Running Out Of Food Items

[mame11]

As we all emerge from our shelters today to take stock of the remains of Snowpocalypse III (the Blizzard that wasn't invited), I imagine many people will be heading to the grocery store. What items have you run out of that surprises you? What items did you find, and use, in your pantry that surprised you?

I'll start:

I've been baking a lot! I bought eggs, butter and flour between Snowpocalypse II and Snowpocalypse III but need sugar!

I bought a big bag of frozen spinach before the storm hit and need to replenish it.

I found rice vinegar in my pantry which I used in the fried rice I made last night.

ETA: I need table salt and vanilla too... used up both baking.

What about you?

[Xochitl10]

Vanilla and brown sugar. And I thought about, but failed to pick up, baking chocolate on my last shopping trip.

Oh, and I ran out of wine.

[ol_ironstomach]

Oregano. And white beans.

Stuff that I'm surprised to have used? A full NATO can of stabilized gasoline that I filled prior to Y2K. (Fridges and microwaves draw power, man!)

[jayandstacey]

Caffeine.

GRRR!!! STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!!!

[KMango]

Toothpaste. Discovered on day one that I was out of toothpaste, but fortunately, not out of baking soda.

But on the actual edibles front...

Surprised Me By Not Lasting:

*Steel cut oats. Turns out you eat a LOT more breakfast after a morning of shoveling.

*Coconut water. Which I use as the cooking liquid for oats.

Surprised Me By Not Sucking:

*Frozen bacon defrosted beautifully. I thought the texture would degrade, but nope.

Surprised Me By Not Happening:

*Power outage. The Alexandria area near Shirlington stayed powered the entire week, save a few blinks. The stove is gas-fueled, so it would have been OK, but was pleased to leave that as an unproven theory**.

**As if to mock me, within two hours of making this post, the power failed in my neighborhood. It's back on now, though. I've learned my lesson.

Edited February 11, 2010 by KMango

[Pat]

Garlic was dwindling but has been surpassed by vanishing onions (down to 2). I discovered a jar of garlic I roasted myself in the back of the fridge. I know garlic preserved in oil is subject to botulism, so I'm not sure if this (which was roasted in oil and has been refrigerated several months) is safe to use. Anyone know?

One piece of fruit left

Apple cider empty

I'm not much of a fruit eater, but my husband eats it every day. And apple cider is his favorite beverage. I had bought extra between a couple of the storms--don't recall which ones --but now it's gone.

I have to get out of the house or I will completely lose it. Hoping Yes by Eastern Market has apple cider. (The only cider I know of sold in the market proper is in giant glass jugs . Not gonna work.)

[And the Diet Coke supply (mine) is running dangerously low.]

[squidsdc]

Butter--both for baking and toast. We usually use the LOL Canola oil spread for toast, and keep some LOL unsalted butter on hand for baking. But now we are running low on both items, as I forgot to pick some up when I walked to Magruders on Tuesday.

[The Hersch]

**As if to mock me, within two hours of making this post, the power failed in my neighborhood. It's back on now, though. I've learned my lesson.

The lesson being, I trust, to touch wood. I remember once (decades ago), while driving my car, saying to a friend who was in the passenger seat "you know, I've never had an accident". There was no wood to touch even had I thought of it, and I was in a thankfully minor accident that night. Not that I'm superstitious or anything.

[Ilaine]

The lesson being, I trust, to touch wood. I remember once (decades ago), while driving my car, saying to a friend who was in the passenger seat "you know, I've never had an accident". There was no wood to touch even had I thought of it, and I was in a thankfully minor accident that night. Not that I'm superstitious or anything.

If there is no wood to knock, knock your head. On the theory that tempting fate is wooden-headed. Works for me.

On the topic of running out of food items, our local Safeway this afternoon. From left to right, bread, eggs, toilet paper, milk.

[ol_ironstomach]

Winter storm Juno causes kale shortage in NYC.

FFS people of Brooklyn, you have cellars...put away some root vegetables!