Processed Foods

I don't buy a lot of processed foods. Not only are they expensive, but they lack nutritional value. I grow most of the vegetables we eat and freeze the excess for the winter months. I like to make our bread, too. I will occasionally buy some time saving things like a frozen pizza or pot pies just to have on hand when cooking a meal is impossible (Fridays).

Schwanns used to provide the single serve ice cream we sell during the summer; but we stopped ordering from them due to the delivery charges and the fuel charges they started tacking on to the bill. Not only that, they are really expensive and there is a price point you can't exceed in a camp store or you will find yourself with merchandise that will not move. We buy all of our candy and snack items at Sam's and now we simply take a large cooler with us to transport the ice cream. The Schwann's truck stopped here today. He services this area and I see the truck go by every other Thursday on his run (one of the reasons I objected to the fuel charge). Nice man and I feel sorry for him as he is no doubt scrambling to try to get business. I did offer to give out his catalogs to the pipe liners I have coming. He was getting a little insistent that I order something and said to me, "You know we have other products than just ice cream." "I know that," I replied, "but I don't buy a lot of processed food." To which he replied, "It's not processed, it's frozen." I give up. No, I didn't buy any of his frozen offerings.

Since I am on the subject of processed food.......... Have you looked at Pop-Tarts lately? I buy them for the store. They are good sellers to campers with kids on board. Hey, they have 7 vitamins and nutrients! Seven! But back to the subject at hand, these handy-dandy breakfast items now come in a gazillion flavors. I don't have enough shelf space to properly display them. One new flavor--vanilla milkshake-- had me intrigued. I am a lover of all things vanilla. Or maybe not. These were hard to describe. The icing and pastry was predictable, but the gooey inside was so not good. Left an aftertaste of artificial flavoring that begged me to go brush my teeth. I won't be giving a taste test to the remaining assortment of flavors that include chocolate banana split and chocolate chip cookie dough. At least one can justify the fruit fillings if you don't think too much about the sugar.

Pringles also come in a huge variety of child friendly sounding flavors, such as macaroni and cheese. These also are a big favorite among my clientele. Doritos was not to be left behind in this war of adding assortment to your product line. They even had a flavor with no name and a contest to name that flavor. I tried that one, too. Had an aftertaste of ketchup. It was reminiscent of a cheeseburger in a Happy Meal from McDonalds. I like the plain ones. I can dip them in salsa for an added flavor. I prefer plain Lays potato chips, as well. Love of my life likes the vinegar and salt chips and the new dill flavor. All these flavors are artificial and taste artificial to me.

I think I will stick to those flavors of nature that grow in the ground and on the trees. I am patiently waiting for the cherries to ripen. It will happen all of a sudden. I will awaken one morning and the trees will look like Santa is coming. Nature is a wonderful to behold.