COVID19: What are you stocking up on?

[lyra]

@asscherisme Have you considered switching to menstrual cups? I used one until I hit menopause. My DD1 uses one, as do her friends. They're older than your girls, but even if just you did it, or you and your oldest daughter, it would be so much less of a worry. You can try Diva cups, they are widely available. Honestly, I don't know anyone who would go back to tampons after learning how to use a cup.

 

[MamaBee]

When we didn't find one of the types of bread I usually buy at the grocery store, I took out my bread machine. I had already checked my stock of the basic ingredients I need for making bread recently. I made two loaves this week rather than go running out to a grocery store just for bread, then added yeast to my grocery list. Daughter's fiancé went out to shop, but found no yeast in the stores. I was surprised. I guess everyone is baking.

I have an old bread machine @AGBF..It‘s in Pa but my hubby is either coming this Sunday or definitely next week if it’s good weather. We will visit outside in the yard...keeping our distance. It’s like courting in the olden days..lol...He can bring my bread machine. I forgot how to use it though...What are the main ingredients besides yeast and flour? I bought yeast a while ago before the holidays because I make pizza...I also bought some when it looked like this was going to be bad...I have enough for a while..
I just ordered from Instacart...The first delivery they had was Wednesday the 1st. I hope to get David his clementines...and some frozen veggies, mixed greens, chicken, and half and half...Fingers crossed!

 

[MamaBee]

Yeast in packets is unavailable, but we have found it in jars. I just made my third loaf (large loaf) of bread in a week (using my Zojirushi). My great-nephew said I could make my own yeast. I forgot that I used to make sourdough starter many years ago when I was a hippie bread maker!

That made me smile @AGBF! Thanks! xxxooo

 

[MamaBee]

Down to 6 bottles...

I think there’s some merlot in my creepy 115 year old basement...I may venture down there to look for it if I get too stressed!

 

[AGBF]

I have an old bread machine @AGBF..It‘s in Pa but my hubby is either coming this Sunday or definitely next week if it’s good weather. We will visit outside in the yard...keeping our distance. It’s like courting in the olden days..lol...He can bring my bread machine. I forgot how to use it though...What are the main ingredients besides yeast and flour? I bought yeast a while ago before the holidays because I make pizza...I also bought some when it looked like this was going to be bad...I have enough for a while..
I just ordered from Instacart...The first delivery they had was Wednesday the 1st. I hope to get David his clementines...and some frozen veggies, mixed greens, chicken, and half and half...Fingers crossed!

All the recipes are different, but all you really need is bread flour, yeast, water and maybe some kind of oil. Many recipes call for salt (which stops rising) or sugar (which starts it) but they are not necessary for your basic loaf of bread! Nor are eggs, which can make a loaf nice and rich. I kept all my bread recipe books, so even though I lost the manual for my breadmaker, I have been fine.

I'll post one of the simplest recipes I have, that I remember liking most when I was the mom of a young child.The ingredients won't strain you!

 

[MamaBee]

All the recipes are different, but all you really need is bread flour, yeast, water and maybe some kind of oil. Many recipes call for salt (which stops rising) or sugar (which starts it) but they are not necessary for your basic loaf of bread! Nor are eggs, which can make a loaf nice and rich. I kept all my bread recipe books, so even though I lost the manual for my breadmaker, I have been fine.

I'll post one of the simplest recipes I have, that I remember liking most when I was the mom of a young child.The ingredients won't strain you!

Thank you @AGBF! My bread maker is really old...I hope it still works! I only have OO flour from Italy that I use for my pizza...and all purpose flour...I’ll give it a try...

 

[AGBF]

Crusty Cuban Bread

Water-1 1/2 cups
Sugar-1/1/2 tsp.
Salt-1T
Bread Flour-3 Cups
Yeast-2 1/2 tsp.
​

@Joanne-I had a notation in the margin to use less salt, which may have meant that one of my loaves sank, but that wasn't noted!

I put down the ingredients for a large loaf. One can also make a small or a medium loaf. i have the measurements for those, too. But I am sure the 'net is full of recipes!

Let me know if you bake any bread!

​

 

[Begonia]

@asscherisme Have you considered switching to menstrual cups? I used one until I hit menopause. My DD1 uses one, as do her friends. They're older than your girls, but even if just you did it, or you and your oldest daughter, it would be so much less of a worry. You can try Diva cups, they are widely available. Honestly, I don't know anyone who would go back to tampons after learning how to use a cup.

I used to have a super heavy flow, and found these in the last 5 years of menstruating. They were very useful!

 

[OreoRosies86]

Mainly just staple foods the whole family could enjoy and won’t spoil quickly. And we are lucky a relative already worked for a wholesale store, so we had a big bundle of toilet paper, paper towels, just things that seem hard to come by right now.

