Is this drought really going to cost you more at the grocery store?

Ick. The news is sickening. As the corn crop struggles, and farmers in Illinois grind up their failed crop for silage, it's becoming clear that our food costs are going to rise sharply. A dear friend of mine sent me a funny video of Stephen Colbert during which he interviews Bruce Babcock, professor of Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University.

Colbert: Is that going to affect me? I don't enjoy corn on the cob....

Babcock: What you are going to need to worry about is eggs and chickens...the mozzarella cheese on your pizza, your beef and your pork.

Colbert: I don't know how to break this to you, but eggs are made of eggs. They aren't made of corn.

Babcock: Eggs are about 70% corn. You feed the chickens heavy ration of corn. Out comes and egg and there's a heavy concentration of corn in that egg. So when the price of corn goes up, the cost of producing that egg goes up immediately.

This is a funny little back-and-forth, but as always, this comedy routine contains a healthy dose of truth. What's more frightening to me than the weather and its effect on our grocery bill, is the notion that most people don't understand the relationship between food prices and farming. Even people who are seeking out locally produced, organic eggs and chickens to feed their families are going to feel a hard punch in their bank account over the next few months. It's still worth sourcing your food locally, both for the positive effect it has on our economy and your own health and well being.

If you have ever thought you should be making your own chicken stock from those bones you usually toss in the trash, now is definitely the time to start. I throw chicken bones, onion skins, carrot ends, kale stems, and the stems from the woody herbs we use in an empty ice cream bucket that stays in my freezer until it is full. By using a metal pasta strainer with handles that fits into my biggest stock pot, I can cover the pile of chicken bits and vegetable scraps with water, add a couple of teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of white vinegar, and simmer for at least an hour. It looks like a mess, but it's easy to strain by grabbing the two handles with tongs, lifting the strainer out of the stock, and throwing the solids away. What's left is a decent home made stock that doesn't have any of the chemicals, or the hefty price tag of store bought stock. I usually freeze mine in mason jars and keep one at a time thawing in the fridge. Does this solve the food price crisis? No, but it'll take the edge off of your grocery bill by stretching the usefulness of a single chicken and some left over vegetable scraps into the next meal...and the next...and the next...

Colbert: Is this the worst drought of our lifetime?
Babcock: It depends on how old you are.

To learn more about how to keep your food costs in line, shop smart and local, and cook delicious meals, please keep an eye on my food blog. Or come and see me in person at an upcoming cooking class.

Economically Organic at New Bo City Market

Gluten Free: Pleasing a Family in Cedar Rapids or in Coralville

Bacon! at New Bo City Market

Canning 101 at New Bo City Market

Making Local Last All Winter at New Pioneer Food Coop in Coralville