She left quite a few years ago after becoming offended by some comments about her posts. Unfortunate, really, because I enjoyed reading them.

Thank you, Olychick. That is unfortunate. She did know a lot, and I, too, enjoyed reading them.

She was a bit overbearing and pedantic - I think because of all the years she spent as a teacher - and she rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, as they may have seen her as talking down to them, in the way some teachers do.

She did have a lot of information but was not good at having friendly conversations. A lot of what she posted came across as lectures, and she could not handle criticism, which is a major personality flaw IMO. She attacked people who disagreed with her. At least that's how I remember her. If I did not agree with her, I kept it to myself.

Thanks for that posting about Grainlady Lars as it sort of lines up with my thinking. I used to read some peoples glowing descriptions of her and thought that I must not be right thinking of her because it wasn’t how I felt.

I’m sure she was very knowledgeable about certain things but quite frankly I wouldn’t know because I couldn’t bring myself to read her posts.

I saw her that way, too, Lars, and must admit i rather enjoyed watching a spat or two. She was definitely useful, though. I always wondered how old she was—she seemed to live in the wrong century.

She was a wealth of information. Personally, I miss her being here! I do often wonder what ever became of her, I wonder if she's still living...this came to mind after hearing of LindaC's passing. :( I also feel that some of what she had to say was a bit over the top.

I missed what y'all are talking about. I found her generous and full of great knowledge. She did once get tired of my questions and told me to read the book—a book I owned but which was very hard to read for content. I didn't take it badly. She gave so much, I think she had the right to draw a line. Around the time she left, I'm pretty sure she was in her early 60’s. I do know she danced around the kitchen to heavy metal. She lived (I assume ”lives” but our interactions are in the past—I don't want this to sound like a eulogy!) — she lived what she taught, a lot of which was how to eat well with very few resources, especially seniors on fixed incomes trying to cling to their dignity. She helped! She did the things she suggested, confirming that they worked. I found her to be deeply knowledgeable and of demonstrable integrity. I learned a huge amount from her.

She was a big proponent of dehydrated foods, and so I started dehydrating things that I grew and also bought more dehydrated vegetables, especially because they were convenient to store and did not take up freezer space. Some I liked, and some I didn't.

Plllog wrote “I do know she danced around the kitchen to heavy metal.” Somehow, Plllog, I cannot imagine that! Waltzing to Strauss seems more like it to me. She was indeed very generous with her time and knowledge whilst also being somewhat pedantic. She knew her stuff! I hope she is alive and well.

Of course, we only know by her self report, but she's the right age to have been listening to heavy metal from its beginning, in her youth. I'm kind of surprised by the idea of her being prim or a fuddyduddy. She has a sly sense of humor and can laugh at herself. She does, as you say, know her stuff. If she drifted into pedantry, it never bothered me. I try to keep it real, but am usually tired when I'm posting, and my tone can slip, I daresay I might drift into pedantry myself, though never on purpose.

I didn't connect her bossiness to being a teacher, but that very well may be why it often seemed like she was lecturing. Like some others I found her to be overbearing much of the time, but she was generous in sharing information.

Annie

I asked what I thought was a simple question and she she ripped me. I never replied to her again. She had posted a recipe for a soup and I asked what was the difference between Minestrome and regular vregetable soup that I had alway made.

Her last post was about buying huge bags of frozen mixed vegetables and dumping them out and seperating into each type of vegetable, and packaging seperate and refreezing. People commented about how wasteful timewise that was and she went ballistic again, just like she did with me. That is when she quit posting.

I do not miss her at all.

I remember her, and miss her. She was pandantic, but I also tend to lean there so it was something I appreciated. I can also fully understand why it was not everyones cup of tea.

I remember the peas and carrots, I found the idea of separating them to be ridiculous, but also found the resulting disagreement a ridiculous reason to step away. But then, I think arguments that drive people away tend to be excuses they were already looking for, to leave.

Frugality was her thing, I think she allowed herself something unthinkable like $10 a weekfor food, seemingly out of sport more than need. Bubble wrap covered her windows in the winter both to insulate the house and harness the sun. The sun she wasn’t already harnessing with her solar oven.

This might not have been the greatest place for her as most of us come here to discuss cooking for enjoyment not basic survival. While she had a lot to say, like plllog my memories of her are not as an unfriendly or aggressive poster. I mean, we all have our moments.

I remember the veg thing vaugely. I think at the time many frugal things and prepper things kind of got lumped and dumped on. Made me less than inclined to enthuse about dehydrating, canning, and other processing. A decade later, and I still practice many of these things. Right now I got heaps of citrus in the dehydrator :) Being frugal and prepping with food might become more popular now with some of the food prices and a lot of spring coming.

Yes! Grainlady's frugality was a living experiment, so she could teach her students eating well on practically nothing, since they had no choice.