 

[MamaBee]

Crusty Cuban Bread

Water-1 1/2 cups
Sugar-1/1/2 tsp.
Salt-1T
Bread Flour-3 Cups
Yeast-2 1/2 tsp.
​

@Joanne-I had a notation in the margin to use less salt, which may have meant that one of my loaves sank, but that wasn't noted!

I put down the ingredients for a large loaf. One can also make a small or a medium loaf. i have the measurements for those, too. But I am sure the 'net is full of recipes!

Let me know if you bake any bread!

​

Thank you @AGBF! My husband is coming the weekend after next..I’ll tell him to bring it!

 

[jaaron]

For UK people, I was able to order from Coombe Farm and Farm Drop last week without a problem and they both had lots of selection. Also, if you're Ocado Smart Pass customers, they've opened up access. I got an email the other day telling me they'd email again to let me know when I could access the site, but when I tried to go on (not yet having received the second email), it let me right in and I was able to book a delivery for Wednesday.

Hoarding vs not hoarding feels very complex right now. I did try to stock up without going overboard, and then was glad I had when we ended up quarantined. Before there was Covid in the house, I did a very big shop as a charity that I do a lot of work with was putting together food bundles for students at a local school whose parents were distraught it was closing because they literally had no idea how they were going to manage without school lunches. I was careful not to completely deplete stocks of anything, but I got so many judgmental looks...

 

[House Cat]

I have 2 daughters at home (one 16 and one 21) and when I went to buy tampons- the store was OUT. That is panic worthy! I need them myself too. Could not find online. Had to go to multiple stores which made me nervous because of exposure to lots of people. Thank goodness I found at Costco and they limited purchase to ONE box. Again, that is concerning depending on how long this lasts. One box when there are THREE people in my home needs tampons. Highly concerning!

Hoarding period supplies, come on people.

You can try Amazon. They have some but you might have to compromise on brand.

 

[bludiva]

we haven't done any stocking up but we're limiting our grocery visits to 1x/week so that changes how we buy certain things. paper goods are still not widely available and then when they are, sometimes only the huge packs are stocked.

i made beer bread the other day, it was super good! made it from a mix but also easy to do from scratch

https://www.food.com/recipe/beer-bread-73440

hope everyone is staying healthy physically and mentally.

 

[Babyblue033]

I have 2 daughters at home (one 16 and one 21) and when I went to buy tampons- the store was OUT. That is panic worthy! I need them myself too. Could not find online. Had to go to multiple stores which made me nervous because of exposure to lots of people. Thank goodness I found at Costco and they limited purchase to ONE box. Again, that is concerning depending on how long this lasts. One box when there are THREE people in my home needs tampons. Highly concerning!

Hoarding period supplies, come on people.

I'm not sure where you are, but around here I find that smaller stores like drug stores, small groceries, are more well stocked than large box stores.

I luckily bought an extra box at the beginning of this craziness, just in time because I got my period this week. Hate to imagine not having tampons, I mean its stressful as is!

We have to go out today for groceries and I feel so anxious about it. We stocked up 2 weeks ago but with 2 young kids we go through fresh food quickly. I so wish there was a way to just stay home for a long stretch but grocery deliveries are pretty much non existent, I'm trying to do as much online shopping as possible but it seems we still have to go out at least every 2 weeks...

 

[Babyblue033]

Oh and Target was pretty well stocked, but either low stock or none at all for the usual popular items. No TP, paper towel, and orange juice (not sure why?). Very low stock of diapers and baby wipes but we were lucky enough to find 2 boxes of wipes we use so we did stock up. That's pretty much THE essential around here.

Grocery store had no meat! No beef, very few pork, but at least they had some chicken breasts so we bought those.

 

[lyra]

I wish I could get tomatoes! I mean fresh produce. I'm craving so much different produce, and it's just not available. I suppose if you know when and where to go, and don't mind standing in line, maybe you can get whatever you want, but we're just not in the know I guess.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I wish I could get tomatoes! I mean fresh produce. I'm craving so much different produce, and it's just not available. I suppose if you know when and where to go, and don't mind standing in line, maybe you can get whatever you want, but we're just not in the know I guess.

Are there any local Facebook groups? I notice a lot of people will ask if people have seen this or that. In one group, people report what they’ve seen in or out of stock. Sorry that you’re having a hard time finding things. Maybe calling the store in advance with a specific request might help?

Incidentally, I just saw the strangest thing on Facebook. Some local restaurants were offering pizza dough, portioned out sauce and shredded mozzarella so that you could make at home or have kids make their own. That’s not the strange part . . . tonight I saw a restaurant offering a survival package for $40 I think. So it was literally two rolls of tp, 4 hamburger uncooked, 4 chicken uncooked, 1/2 gallon milk and oh I’ll have to go back and see what else but it seemed overpriced but maybe people want to avoid grocery store this way?

Anyway, I wonder if you could call local restaurant and make a plea for some fresh produce. Most likely they are not sourcing from same shops as regular consumers. Worth a shot?

