16 Foods You Should Always Make & Not Buy

Creating rather than purchasing

....is much better for both the earth and yourself!

Creating instead of purchasing saves you money, reduces the amount of plastic in your life, and ultimately lowers your carbon footprint. It helps minimize the chemicals in your household, makes you more conscious of how you use resources, and allows you to express your true self through the art of making. When you're in control, you get to choose the flavors and scents, making customization an inherent benefit.

For your family and yourself, only the finest food will do.

Supermarket shelves may promise the best, but are organic, grass-fed, and sugar-free options always within budget? What if you could grow some of your food, supplementing your grocery needs and ensuring top quality? The deeper your connection to your food, from seed to plate, the more you'll appreciate it. And guess what? You'll likely waste less too.

Homemade Alternatives to Store-Bought Foods

Ditching processed foods is a win-win for your well-being and budget. To achieve this, you'll need to learn how to make many basic items at home. While a good cookbook can help you get started, there's nothing like hands-on experience to truly set you on your way.

Certainly, cooking at home not only saves money but also helps you avoid the questionable ingredients found in many commercially prepared foods. Additionally, it enhances your culinary skills. Before long, you'll have numerous homemade recipes memorized and ready to whip up whenever needed.

Learning how to make butter and fruit jam is wonderful, but you should also consider mastering the art of making nut butter. There's something truly delightful about peanut butter and strawberry jam toasted on homemade bread. If you've ever experienced the joy of this simple yet satisfying combination, you'll instantly appreciate the effort that goes into making it.

The beauty of making nut butter at home is that you can skip the sugar and palm oil, or any other additives you prefer to avoid. You have full control over the ingredients, ensuring a healthier and more personalized spread for yourself and your loved ones.

Ranch, French, chili-lime, honey-mustard, or balsamic vinaigrette—what's your choice for salad dressing? With so many options in the salad dressing aisle, it can be difficult to decide. However, once you glance at the ingredients, it becomes clear that making your own could save money and offer better quality.

Creating your food rather than buying it isn’t just about saving money. Predicting exactly how much you’ll save by making things at home instead of purchasing them from the store can be difficult. You might even spend more on premium ingredients, either to treat yourself or to craft handmade gifts for family and friends.

Let me be candid by stating that homemade pickles taste far superior to store-bought ones. Although there's a learning curve to consider when you're canning your own. If they aren’t as crunchy as you desire the first time around, keep trying. The next time you’re shopping for pickles, examine the ingredients and ask yourself if you're comfortable consuming them:

• artificial colors
• artificial flavors
• polysorbate 80
• sodium benzoate
• potassium sorbate
• potassium metabisulfite
• vast amounts of salt

If you prefer to avoid a few—or any—of those questionable ingredients, now is the perfect time to make instead of buy. Zucchini pickles are a refreshing change as well, and zucchini always grow abundantly. Green tomato pickles are another favorite and an excellent way to utilize unripe tomatoes.

Among the many benefits of eating yogurt, its probiotic content is often the most celebrated. Consuming sufficient probiotics is essential for optimal gut health. Fermented vegetables and fermented dairy are excellent sources of these beneficial bacteria. With numerous methods to make yogurt at home, it's worth a try. You can create creamy yogurt using a slow cooker, an oven, a dedicated yogurt maker, or a dehydrator!

While many are familiar with the smell of microwave popcorn, it's worth noting that it may not be the healthiest option. However, with a bit of space in your backyard and the right growing conditions, you can cultivate your popcorn at home. Popping it couldn’t be easier or tastier. Plus, it's another opportunity to enjoy some of that lovely homemade butter.

With the knowledge and experience of drying your herbs, you can now improve your skills by blending your spices to create delicious spice mixes. Even if you don't have your herb garden yet, you can still join in the fun of making your spice blends. Purchase dried herbs in bulk and blend them to perfection. Some spice mixes you may enjoy making instead of buying include homemade fajita seasoning, Italian seasoning, Greek dry rub, Jamaican curry powder, taco seasoning, and more. In addition to dried herbs, you may also want to invest in a dedicated spice grinder (which you won’t be using for coffee).

9. Pesto

If your garden blesses you with an abundance of basil leaves, making pesto is something you should learn to do instead of buying it.

Adventurous cooks can also enjoy making pesto by harvesting wild garlic, nettle, or garlic mustard. To prepare traditional basil pesto, you'll need fresh green leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt. Ideally, you'll have something homemade and delicious to spread it on or dip into it.

In just 20 minutes, with 1 quart of heavy cream and a pinch of salt, you can create your delicious homemade butter. You'll need a few common kitchen tools, but likely nothing you don't already have. Besides butter, you'll also get true buttermilk, perfect for making fluffy pancakes, biscuits, and more. Dogs love it too! Making butter at home is easy, saves money, allows you to add your favorite herbs for flavored butter, and you can freeze the buttermilk in an ice cube tray for later use. Nothing goes to waste!

Kids (big or small) have a knack for requesting it. But when store-bought varieties leave you wanting more, or your garden overflows with ripe tomatoes, there's no better time to make your ketchup. Ditch the processed stuff and create a taste sensation! Paired with homemade burgers and fries, this ketchup is sure to be a hit – they might even ask for extra help!

We've all seen it - a shopping cart overflowing with frozen fries. While there's nothing wrong with convenience, there's a world of flavor waiting for those willing to make their own.

Especially if you're a homegrown potato pro, there's no reason not to transform them into crispy, golden perfection. The beauty? You don't need fancy equipment - a cast iron skillet or your oven will do the trick!

Pair your homemade fries with some delicious homemade ketchup, and you've got a meal that celebrates real food, not just a trip to the store.

Does the thought of yogurt, cheese, or cow's milk leave you wanting more options? perhaps nut milk is worth considering. 

Yes, nuts can be pricey, but with their long lifespan, tree-grown origin, and often hand-harvested nature, it's easy to understand their value.

And if fresh, delicious "milk" is what you crave, Get crafty and make it yourself! This guide shows you how to make both almond and hazelnut milk, perfect for whipping up your favorite drinks or treating your dairy-free crew at your next coffee break.

Tinctures are frequently required when you're feeling unwell. However, by the time you need them, it's often too late to make them, as most herbal tinctures require 2-3 weeks to become potent. This is where store-bought tinctures come in handy, especially when you're adopting a natural, holistic approach to health and need a quick remedy.

Nevertheless, if you're proactive and have herbs, bottles, and alcohol prepared long before sore throats and colds strike, you can make your tinctures for a fraction of the cost.

When you start preserving foods at home to use more of what you have and reduce store-bought items, you'll naturally pay more attention to ingredients. You'll notice that sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, and various other sweeteners are pervasive. If you're aiming to cut down on sugar, you'll be pleased to know that making certain jams without any added sugar is entirely possible and has been done since the earliest jams were made.

For example, a thick plum jam requires only plums and apricot jam can be made similarly. You can even make applesauce without adding sugar. The possibilities for sugarless jams are endless once you learn how to preserve them yourself.