As a rubber tramp, I have EBT/SNAP (for the next 2-3 months until the Republicans take it away), 2 propane burners and Costco but no fridge (it needs servicing)

As a rubber tramp, I have EBT/SNAP (for the next 2-3 months until the Republicans take it away), 2 propane burners and Costco but no fridge (it needs servicing). It’s often buy fresh as-needed, which is expensive, or buy things that keep like protein bars and bag of rice/lentil/quinoa. Giving homeless people canned goods is a waste because they usually require can openers or are too heavy for the amount of food contained. Grocery Outlet and WinCo often have hydroponic LiveLettuce for cheap that keeps for a long time. Apples and some citrus last. I wish I had fresh tomatoes, they’re so good. Fresh tomato, basil, onion and garlic salad is to die for: see FrenchGuyCooking on IG. If I had a solar-powered hydroponic greenhouse trailer, I’d grow all of my own vegetables. One modern adaptation is some farmer’s markets take EBT and offer extra incentives... which all well-and-good if you have refrigeration. The bigger problem in the produce industry is the parallels with swipe dating apps: optimizing for looks, but not taste or nutrition... hence why store-bought vegetables taste like cardboard. As an example, a former coworker had a job at one of those fruit stands. Blemished fruits and vegetables were fine to eat but wouldn’t sell, so they went into pies and soups. It seems to me shrewd farmers and shoppers would find a way to rate/compete produce, shorten the supply chain and deliver naturally-ripened food. Finally, a Russian hustler friend of mine fregans all sorts of stuff: steaks, salads, takeaway meals, whatever. I should do that more TBH because expiration dates are very conservative.