For the almost two million Alabamians grocery store shelves loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are often out of reach. That’s because they live in what are called food deserts. Those are rural and urban settings where poverty is higher, education is lower, and supermarkets are often non-existent. That leaves so called “dollar stores” as the only grocery option for a growing number of Alabamians facing food insecurity. Last week, we reported on what changes to food stamps might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. Today she teams up with a local chef to better understand the challenges of Alabamians living in food deserts.
“I’m thinking corn, I’m thinking chicken I’m starting to think about a bunch of things stewed down in a pot,” mused Coastal Alabama Community College Chef Matt Palamara as he wanders around the coolers and produce section of a DG Market in Robertsdale, Alabama on a Friday. He’s picking up ideas for healthy meals.
“We’ll try to keep away from processed like meat as much as possible there’s a lot of salt and stuff in there,” he added.
Auburn University extension agent Alexia Mingo Simmons joins him – quizzing store manager Gary Logan about the food’s freshness.
“So when does your truck come in?” Simmon inquired.
“So we get produce on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday,” Logan responded.
Alabama is home to about 1300 dollar stores. Almost a thousand of those are Dollar Generals. Critics argue dollar stores push out supermarkets and limit healthy food choices in poor communities. Others, like working mom Barbara Malone say they’re a lifeline. She shops at this DG Market several times a week.
"This is local. It's more convenient,” she said.
And for many, it’s the only option. In Alabama, 450 Dollar General stores now carry fresh produce and all have some ingredients for a healthier diet – like eggs, cheese, and canned or frozen vegetables says Dollar General senior director of public relations Crystal Luce.
“It's certainly not a cookie cutter approach. It's "It's very hyper localized into what that community may need or expect from us,” said Luce.
That can be harder than it sounds. Alicia Powers is managing director of Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute. Powers says she recognizes the benefit Dollar General brings to food deserts but also the barriers that block fresh produce from reaching the most remote communities.
“The last mile is the challenge in rural areas of finding a supplier that wants to make such a small delivery to such a distant location,” said Powers.
“We’re in a Dollar General Market, there’s obviously more stuff here than is available,” observed. At this dollar store, he’s looking for nutritious ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The DG brand labels healthy products. Palamara searches the coolers for those ingredients.
“You know eggs, I’m sure there’s frozen vegetables. A little egg scramble in a burrito or something like that is a fantastic, easy quick breakfast,” he suggested.
And, he has an unusual idea among the shelf stable foods.
“Like sardines and pasta with like some lemons and herbs we can make some stuff like that but will the audience actually eat that or try it out?” Palamara wondered.
We’ll see....
“I’m seeing everything Matt picked up. Chicken, frozen vegetables…” said Mingo Simmons as she headed to the cashier with all the groceries Palamara picked out during his shopping trip.
At the register – our bags are filled with fresh, canned, and frozen ingredients – it’s a change from the groceries Mingo-Simmons says people often buy in the food deserts where she works.
“People are eating a lot of processed foods. And I think that’s because well they’re seeing sales. It’s cheaper. It’s more convenient,” she said.
Palamara gets it.
“If you're having to work extra jobs, you know, you're not going to have much time to play in the kitchen or work in the kitchen So, buying an onion and some raw chicken is going to look a lot harder than just buying ramen noodles or McDonald's,” he agreed.
And in food deserts where incomes are low - there are other hurdles to cooking at home – like a working kitchen. The Hunger Solutions Institute’s Alicia Powers says people who are food insecure might only have a single burner, one pot and a spoon.
“We've really advocated for the canned foods to have the tab top because… um having a can opener is different,” she said,
With that in mind, at Auburn University’s Baldwin County Extension kitchen Palamara keeps things simple.
“I just kind of peeled the lemon, the outside of the lemon skin and chopped it up,” he said as he went to work.
From his dollar store ingredients he serves up fresh breakfast burritos with pico de gallo, chicken corn and black bean stew, rice, marinated cabbage, and – yes…
“We’ve got a little bit of that sardine pasta, a little olive oil, fresh basil, chili flakes, some dried herbs,” he mentioned from earlier suggestion.
