Combat Food Insecurity
The Darwin and Barbara Burnett Method
Nine kids. One income, a teacher’s income.
Work 17-hour days. Expect little entertainment.
Work a full-time job, seasonal jobs, and home businesses.
No whining.
Get out of bed early. Stay out of bed and off the couch.
Glean potatoes, apples. Gather wild berries. Hunt.
When conditions allow, raise a garden. Raise rabbits, a calf, geese, chickens. Slaughter. Butcher.
Can, dry and store food.
Cook from scratch. Use basic ingredients; flour, rice, beans, vegetables.
Cook in large batches. Goulash, Spanish rice, soups, stews, pan muffins, fried or baked potatoes, pancakes, waffles, bread, casseroles. Hot cereal is cheap.
Plan ahead. Budget. Stretch a budget. Never buy junk food, prepared food.
Avoid fast food and restaurants.
Never waste a morsel. Keep and serve later. Meld into future dishes.
Refuse government aid, free school lunch, church charity.
Lunch: One peanut butter and honey sandwich, four carrot sticks, an apple.
Expect occasional hunger.
Fast two meals per month. Give money saved to “the poor” through the church.
Glean tomatoes and beans on the church welfare farm, “for the poor.”
Forego other spending. Wear undershirts until holes gape. Shop for clothes at the thrift store.
Never waste money on drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or electronic entertainment.
The dignity of self-reliance is not cheap. It is priceless.
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Goodness Is Cool 
Tom,
I was in a second-hand store today and happened to find a spiral-bound cookbook written by Barbara Burnett (printed 1981). After perusing and finding some AMAZING recipes, I had to google the author. I loved reading this post and a few of your other posts. I don’t know how the little cookbook made it from Montana to Arizona, but I’m sure glad it did.
Your parents(? right?) sound like amazing people. I can’t wait to delve into their recipes.