Friday08 November 2024
g-novosti.in.ua

Like in the good old days: which products experts recommend Ukrainians stock up on now.

Experts are predicting a challenging winter for 2024-2025, which is why many Ukrainians are beginning their "food preparations" now. What items should be stocked up on in October, and is it necessary to make these preparations? Focus discussed this with experts.
Как в старые времена: какие товары эксперты рекомендуют украинцам приобрести уже сегодня.

Need Potatoes: When to Buy and How to Store

A poor potato harvest is causing unrest among both experts and consumers. Each week brings news of new price records. According to data from the EastFruit project, while potatoes were selling for 15–20 UAH per kilogram at the beginning of October, last week (October 6–13) prices rose to 17–22 UAH. Experts attribute the price increase to heightened demand from wholesale companies that continue to purchase potatoes for storage. Additionally, in some regions, heavy rains have complicated potato harvesting, further driving up prices.

However, World Bank expert Oksana Ruzhenkova reassures us: Poland and Germany have had a good potato harvest, which is good news for us. As soon as domestic farmers start raising prices for their products, retail will quickly import more affordable Polish potatoes, explained the World Bank expert.

Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that stocking up isn’t necessary, and Ruzhenkova advises consumers, particularly those with below-average incomes, to buy potatoes for the winter.

цены на продукты, цены на картофель, урожай картофеля, что будет с ценами зимой, почему растут цены, что влияет на цены, какие заготовки сделать на зиму, какими будут цены на картофель, какими будут цены на продукты 2024, продуктовые запасы на зиму

"Imported goods from Poland will cover the potential shortage in the domestic market, but it’s quite likely that we will have enough Ukrainian potatoes," says the expert. "In any case, prices will not be lower than 25–28 UAH/kg in retail, so each consumer must decide how much potatoes they need for the season, whether to buy them in autumn or purchase them as needed at the price that will be set at that moment."

However, it’s not advisable to buy carrots in advance this season. According to Ruzhenkova, they are not ideal at the moment and may not last until spring. Therefore, it would be more cost-effective to buy them as needed.

This season, experts do not recommend stocking up on carrots: they are not ideal yet, and may not last until spring

"With the occupied territories, Ukraine has lost some traditional areas for growing certain crops," explains Oksana Ruzhenkova. "For example, carrots were grown in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions before the full-scale war, but now they are being sown almost all over the country. However, this is one of the most challenging vegetables to grow. A farmer needs at least three years to learn how to cultivate it, and only two seasons have passed since the war began."

Beets can be avoided for a different reason — there is plenty of it in the country. Therefore, to avoid turning your apartment into a vegetable warehouse, it’s better to buy beets gradually at supermarkets.

Freezing, Canning, Drying: Pros and Cons

Freezing is a very good and beneficial method of storing food and preparations, notes dietitian consultant Alena Yudina. Moreover, if the freezer is small, it’s better to prefer vegetables over fruits and berries.

You can freeze absolutely everything: cauliflower, broccoli, eggplants, tomatoes, celery roots, parsley, parsnips, etc. If you freeze bell peppers in strips, you can even add them to fresh salads in winter. For example, overgrown zucchini can be prepared in various ways: sliced into rings and frozen for stuffing or grated, the water squeezed out, and stored in portions that can be used for making zucchini caviar, pancakes, adding to soups, or even making pastille.

"I also often freeze homemade semi-finished products — sauté, borscht, and soup mixes in ready sets," says the dietitian. "All this simplifies life in winter and allows for savings, especially if it’s vegetables from your own garden."

цены на продукты, цены на картофель, урожай картофеля, что будет с ценами зимой, почему растут цены, что влияет на цены, какие заготовки сделать на зиму, какими будут цены на картофель, какими будут цены на продукты 2024, продуктовые запасы на зиму

A very popular method of home preservation in Ukrainian families is canning. Especially considering that long electricity outages are promised to Ukrainians this winter, and the freezer is unlikely to maintain temperature for more than a day.

"Canning should primarily involve either what has grown in the garden or what has been bought cheaply," continues Alena Yudina. "If there are cucumbers, zucchinis, or tomatoes — we can them; if the tomatoes are not suitable, we make tomato juice; if there are peppers — we prepare lecho; if there’s cabbage — we ferment it. We can also recall the salad with rice that was popular about 25 years ago: carrots, onions, tomatoes, peppers, oil, and rice or buckwheat. If there’s no electricity for a while, you can open such a jar and eat even without meat; it will be filling and tasty."

Canning should primarily involve either what has grown in the garden or what has been bought cheaply

According to the dietitian, drying is also among her favorite methods of home preservation. Additionally, its storage does not depend on electricity availability, which is a significant advantage in our times.

"You can dry herbs, apples, pears, plums, and also make homemade chips," says Alena Yudina. "For example, I have made chips from cucumbers, zucchinis, pumpkins, and even watermelon. Very tasty tomato chips with cheese."

The dietitian recommends drying herbs as well as making dried mixtures for aromatic teas: raspberry, cherry, currant, linden, St. John's wort, mint, and lemon balm leaves. You can also add dried berries of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries to tea.

And don’t forget about mushrooms, which contain a lot of protein, provided that the person is sure about their collection. Mushrooms can be boiled and frozen or canned. However, considering the electricity outages in the first case and the large amount of vinegar in the second, the best method, according to the dietitian, would still be drying mushrooms.

Garden and "Gifts": Winter Survival Strategy

Economic Discussion Club expert Oleg Pendzin also advises making some stock for the winter. He states that this is related to potential electricity problems as well as rising food prices.

цены на продукты, цены на картофель, урожай картофеля, что будет с ценами зимой, почему растут цены, что влияет на цены, какие заготовки сделать на зиму, какими будут цены на картофель, какими будут цены на продукты 2024, продуктовые запасы на зиму

According to Pendzin, almost every family has developed its own survival strategy, and people understand that they will be stocking up for winter. If there is a garden, there are almost no questions: everything that has grown will be canned. This will certainly help those who barely make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck.

The expert advises stocking up on products that can be stored for a long time, as well as fermenting cabbage and making pickles, just like housewives did in the 80s and 90s. This will significantly reduce families' costs for the "winter" table.

Alena Yudina clarifies: such winter preparations will be 100% profitable only if the basis for the preparations either came from one’s own garden or was gifted by neighbors (so it’s not worth resisting neighbors' zucchinis and pumpkins), or was obtained very cheaply. However, buying vegetables at exorbitant prices for preservation hardly makes sense. Stores offer a wide selection of vegetables and fruits all year round, meaning that both fresh and canned goods can be purchased in winter at supermarkets as needed.