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I feel so bad for you @lyra

I honestly would go and buy fresh produce for you and drop it at your door if I could.

You're not in Sydney Australia by any chance????

 

[lissyflo]

I wish I could get tomatoes! I mean fresh produce. I'm craving so much different produce, and it's just not available. I suppose if you know when and where to go, and don't mind standing in line, maybe you can get whatever you want, but we're just not in the know I guess.

Are you in a city? If so, try the websites for any restaurant wholesalers in your area. I’m near London and have had success this last week getting a wide range of fruit, veg, dairy and charcuterie-type meats that way. The wholesaler I used started delivering to domestic customers after restaurants here were closed. They’re also delivering wine and beer that used to go directly to restaurants. I know at least two London wholesalers are now doing this, so it may be worth a try if you’re close to any. We were nearing the end of full quarantine and I nearly cried when boxes of beautifully coloured and varied fruit and veg appeared at the door. Good luck in tracking some down!

 

[missy]

Oh and Target was pretty well stocked, but either low stock or none at all for the usual popular items. No TP, paper towel, and orange juice (not sure why?). Very low stock of diapers and baby wipes but we were lucky enough to find 2 boxes of wipes we use so we did stock up. That's pretty much THE essential around here.

Grocery store had no meat! No beef, very few pork, but at least they had some chicken breasts so we bought those.

I think the OJ shortage is because people are using it to (supposedly) boost their immune system and to make Gatorade to replace electrolytes etc should they become ill...

Why orange juice prices are soaring on global markets

Demand is rising for orange juice during virus outbreak while supply is hit by transport restrictions.

www.bbc.com

@Babyblue033 glad your Target was well stocked though I am sorry they were out of things you wanted to buy.

I hope you can get all the produce etc you want to @lyra and everyone else who is dealing with shortages of what they need and want.

 

[Babyblue033]

One item most people probably didn't think to stock up, but it seems condoms will be in short supply while the demand increased (more bored people but less people wanting kids during this uncertain times?) Found it interesting and amusing at the same time.

The World Could Be Running Out of Condoms Because of Pandemic

 

[missy]

One item most people probably didn't think to stock up, but it seems condoms will be in short supply while the demand increased (more bored people but less people wanting kids during this uncertain times?) Found it interesting and amusing at the same time.

The World Could Be Running Out of Condoms Because of Pandemic

Lol. We’re watching Handmaids Tale on Hulu. I wonder if we’re going to have the opposite problem. Oy. Not good either way. Be safe out there people. Enjoy but please take precautions. Just like with everything these days. #populationboom

Hmmm social distancing would be pretty challenging with this though. I mean I guess it depends

 

[AGBF]

Someone e-mailed me a cartoon of a line of pregnant women in pastel dresses, supposedly showing the aftermath of the Covid-19 lock-down. I don't think it had anything to do with a condom shortage. I think it was reminiscent of what happened when a baby boom followed nine months after the blackout on the East Coast a number of years ago.

 

[GlitterInMyHair]

I'm loving this Zella top as part of my quarrantine wardrobe.

Sadly, when I tried to order more, all the other colors were sold out in my size

 

[Loves Vintage]

On the topic of bread, my husband made these yesterday. I shuffled a bunch into the freezer as quickly as we could since I didn’t want to eat them all!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

@GlitterInMyHair Looks comfy. Zella fabric is so nice too.

 

[missy]

Just read that there is now a shortage of jigsaw puzzles. I guess people are looking for things to do.

 

[missy]

On the topic of bread, my husband made these yesterday. I shuffled a bunch into the freezer as quickly as we could since I didn’t want to eat them all!!

Yummmmmmmmm!

 

[AGBF]

Well, I was right."The New York Times" now has an article about how people are "stress baking". (I would have said "staying at home with little else to do baking". It has, indeed, caused flour and yeast shortages (so it wasn't all in my mind).

Stress Baking More Than Usual? (Published 2020)

Confined to their homes, Americans are kneading dough.

www.nytimes.com

When we didn't find one of the types of bread I usually buy at the grocery store, I took out my bread machine. I had already checked my stock of the basic ingredients I need for making bread recently. I made two loaves this week rather than go running out to a grocery store just for bread, then added yeast to my grocery list. Daughter's fiancé went out to shop, but found no yeast in the stores. I was surprised. I guess everyone is baking.

 

[dk168]

I went to do a grocery shop this morning, the first for 10 days, and hoarded 3 packs of mini Creme Eggs and 2 packs of Caramel Waffles.

These are the only sweet treats I have in the house, and I was down to my last mini Creme Egg, and I only have 1 or 2 a day!

Still have 1.5 packs of Caramel Waffles left, however, I did not want to run out - I was down to my last one before my last shop just before the lockdown!

Both are not essential food, however, they are essential to keep me happy in these crazy times!

DK