I also remember that discussion, as my point then was that many elderly people have vision and dexterity problems and expecting them to sort the peas from the carrots was unrealistic. I thought of my Grandmother, who never went to high school and never got a driver's license. Her husband died when my Mother was about 10, and Grandma was left with 3 children to raise alone. She took in laundry, she cleaned houses, she did whatever she had to so her children didn't starve, and my Mother often talked about the lard and sugar sandwiches she carried to school. If Grandma had been presented with the option of sorting vegetables she would have snorted and told the presenter to go straight to the devil, because Grandma didn't curse. Just eat the vegetables and be glad it wasn't lard and sugar sandwiches, I guess. I spent some of my childhood poor and supper was often cornmeal mush or "whatever my brother could shoot", so those mixed vegetables would have been a treat. Heck, I didn't even pick out the lima beans!

I also remember her expressing a distaste for the Amish community when I mentioned that they were good neighbors. Her reason was that she read or heard about a family of Amish that killed a litter of puppies by gassing them with car exhaust. When I pointed out that the Amish do not use such vehicles so that was not really possible and the ones I knew were very kind to their animals as their life depended on them for food, transportation and general farming she promptly got offended and said maybe it was a gas generator or maybe it was actually Hutterites, but in her opinion they were all terrible people.

It became apparent that discussion was impossible, she would tell me what to do and I would do that thing or be wrong and no alternative opinion would ever be allowed.

So, do I miss her? Because I dislike being condescended to I do not miss that part of her on-line personality, but I do miss some of the discussions she was a large part of.

Annie

I remember her huffy exit and I totally recall the frozen veg kerfuffle because I was one of those who questioned its practicality, since I imagined the veggies thawing before they were completely sorted, along with people like my elderly mom with limited vision and dexterity being able to manage the sorting in the first place.

Imagine picking through all those tiny pieces of corn, peas and carrots!

It's a shame, but over the many years on these forums, I've seen any number of people who declared they were done after perceived disrespect, some are all bluster, others not so much, it seems.

i missed the peas and carrots episodes and her exit. I’m pretty sure i would have been among the group thinking separating them was ridiculous. I did find her frugal tips useful, and though i dont remember if it was Grainlady’s suggestion for sure, I’ve always credited her with the bags of frozen vegetable ends and scrapings my kids laugh at whenever they see them in my freezer. They love the free soups I make with them, though.

Heh, I wouldn't think my mom could sort small frozen veggies in a timely manner. She would probably think it pretty silly. I am still able to do so. I choose not to, most of the time. I tend to dehydrate that sort of thing more and sort after drying rather than do it from frozen. I do occassionally score a big bag of a chunky mix, like broccoli, cauliflower, and summer squash. That I've divided up and rebagged for the freezer.

I'm not trying to argue the points you've brought up about those with limited abilities. Sure, it's not a fits all kind of thing, but I am a little confused. Surely those with limited vision, etc., are already being taken care of by family members or professional assistants, which seems to me to be a different population from those who go to these coping on their own skills classes? Obviously, one technique doesn't fit all. And I believe you about Grainlady's tone and insistence on her rightness, but if she was like that to me or in my sight, I don't remember it, so it must not have made an emotional impact. I thought she was funny, and I loved her growing up with the grain stories. I've known dustbowl refugees, but those are the only other grainbelt farmers I've met, and Grainlady's stories and perspectives of actually living there were really interesting. I really liked her.

Not everyone has someone to take care of them, even if they are old and elderly. Those are the people who are trying to take care of themselves. They don't even have to be poor, look at what happened with Gene Hackman and his wife. There were people to take care of them, but then there weren't, things happen. Some are childless or widow/widowers with families far away or they have outlived their families. Having arthritic hands or wearing hearing aids or glasses doesn't make a person unable to take care of their basic needs, that's completely different. I could take a shower, comb my hair, put on my clothes, drink my coffee and still be unable to sort tiny little pieces of frozen vegetables.

Annie

I definitely remember the sorting frozen vegetables thread and thought it was somewhat funny or ridiculous, and so I avoided it and did not comment. I knew that she had already made her mind up about it, and I also knew that she did not like others making suggestions to her - she was the only one who was supposed to make suggestions and it was her place to tell others what to do - not the other way around. She was the expert - no one else.

Because of this way of thinking, I avoided interacting with her.

Incidentally, she also recommended some horrible cookbooks, such as Bread Machines for Dummies. I looked at that book, and it basically had only one recipe, and all other recipes were simple variations from that one recipe. She touted it constantly, however. Other books that she recommended were also very much dumbed down, but maybe that's only what her students could understand. They certainly were not appropriate for most of the posters on this forum IMO.

