From: howard@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg
Subject: Re: A free opportunity to spout opinions!!
Date: 29 Sep 92 12:19:13 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <92272.174441JRUNNE@auvm.american.edu>, <JRUNNE@auvm.american.edu> writes:
> 
> 1) Anyone else out there who's set up a vegetarian lifestyle in a conservative
> (ie read:  hard to find basics) town?
> 
> 2)  On a starving student budget?
> 

I've got more money now, but I still cook with very simple and 
inexpensive ingredients, and maintain only the basics for my kitchen. 
Despite the high technology at work, my kitchen is basically low-tech. 

Here are some suggestions for kitchen supplies:

1 medium saucepan for rice, oatmeal
1 large pan for pasta, beans, soups
1 medium frying pan for pancakes and other patties
1 spatula
1 slotted spoon
Heavy spoon and fork for stirring and mashing (I've got ones my
   Grandmother brought from France in the 1920's)
1 serrated bread knife
1 chopping knife for vegetables
A hand blender (about $15- for stirring soups and fruit shakes)
Lots of canning jars, especially quart size. I've got quart size Ball 
   canning jars to store flour, oats, barley, and beans in, and also
   pint size jars to freeze individual portions and to store leftovers. 
   I also have 1/2 pint jars to store spices in. The advantage to this
   is that they are all reusable, they all use the same size lids
   (important!!), and lids can be purchased separately. These eliminate
    all problems with bugs (you won't have any), and also keep food
    fresh for longer periods of time. 
A funnel to fill the jars (Ball sells one to fit).
A board for cutting bread and vegetables.
1 glass bread loaf pan for bread and cassaroles
1 deep-dish glass pie pan
Coffee pot- I use a perculator stainless steel pot on the stove. 
Bottle washer and plastic scrub ball, sponges, dishclothes. 

I also have a freezer, because I freeze rather than can vegetables, but
this is a luxury item. You can can vegetables in the summer and fall, 
and then use those canned vegetables in the winter, which saves a lot 
of money by not paying for out-of-state produce. 

Also a refrigerator, and a gas stove. I really prefer gas to electric. 

I don't use a wok- I find things come out OK in the frying pan. 



Food Basics

If you don't live near a coop, try to find one. Maybe take a monthly trip
to it and stock up on the essentials. Other than that you might investigate
mail-order places for flour, soymilk, beans, and other basics. 

My basics:

Wheat flour, some whole-wheat, and some wheat, bran removed. 
Oatmeal
Barley Flakes
Cornmeal
Brown Rice
Couscous
Cornstarch
Egg Replacer
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt, Pepper
Yeast for making bread
Coffee
Raw sugar (turbinado)
Soy margarine
Corn Oil

Garbanzo Beans
Black-eyed peas
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Red Beans (Louisiana style-not kidney)

Soymilk (Cartons do not need to be refrigerated until open, or you can 
   buy dry powder and reconstitute)
Tofu (Japanese cartons need no refrigeration, those packed in water do -
  can freeze but this becomes a different product)
Dried TVP chunks
Frozen or dried veggie burgers

Veggies to keep on hand, frozen or canned (or fresh)
Tomatoes or tomato puree
corn
peas
zucchini
green beans
broccoli
squash
chili peppers

Potatoes:
White potatoes
Sweet potatoes or Yams

Apples, onions, dried fruit such as raisins and dates. Other fruit and 
vegetables will not keep as well, and will have to be bought close to 
when you are going to use them. 

Spices: oregano, basil, tarragon, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder,
cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, thyme, sage, paprika, coriander, ginger,
soy sauce, vegetable broth powder, and accumulate others as you use
them. 


I tend to buy most of my vegetables in August and September. I puree
tomatoes and freeze the puree so I can use it for sauce throughout 
the winter (but canning tomatoes also works). I usually do at least
a bushel, sometimes 2 bushels. Squash and pumpkin can also be cooked
and pureed for later use. 

Beans can be bought in large quantities, then put in jars to store until
needed. To cook, soak in water overnight, then change the water and
cook over the stove about an hour. 

You can also make whole wheat bread in batches- much cheaper and better
than store bought, then freeze. Good quality flour is essential here- don't
skimp on the quality of the flour. 

As for the recipies, stick around. I'll try to post a few of my favorite
"poor student" recipies soon. 

In the meantime, your library is a good place to find cookbooks.  Cookbooks
from the 1940's aren't bad if you bypass the meat section and focus
on  the vegetable dishes and the breads. 

I know it is possible to find some of this in Washington, D.C. My 
brother has lived there for years, even as a law student (Georgetown, 
but he did an M.A. at American in music before that), and he eats
very little meat (though is not vegetarian). Will try to check out
where he shops. 


-Mary Howard
"A crisis of community, a spiritual crisis calls upon each of us to remember 
and to act upon our obligations to one another.  The purpose of community, 
the purpose of our government, the purpose of our leaders should be to call 
us to pursue common values and common good, not simply in the moment of 
extreme crisis but every day in our lives, starting right now, today. "
                              -Bill Clinton, at Notre Dame, 9/11/92