One thing we do is make our own breakfast sausage,I can make Jimmy Dean style for 99 to 1.69 a pound depending on pork sale prices. And it isnt chock full of preservatives. Nice money saver and better quality and quality control too IMO.

Other thing we recently learned at the SMF Forum was how to make buckboard bacon,since Ive made that again I will never go back to commercial,cheaper and better.Its made from a shoulder roast and very close to what pork belly bacon is,now we like it even better.

Then learned how to smoke cheese at same forum,just buy the cheap on sale cheese at 2.99/lb,and smoke it 2-4 hours,gourmet cheese,gotta love it! Pack it with the food saver,should store a loooong time.We use it as a trading item and for goodwill at the thrift store,a happy Joanie means great deals for us,win-win!

Today a local Mexican chain store (Cardenas) has pickling cucumbers for 50 cents a Lb,Mrs is going to whip up a case full of pickles.Pickles took us a few times to get right,again,wonderful product on the cheap.

And Ethnic markets have good sale prices,the Mexican here are great for produce on the cheap.And buy em from the refer by the case and they havent been sitting out,drying out,and getting jostled around by customers,last case we bought was zucchini,right from box the were gorgeous,in the bin all beat up. Just asked produce guy for a case.(40 lbs or so?)

You all got any food projects going on you find really exciting?