I too have wondered about her. I remember the veggie post but stayed out of that one. If it was one thing she left me it with was her price book of groceries. You really start to see a pattern of sales. She purchased no meat over $1.99 and I have found that it can be easily done if you follow the 3 month cycle of meats offered by the stores.

People's tastes in other people, as in foods, differ a great deal It's kind of interesting to air them occasionally. Those who come off as bullies to one don't to another, and vice versa. Those who are delightful to one are ignored by the other, and vice versa. It's a funny world.

Annie, my point wasn't that a single strategem was useful for all, or that there's only one way to be financially poor. Just that the veg sorting is a clever way, at least to me, for some who are trying to maintain their ”normal” under greatly reduced circumstances. Keep the bag in the freezer. Scoop a cup or two into a cool dish. Use a teaspoon to scoot pieces around to different corners. Don't linger over little bits in the wrong piles. Scoot into waiting open containers in the freezer (or fridge!) and repeat. That's how I'd do it, trying to keep down the number of times the freezer is opened. Enjoy seven different vegetables during the week. Turn bargain buys into a game rather than a dissapointment.

Without wishing to belabor the point, the thing is, separately packaged frozen veggies do not cost more than mixed ones - IMPE, often it's the other way round.

carol, I was thinking the same thing. Personally, as if anyone would even care, (HA!) I wouldn't separate mixed vegetable. I can't see a point in it. What would I need only corn or only peas for and it wouldn't really be enough to make a dish. I am fine eating mixed vegetables as is.

Hahaha! You see what I mean about enjoying the discussions she caused. Now we're right back to the discussion on whether or not it's realistic to sort mixed vegetables.

Truthfully, if you want to sort mixed vegetables I don't have a problem at all, go for it. And, in the same vein, does anyone else notice the change in "mixed" vegetables? That used to be peas, corn, carrots, maybe green beans or lima beans. Now it's fancier, there's a California Blend with pea pods, and an Asian one with broccoli, cauliflower and water chestnuts, another with zucchini and cauliflower rice. I still see peas and carrots but very seldom see just an ordinary "mixed vegetable". Of course, I assume that means they can charge more...

Annie

I had the same experience with Grainlady that Plllog did. I just loved learning the stuff that she shared. Much like I love hear about Annie’s day. I was/am a city slicker with farmer girl fantasies and zero knowledge prior to this forum. I always thought she should write a book. I oftened saved info from her. I missed the dramatic exit 😂

Speaking of wishing for books. Am I the only one waiting for Dcarch to publish a coffee table book of food porn?

Have to smile--we do eat a lot of pea pods (sugar snaps and snowpeas) in California, but since we have just about everything, I'm always amused by what gets labelled "California". (Btw, inside of California, with avocado is called "with avocado" not "California" and I've always wondered if they call "with spinach" "Florentine" in Florence. :)) I don't think I've seen peas and carrots since I was a kid. It's probably in the stores, but the only vegetables I buy frozen are petit pois and baby limas, and see the pretty mixed bags in passing--and since nowadays one can often find bags of fresh, shelled English peas, not so much even of those.

Re the pricing, that was the only point of sorting the frozen vegetables. That the big bag of them, where she lived, was so much less expensive than individual ones (and one presumes than fresh as well). The sorting was to not get bored eating the same mix night after night, but to have them cost so much less.

I keep thinking of when I was just out of college and trying to live on the pittance I earned. Where I lived there were government subsidies for milk, local produce and cooking oil. I had a merry time inventing dishes from what was available. Like substituting local flatbreads for tortillas, and going Southern (Mexican) by using cabbage rather than California lettuce, and making tostadas. No pinto beans, but some local variety that was similar. Not exactly a taste of home, certainly not a taste of Mexico, but a good dish, nonetheless. It's a good thing where fresh vegetables are the affordable food.

You know, that is kind of interesting. According to the Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan is the 2nd most agriculturally diverse state in the US, we produce over 300 agricultural products, including dried beans, cherries, apples, etc. Yet I've never seen a "Michigan Mix" of vegetables, or a sushi Michigan roll or anything similar. I guess it doesn't have the same aura as California, LOL. We certainly grow snow and snap peas here, as well as mounds of shelled peas, yet the marketing agencies just keep referring to them in exotic terms while I walk out to the garden and grab a handful to munch on. I guess Michigan just needs better public relations.

Annie

No, folks in Florence (or Italy) don't really call things Florentine to mean it has spinach in it. The French came up with that, and it came to the Americas from there. There is food notably from Florence and called such, like Florentine steak. It's because of the cow the steak is cut from and the way the meat is handled.

Thanks, Beesneeds! I figured the spinach was not, but I didn't know the facts.

