ColumnCould you eat on $4 a day?

There are more people on Food Stamps, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), than ever before in the United States. As of May, 45,753,078 Americans were enrolled in SNAP, an increase of over 60% since the recession began in April 2008 and a jump of 12.1% over May 2010. That’s nearly 15% of the U.S. population, or around 1 in 7 people. Additional program data can be found here.

Though the program was designed to be supplemental, according to data collected by The New York Times, about 6 million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income.

Who relies on food stamps?

• 49 percent of all participants are children (18 or younger), and 61 percent of them live in single-parent households. 33 percent of households with children were headed by a single parent.
• 52 percent of SNAP households include children and 76 percent of benefits go to households with children.
• 9 percent of all participants are elderly (age 60 or over).
• The average gross monthly income per SNAP household is $673.
• 43 percent of participants are white; 33 percent are African-American, non-Hispanic; 19 percent are Hispanic; 2 percent are Asian, 2 percent are Native American, and less than 1 percent are of unknown race or ethnicity.

What’s it like to rely primarily on food stamps to put food on the table?

The average amount food stamp recipients receive is $4 a day per person. In 2009 the amount was raised temporarily from $3 to $4, which makes a big difference. However this temporary increase was instituted as part of the economic recovery program and is due to expire in October 2013. To be eligible to receive any food stamps, gross income for a family of four must not exceed 130 percent or less of the Federal poverty guidelines ($2,389 per month/$28,668 per year for a family of four)

What can you buy for $4 a day?

You can buy a fair amount of cheap, processed, sugar-laden food. What you can’t buy is very much unprocessed, organic, responsibly raised fresh food. And you can forget about extras like coffee, wine, nice cheese, expensive fruit like peaches or berries, and welcome a whole lot of starch into your diet. Also, if you want to fulfill your caloric needs in a somewhat healthy way, you need to know how to cook and you need the time to do it. You’ll also need regular access to a kitchen and some basic kitchen utensils. Not everyone has those things.

For two years in a row I participated in the San Francisco Food Bank Hunger Challenge, which gave me a tiny snapshot of what it’s like to live on food stamps. After just one week, I was hungry, angry, bored, and tired. And that was with the luxury of time to cook, a well-stocked kitchen, and the lucky addition of a few extra items of fresh produce that would have been available to clients of the San Francisco Food Bank during that time.

During the 2009 Hunger Challenge I shopped for one week for 2 people and spent $41.08 out of a budget of $56.

My shopping list:

One Stick Butter  .88
Cooking Oil $2.59
1- Quart Milk $1.39
1 Organic Chicken  $8.85
Peanut Butter $2.99
Long Grain Rice from Bulk .75
1/2 pound Pinto Beans from Bulk .55
3/4 pound Ground Beef $2.47
Dozen Cage Free Eggs $2.85
1 Loaf Wheat Bread $2.49
Oatmeal from Bulk Bin $1.08
Corn Tortillas $2.39
Canned Tomato Sauce .79
Canned Enchilada Sauce $3.89
Monterey Jack Cheese $3.09
1 pound Sweet Potatoes $.54
1 piece fresh ginger .49
1 bunch cilantro $1
1 bunch green onions $1
1 bunch bok choy $1

Budget for Two: $56
Total Spent: $41.08

Cushion: $14.92

If you want to read in detail what I did with these items, read all the posts from my Hunger Challenge week in 2009. Other participating bloggers also blogged about their experiences in detail. Amy of Cooking with Amy made a new friend in oatmeal and learned that purchasing jam without high fructose corn syrup at a price she could afford was nearly impossible. Genie of The Inadvertent Gardener had an anxiety provoking shopping trip that had her choosing value over nutrition. Faith at Blog Appetite got creative with menus to help future challengers and food bank clients. Gayle at Been There Ate That notes that the Hunger Challenge is just a tedious, frustrating, eye-opening activity she does once a year, but for the 150,000 San Franciscans facing hunger every day it’s a way of life.

Find out for yourself what it’s like to live on food stamps in America and sign up for the Hunger Challenge this year. I promise you’ll learn something.

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate,  on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Images:Jetheriot,  AJ Mexico, Andrea_44.

The post Hunger Pains: 6 Million Americans Struggle to Eat appeared first on EcoSalon.

One of my favorite MKF Fisher books is How to Cook a Wolf. The wolf reference is to hunger. Real hunger. Wolf scratching at the door hunger. It’s about knowing how to feed yourself when it’s cold and dark and the wolf is outside waiting to pounce. It’s about not giving into despair. It’s about celebrating the joy of cooking and eating well, no matter how little you have. MFK Fisher wrote the book during wartime. Such skills are necessary for wartime, or other times of scarcity. But I don’t think we have to be in a war (or even a recession) to learn something about making due with what we have.

You might have days when you have little in the cupboard and want something comforting to eat but have no inclination to go to the store (even though you could). Maybe you’re broke and waiting for the next check. Perhaps you’re snowed in. Maybe you’re suffering from a post-holiday over-indulgence hangover. Whatever the reason, it’s useful to know how to make something from nearly nothing. Stone Soup, if you will.

Here are my two favorite Stone Soups for lean times. It helps if you always have some chicken broth in your freezer, but if you must, you can use canned broth, bouillon, or even water (stir in some miso at the end for flavor, if you have it)

Garlic-Potato Soup

I made this once when I was on an intense deadline and it was super satisfying and took less time than going out. Garnish with fresh herbs and a little plain yogurt if you have them.

2 tablespoons butter

2 large heads of garlic, each clove peeled and sliced thinly

4 cups chicken broth

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté gently until soft and fragrant but not brown. Add the broth, potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly and puree using an immersion blender. Or transfer to a regular blender. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

Rice Porridge

This classic Vietnamese porridge is kitchen alchemy. I learned to make it from Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. You can add a poached egg, if you like, for extra nutrition, or even some shredded leftover chicken or other meat. But no need. It’s Stone Soup.

1/2 cup long grain white rice

8 cups chicken broth

3 coins of ginger

Salt to taste

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, bring the rice, broth, ginger, and salt to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover partially. Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the rice gives up its starch and starts to melt into the broth. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t scorch. Taste and correct for salt. Serve garnished with chopped green onion, if you have some.

Image: Vanessa Barrington

The post Make Something Out of Nothing: Two Stone Soups appeared first on EcoSalon.