Howdy there darlin's,

Well, the way I sees it, gittin' by with little money is not gittin' any better yet, an I keep seein' prices goin' up an' up an' up. Even food prices is climbin' up, but I do have my ways o' eatin' mighty good-fer-ya food an' only spendin' a tad o' what lots o' folks spend at the grocery.

The secret is findin' them markets with good prices. Sometimes y'all jes gotta go huntin' fer them places, but they's there and you kin save a bundle o' cash an' come home with a heap o' vegetables fer cheap.

'Nother o' my ways o' cookin' up cost-savin' meals is ta use lots o' root vegetables, like carrots, onions, rutabagas, an' such, 'cause they's usually cheaper 'n' most other things. They's not fancy, but they put wholesomeness in the belly.

Many a year ago, I used ta live in a place that had a root cellar where we could put all them vegetables like 'taters, turnips, rutabagas, onions, an' beets down in the cellar under the house. An' my, my, they would keep jes fine all winter long. Any time my mama needed an onion or a 'tater, she would say, 'Nettie, darlin', go an' git me an onion,Ó--an' I would go down them stairs with a flashlight, 'cause there weren't no light down there, an' I would come back up with that onion fer mama.

You don't need no root cellar ta cook up a pot o' this delicious stew--all's you do is take yerself shoppin' an' come back with an armload o' them root cellar vegetables. Put 'em in a big pot an' start a-cookin'. It's as easy as that. An' when you git that stew all cooked up, why give me a holler an' I'll mosey on over fer a spoonful.

Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

3 1/2 cups (840 ml) water
2 medium onions, cut lengthwise into 8 sections each
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 28-ounce (790g) can diced tomatoes
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 small beet, peeled and diced
1/2 cup (120 ml) lentils
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole grains (brown rice, buckwheat, oat groats, or coarse grind bulgur)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

5 medium red or white potatoes, unpeeled, cut into bite-sized chunks
Salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons minced parsley, dill, or cilantro

1. Combine the water, onions, celery, tomatoes, carrot, rutabaga, parsnip, beet, lentils, whole grains, marjoram, thyme, and tarragon in an 8 to 10-quart (8 to 10 liter) stockpot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Decrease the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils and grains are soft and the vegetables are fork tender. Add a small amount of water if needed to keep the vegetables just covered in liquid.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Before serving, add lemon juice to taste. Spoon into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.