Annie, I think you'd have to go outside of Michigan to hear it called "Michigan", though the only one I know is tart cherries, and it's different. People say "California roll" (even here it's called California roll, though not "California burger" or any other such thing) because it has avocado in it. When we see "Michigan" tart cherries, it's because it has the real tart cherries from Michigan, not the wan imposters, which is different because it's something that only comes from Michigan, whereas avocadoes come from Mexico. My farther was from Michigan and he would get grumpy if people gave him West Coast cherry pie. He loved just about any pie, but the sweet cherry pie made him homesick "for the good stuff".

I did find this from the Google AI: A "Michigan" or "Michigan Dog" is a hot dog served in a split-top bun, topped with a specially seasoned meat sauce, and optionally with mustard and onions (which can be ordered on top or under the sauce). Michigan Sauce:The sauce is made with ground beef, tomato sauce, onion, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, and horseradish mustard. This hot dog is found in Plattsburgh, NY, though it originally came from Michigan.

This made me recall that not too long ago, I cooked a small bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, corn, green beans, peas) and topped it with butter, salt & pepper - it was delish 😊

Florentine comes from 1553 when Catherine de Medicis de Florence came to France to marry Henri II. She brought her chefs and lots of cooking materials as along with a love of spinach 🤔😂

Being another know-it-all, I have only fond memories of her.lol. I was fascinated to learn about how she lived. I don't remember her ever being unkind.

Thank-you! What an interesting history!

That IS interesting food history, Islay, I never really thought of it.

Plllog, I know about the Michigan Dog, and Michigan Coney Dogs and Michigan sauce, but I don't think those things are in the grocery store freezer case made by huge corporations, they are pretty much "local". Much like Vernor's Ginger Ale (the oldest soda in the US, according to the Dr. Pepper company who now owns it), Sanders Bumpy Cake and Made Rite Potato chips are all from Michigan and available commercially, but not called "Michigan" anything. Geez, we DO need better PR, LOL.

Yes, Michigan tart cherries are required for the "good" cherry pie, there is nothing quite like that sweet/tart taste. (Says the girl from Michigan, LOL) Unfortunately, Michigan cherries are not as prevalent because they cost more than the ones imported from Turkey, Serbia and Chile. Those are being marketed as "Montmorency" so consumers don't even know where they are from. 75% of the tart cherries in the US are grown here in Michigan and farmers are contemplating the end of cherry growing as no longer profitable as the imports get more common and farmers can't compete with the costs.

Annie

Heavens! PR needed is right! Once in awhile, I've seen fresh Michigan tart cherries in the fancy stores here, and we can get them dried sometimes. The cherry farmers need to get young influencers to promote tart cherry pie and drive up the demand! Send em' to California! In the cities, people will pay bold prices for interesting fresh produce.

True about the freezer case, but I'd never heard of those until your post. I don't know what that's about, unless the veg are from California. When I was a teen, we went on long trips all over the West, and my mother would be so disgusted in grocery stores with big signs touting ”California tomatoes” and other produce from here. She grew up in farm country. She'd pick though looking for something decent, and say, ”You can't get these in California. They're sending them the culls.” Calling avocado ”California” style is more a restaurant thing. That's what I was comparing the Michigan dog to.

Michigan also hosts Kellogg's cereal, the home of Gerber baby food, Vlasic pickles, many wines including St. Julians, and Jiffy baking mixes... Mackinac Island fudge, Detroit pizza, and olive burgers (yum). And Meijer grocery stores.

I thought the grainlady had a lot of good advice to offer. IIRC she taught classes for people who needed to make their small food budget go as far as possible. I agree, sorting frozen vegetables wouldn't have been my thing, but this thread seems to have turned into a bashing the grainlady column and she isn't here to defend herself.

Well, being from Michigan I'm all for Michigan products, but the Sanders Bumpy Cake is forever ruined. It's now a shadow of if it's former chocolatey, gooey glory of years past.

Many people don't know how large the agricultural industry is in Michigan. The Saginaw Valley is some of the most fertile land in the U.S., if not the entire world.

ETA: "I guess Michigan just needs better public relations."

This x1000.

We are just answering the question ”why”. It is not bashing.

Only grainlady truly knows why, so all this is speculation. Speaking ill of her is bashing.

Grainlady still seems to evoke strong reactions in some of us, nearly a decade after she left here.

Interesting! I guess I love nerds - as in people who have acquired a lot of knowledge about a specific subject. Such people can be oblivious to social cues and impatient with less obsessive folks. I think I found GL somewhat grumpy at times but I don’t remember being deeply offended by her. I vaguely remember the frozen food kerfuffle. I am definitely aware of socioeconomics in this group and found that drama another example of that. People reacting to their own experience and background and not being sensitive to the experiences of others. Her reaction and leaving disappointed me.

I really enjoyed Grainlady’s knowledge. I have never been someone who keeps years worth of food in storage in careful rotation (we all may need to start). I found her knowledge about other things helpful generally.