Illinois isn't particularly sparsely populated compared with the rural areas of the Dakotas and Montana. It's not uncommon to drive over 20 miles for groceries.

Illinois isn't particularly sparsely populated compared with the rural areas of the Dakotas and Montana. It's not uncommon to drive over 20 miles for groceries. Closer towns might have a convenience/general store, but prices will be high and selection minimal. You might make the trip only every other week, though. People tend to have freezers and root cellars to store the food they raise themselves. Canning, sadly, seems to be a lost art.