Our skeptical tasters were surprised. While not a food at the top of most family menus, Palarama says in food deserts, sardines can make for a readily available, cheap, and nutritious meal. Palamara’s experiment shows cooking healthy meals from a dollar store is possible. But he understands for those living in food deserts choosing home cooking over processed foods takes time, work, education, and a little creativity.
"You might make something that's not the best thing in the whole wide world, but if it's edible and passable, like you can learn from that,” he suggested.
Sage advice - no matter where you get your groceries.
Here are Chef Palamara’s recipes--
Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Stew
2 Tbl olive oil
2 ea yellow onion, sliced thin
4 ea garlic cloves, smashed
1 Tbl salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp granulated onion
4 ea chicken thighs
2 cups water
1 ea rosemary sprig
1 ea black bean can, rinsed
2 ea corn ears, kernels removed from the cob
Marinated cabbage, avocado and lime for serving if desired
Method:
· Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot until hot.
· Add onions, garlic, and seasonings and let cook until onions are softened and beginning to change colors.
· Push onions to the side of the pot and place chicken thighs, skin side down, into the pot.
· Let sear about 5-7 minutes, then add 1 cup of the water and the rosemary sprig and bring to a boil.
· Cover, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Check after about 10 minutes to see if you need to add more water.
· After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over, add black beans and corn kernels, cover again, and let cook another 10-15 minutes or until chicken easily pulls apart.
· Adjust seasoning and serve with avocado and lime, if using.
· Note: this could all be put into the crock pot and cooked while at work. Sauteeing the onions, garlic, and chicken is an optional step, but I like the flavor when I do that first.
Marinated Cabbage
½ ea cabbage head, shredded
1 Tbl salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbl oil
1 ea lemon, juice
Method:
Mix well together and let sit about an hour.
Rice
1 Tbl olive oil
1 ½ c white rice
2 ¼ c hot water
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Method:
· Heat oil in a small sauce pot over medium heat.
· Add rice and seasonings into sauce pot and slightly toast.
· Pour hot water on rice, cover with a lid, and turn heat down as low as you can.
· Cook about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff, and serve.
Sardine Pasta
4 oz sardines, boneless if you can find
3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 ea garlic cloves, sliced thin
¼ tsp dry oregano
¼ tsp chili flakes
2 ea lemons, zest and juice
Salt and Black pepper
2 Tbl basil, minced
1 # dry fettuccini
Method:
· Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
· When boiling, drop in fettuccini and stir periodically to let cook and not clump together.
· While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in saute pan with garlic, oregano, and chile flakes. Heat until fragrant.
· Stir in sardines and lemon zest. Let sardines get some color, then add lemon juice and turn off the heat.
· Drain the pasta and save about a cup of the pasta water. Stir sardine mixture into the fettuccini with the basil. Add reserved pasta water if needed to help incorporate. I normally do not have to use the water, but adjust to your own liking. Season as needed.
Breakfast Burrito
2 Tbl oil
6 ea eggs
10 oz frozen veggie mix
2 Tbl minced onion, optional
3-4 oz pepperjack cheese, shredded
6 ea tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
· Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk together until they look uniform. Season lightly.
· Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add onion, if using, and heat until fragrant. Add the frozen veggies and let the chill come off them slightly.
· Add the eggs to the pan and let cook without stirring for about a minute or two.
· Gently stir eggs and veggies to break up any egg clumps. Cook until eggs look moist but are not runny.
· Heat the tortillas slightly in the microwave or in an oven, just until they fold easily without tearing.
· Divide egg mixture and cheese among the 6 tortillas, fold sides in, then roll up tightly like a burrito.
· Eat as is or freeze in a single layer, then place in a resealable plastic bag for future use.
Pico de gallo
1 ea tomato, diced
2 Tbl onion, diced
1 ea garlic clove, minced
1 ea lime or lemon, juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Mix well together.
