For the Price of Eggs
For the Price of Eggs
Lordy, there’s nothing better than Thanksgiving Day leftovers, even for the third day in a row.
My daughter Jessica’s holiday table included homemade offerings from each of her relatives: sweet potato casserole from her son, Ethan; pear and pomegranate salad from his wife, Natalie; real mashed potatoes from Brad’s mom, Keri; and even peanut butter stuffing from Missy, Brad’s sister-in-law. Kate, Brad’s aunt, brought pumpkin pie, Dane made his famous apple pies, and I offered an assortment of sourdough breads (cranberry-walnut was the favorite) and a big batch of my friend Sara's melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Jessica and Brad took care of the turkey and drinks.
There was enough food and variety to feed a small army. Hence, the massive Tupperware container that Jessica graciously filled for Dane and me to take home.
But Dane didn’t eat any of the leftovers. The next morning, he started his new job at the Viroqua Food Co-op. He called during his break to say he had scored a tasty free fish and rice dish that filled him up. He was thrilled to discover the employee table where food that didn’t sell as expected or is reaching the end of its shelf life is free for the taking.
His appreciation of free food and my enjoyment of leftovers might make you think we’re cheap, broke, or even beggars. We’re not. However, with the rising cost of groceries—which will get worse if President-elect Trump follows through on various threats—we are being cautious.
When asked why they voted for the convicted criminal, many people blamed the price of eggs! But the rising price of eggs was due to the outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu), which had a significant impact on the egg-laying chicken and duck population. Sick chickens and flocks being slaughtered to prevent the spread of the disease resulted in fewer fowl and, therefore, fewer eggs. The resultant shift in supply and demand, a concept we all learned in high school, drove the cost higher.
Thankfully, my healthy flock gave me huge, rich, delicious duck and goose eggs, so the higher prices didn’t affect me.
But now, the bird flu is infecting mammals. At this writing, the USDA has confirmed infected cattle in 320 dairy herds in 14 states. There are also confirmed instances (only two in the U.S.) of this flu affecting humans. While the USDA and CDC watch carefully, you can bet your bottom dollar at the grocery casino that eggs, dairy, and meat prices won’t be coming down anytime soon, regardless of who’s in the White House.
I had just finished eating what was left of Jessica’s meal when an enormous bag of leftovers from my friend Kristina's Thanksgiving dinner magically appeared on my porch, hanging from a hook. Kristina knew my goats would climb to eat anything edible, so she hung it out of their reach. Thus, I enjoyed potatoes, stuffing, and even prime rib on day four!
Dane called to say he’d gotten a sandwich from the free table and to brag about his free hot chocolate. It turns out that when he works weekends, he can have a complimentary coffee or hot chocolate. They sure know how to win Dane over! At this rate, he’ll never need to pack a lunch.
Meanwhile, I haven’t had to go grocery shopping for over a week.
After COVID, we braced ourselves for the high prices that soon followed. After all, producers had to try to recoup their losses. It’s not something the president has control over; that’s not how it works.
Not many others, including myself, fear that some of Trump’s 41 first-day-in-office promises (which won him many votes) will make our groceries even more expensive.
Trump has promised the largest mass deportation ever. But about 750,000 unauthorized immigrants hold jobs in industries that produce and distribute food. Undocumented immigrants work the hard, backbreaking, low-paying jobs that many of us won’t—jobs that bring us our food. When enjoying the Thanksgiving Day leftovers, I was painfully aware of who picked the apples for the pie, worked dairy for the butter and milk for our potatoes, and labored in meatpacking plants to produce our turkey.
Mass deportation will lead to higher grocery prices and longer-lasting increases as the agriculture system collapses. Add to that the proposed 25% tariff on imports from Mexico, our largest supplier of imported fruits and vegetables.
I’m thankful to still be dining well on Turkey Day leftovers while Dane looks forward each day to what goodies will appear on the “scratch and dent” table. But I think he and I are luckier than most.
We get what we vote for. And while the price of eggs may decrease someday, we all may need to watch our wallets even more closely, be grateful for friends and leftovers, and ready to share what we have.