Covid 19: The Next Six Months

[BakerAunt]

The original Covid-19 thread is now very long. As we enter the autumn, which ushers in another holiday season, beginning with Rosh Hashanah last Friday, I thought it good to begin another thread for us to record our experiences and challenges with baking, cooking, and living our daily lives. I'm starting it off with another Cathy Commiserations cartoon that points us to the season:

https://www.gocomics.com/cathy-commiserations/2020/09/22

We've already started on pumpkin items at my house.

Spread the word

      

  

  

[chocomouse]

I'm starting the "new" season by making cinnamon chips this morning. I don't make or eat anything pumpkin, and rarely anything that contains the usual autumn spices, like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, etc. Just not a flavor I like. However, I do love cinnamon scones and coffeecake with cinnamon streusel. Yesterday I decided it's time for maple cinnamon scones - yikes, out of cinnamon chips. So - will make my own.

[Mike Nolan]

The Wall Street Journal had a story the other day on meat price, especially beef. Apparently there's a glut of higher quality beef on the market now, ground beef prices have dipped belos $2 a pound in some markets and prime rib is selling for around $7 a pound.

Because of delays in getting cattle from feed lots to processing plants, they put on more weight than usual. most of which is fat. This leads to higher marbling in the meat, which makes the meat higher grade. That has led to a lot more prime graded beef at the wholesale level.

[chocomouse]

That's good news, Mike! I'm waiting for it to trickle down -- ground beef, 80% lean, around here is 3.99/lb. Although I did see some kind of a roast, forget what, for 2.99/lb.

[BakerAunt]

Apparently there has been a run on peanut butter due to the pandemic:

One food industry reaping the benefits of people staying home: Peanuts

[Mike Nolan]

I've seen 80% beef at $1.99, but other cuts haven't come down as much yet. We don't see a lot of prime beef in the grocery stores.

I"m seeing a lot more out-of-stock items, pretty much across the board. How much of that is due to supply line issues is unclear. Some products have vanished completely, like the type of toilet paper my wife prefers, my guess is it has been dropped from the product line and may not come back.

[Mike Nolan]

The Wall Street Journal says wholesale tea prices were at a multi-year low due to oversupply last winter. but have risen 50% since March. Weather, labor shortages and logistical issues are all factors.

I generally drink Irish tea (Lyons, mostly), I usually order a year's supply around this time.

[Italiancook]

I read an article this week (forget where) that said grocers are stocking up to prevent shortages during the Covid/flu/cold season, in case there's another lockdown. I think that's good and dandy; I just hope they don't get stuck with excess inventory when spring arrives.

[Mike Nolan]

I saw the same article, I think on the WSJ but it might have been on the wire services so it could have appeared in several places.

There are limits to how long they can hold products, and of course that won't work for perishables. In some states there's an inventory tax, too.

[BakerAunt]

I was relieved that Bob's Red Mill has its milk powder back in stock (or did when I ordered it). It is vital for my yogurt, so I've had to hold back on adding as much or any to granola, muffins, quick breads.

Cases in my state are rising, since our governor, in his not so great wisdom, moved us on to stage five from stage 4.5. We should probably still be in stage 2 or 3. My state is one where vote-by-mail is only allowed for about five reasons, so I have to vote in person. There is also a shortage of poll workers. (By the way, the primary did allow vote-by-mail without incident.) I will take advantage of early voting, put my license in a baggy, take my own pen, and consider wearing disposable gloves.

[skeptic7]

I have seem the normal displays of baking goods in Grocery stores for Thanksgiving. I hope your voting goes succesfully. I voted several weeks ago, depositing my mail in ballot in a drop box at City Hall. Virginia changed the rules so I didn't need a witness to watch me open the ballot and fill it in. I despise the states that still want witnesses.
I like going in to vote on election day, and feeling part of a process thats been going on for more than 200 years, but it seemed too dangerous to me and the poll workers and the other voters.

[chocomouse]

Our Covid numbers in VT went way up yesterday, highest since June, but when you look at the details, it is not as bad as the headlines. Unfortunately, 26 immigrant workers on a local farm tested positive. They had all lived together in a dorm. I feel so bad for them. And, the numbers will likely go up again - a ritzy hotel a few towns over hosted a huge wedding on the weekend, and there are photos circulating of large groups of guests with no one wearing a mask and not social distancing. I don't feel so sorry for them.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Skeptic. I'll report on the voting experience once the location opens in my town (only for two Saturdays in October). I, too, liked the feeling of being part of a great day and until the last election always voted on election day.

We did our big grocery run to the next town this morning. We included Walmart--only the third time we've been to Walmart since the first weekend in March. That meant stocking up on extras. The local store charged me $4.99 for mayonnaise a couple of weeks ago. I paid half of that at Walmart and so bought two. At Kroger, I was able to snag a bag of blue label Pepperidge Farm Dressing mix. I'm not taking any chances of not having it for Thanksgiving.

Has anyone else noted a shortage of unbleached flour--Gold Medal or Pillsbury? Neither Walmart nor Kroger had it. They did have King Arthur, but sometimes I want the lower protein. There was plenty of bleached flour and even White Lily self-rising flour, as well as whole wheat (KABC and BRM). I did buy another small bag of Arrowhead Mills spelt flour.

Other than the unbleached flour, I came home with everything on my list.

Note: post is corrected to say Gold Medal.

[Mike Nolan]

Unbleached flour was hard to find before the shortages started around here. Some stores carry mostly bleached flours. I do keep some on hand, mainly for cookies.

[BakerAunt]

To my surprise, the local grocery had Gold Medal unbleached flour for $2.59 per bag, so I was able to get an additional bag. I wonder why unbleached flour has been so hard to find.

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