She makes her own jams and jellies; she preserves, cans and freezes.
But even Duttlinger is feeling a pinch at the grocery store these days.
"Milk is expensive, bread is expensive," she said. "I always shop for sales, but I can spend $75 in a week; it's surprising how quickly it all adds up."
It's adding up more quickly than it used to; in fact, food prices were up 3.9 percent nationally this May over last, according to the Consumer Price Index released by the federal government. Closer to home, the numbers show that in large counties in the Midwest, which includes both Lake and Porter in Indiana, food prices rose 3.4 percent over last year.
"That's less than the national average, but it's still significant," Ephraim Leibtag, economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said. "That's large enough that you're going to notice it."
The main culprits: milk and other dairy products, a variety of produce, and just about anything that uses corn in its production or ingredients. The reasons are varied, but the bottom line is the same -- food costs more money these days.
There is a confluence of world and national events causing some of the higher prices, food experts say.
For dairy products, it's a combination of increased demand both domestically and internationally, said Chip Kunde, senior vice president on International Dairy Foods Association.
"What's going on in the international markets is driving the prices up," he said. "We're seeing an increased demand for milk products overseas, in China and in Europe, and we're serving markets that we haven't served before."
The overseas market in the past, he said, has been primarily served by Australia and New Zealand, which are now feeling the effects of a long-term drought. Add the uncooperative weather conditions to the fact that the cows there are pasture-fed, leading to limited lactation, and their capacity to serve the market has been diminished. So the United States is working to fill the gap.
Here in the states, Kunde said, milk consumption isn't on the rise, but cheese consumption is.
"We love our cheese pizza in America," he said. "In fact, the Italian cheeses, like mozzarella, in particular, are leading the charge."
Even whey, a byproduct in the production of cheese, is in high demand, he said, as a protein in energy drinks and nutritional supplements.
"Even with our increased capacity -- and our farmers are getting better every year -- there comes a point where demand outsizes the supply, and the prices go up."
But that's not all that's influencing those register receipts.
Weather conditions -- like a deep freeze in California earlier this year -- are affecting the prices of produce like navel oranges, lettuce, avocados and strawberries. Also, as anyone who's watched the numbers spin at the gas pump knows, fuel prices have been skyrocketing. And ethanol, which uses corn in its production, is being touted as a viable alternative to traditional gasoline. That puts a whole new spin on the corn market.
"Anything related to corn, you're going to see higher prices," Nikky Retzner, extension educator for agriculture and natural resources for the Lake County Extension Service, said. "That means meat, cereal, poultry, even those items, possibly, that use corn oil, like potato chips. There's a larger demand for corn, and some of that's showing -- it's supply and demand."
Whether the supply may catch up with the demand is hard to say, she said. Farmers who normally rotate their corn crop will need to decide if the cost entailed in replanting corn after corn is worthwhile.
"Corn pulls out different nutrients than, say, soybeans, from the soil, and it attracts a specific set of insects," she said. "That can mean increased costs in fertilizer and pesticides; (farmers) need to compare the costs, and weigh the decision."
Ethanol supporters note that even after corn is used for ethanol production, the distillers' dried grains can still be put back into the feed supply.
But it's the unknown that might ultimately drive up prices, Kunde said.
"What's driving the price of corn is speculation," he said. "They're speculating there's going to be a huge demand for corn, but most of it, right now, is just speculation. They're increasing production, certainly; there are ethanol plants going up all across the country. The question is how much and what will the long-term effect be on corn going into feed or food? But it's a hot market, and when there's a hot market, people want to get in. That's one of the factors driving up corn futures, and corn futures are what determine the price."
Retzner agrees it's hard to predict the future. "The corn market is up in the air," she said. "It's anyone's guess."
In the trenches, it's the shoppers who end up making the tough decisions of what goes in the cart and what stays on the shelf.
Quanda Davis of Gary tries to ease the costs by keeping an eye out for bargains.
"I clip coupons and I look for sales in the paper," she said. "I used to go to just one store, but now that prices are up, I'll look at what's on sale at Meijer, Stracks, PayLow, and the store that has the best prices on what I need that week is where I'll go."
If there's a higher-priced staple she needs -- like milk -- she'll try to cut back on other items. Still, she said, she may end up spending $150 in a week.
"I'm not going to say, 'We're not drinking milk this week,'" said Davis, who shops for her husband and child. "I'll see if I can trim from somewhere else. So I've had to change some as prices have gone up."
Rebecca Wilkerson of Hobart sets a strict budget for herself when she shops.
"I give myself $85 a week -- and that includes diapers," she said. "It used to be $50 a week, and that's where my thriftiness really got interesting."
She keeps an eye out for low prices, looks for sales at places like the discount chains and cuts back where she needs to.
"For milk, I used to buy three or four gallons a week, now I buy two," said the wife and mother of two. "It's just out of hand."
Little savings add up, Wilkerson said.
"Saving 5 cents isn't much," she said. "But if you can save 5 cents on everything, then you'll end up saving some money."