.
They work with farmers and distributors directly to take the surplus produce off their hands and instead sell it directly to consumers. The goal is to help Canadians save 50% off their grocery bill (and wow could we use that).
After such a great year with my CSA Box and my local farm market shutting down after 40 years I had a bit of a sticker shock at the grocery store. So I decided to give Odd Bunch a try. These are my first 4 deliveries, all $20 (plus $5.99 delivery). The food has been incredibly fresh and I can’t believe how much I get! I’ve tried to compare to my grocery store and each week about 4 of the items I get already puts me over $20.
You aren’t locked in and can pause the box at any time. There are multiple sizes of boxes to choose from with the most expensive being $46.
If you would like to try it for yourself and want to use my referral code, click here. If you do use the code let me know as it means I can get a discount as well. This isn’t an ad or anything, everyone who signs up gets a referral code to share.
Snack of the Month
For 2025 I’m starting something new, a Snackle Box! Every Friday you’ll find them uploaded to Instagram, YouTube & TikTok with all the things I’m eating that week.
What to Watch - Sandi’s Wood (BritBox)
Do you need an escape? Something to watch that will completely take you out of the daily grind? Welcome to Sandi’s Wood, a 3 part series following Sandi Toksvig (you might know her as the host of QI) and her wife Debbie as they acquire a 40 acre woodland in England from the 1600s. They go to painstaking lengths to learn how to bring life back to the woods and ensure it’s protected for generations to come.
As a Canadian it was shocking to me to hear how little forest the UK has left. 40 acres of trees can be someone’s backyard here, and definitely not something that’s a public footpath. Watching Sandi’s genuine love of trees was really heartwarming and exactly what I needed at the moment.
Food News
A&W Canada has a new vegan option on the menu! It’s called the Spicy Piri-Piri Potato Buddy. Only available in BC, Manitoba, and Ontario so far. I’ve added it to my “Everything Vegan at A&W Canada” article if you want more information. Just make sure not to confuse it with the Masala Veggie Burger which is made with paneer.
What was cooking in January…
This is a good challenge! I'll be away for a week mid-month, but I still think I can manage 3/4 weeks. I really needed an excuse to do a full inventory of my pantry and freezer.