It's come to that time of year once again. Our freezer is still full, yet we need to make a lot of room for this year's garden and foraging produce.
We have two choices. One, we could buy another freezer. Or two, we could eat down what we currently have. I won't lie. I did have a moment where I thought buying another freezer might be a good idea. But my common sense kicked in, and we will once again try to eat up (or down) the freezers' (yes, multiple freezers) contents.
The first thing I need to do is take an inventory of the frozen vegetables in the chest freezer. Partially used opened bags of frozen vegetables have a way of drifting to the bottom of the freezer. I'm sure there are several open bags of peas in there. So, once I know what frozen veggies we have currently, I will limit what I buy in the way of frozen vegetables. I may use a small white board to track what vegetables still remain as we work toward eating down the freezer.
I should do the same with the frozen fruits, syrups, and fruit juices. I came across some dried figs and dried prunes in the freezer the other day. I am also aware that we have some remaining crab applesauce, crabapple juice, and blackberry juice. Do you have any suggestions for using crab apple juice or blackberry juice in summer? We also have some frozen cherries for pies, too. I need to start making plans to use these fruits, especially as this year's cherries are almost ready for harvesting. But first I need to gather all of the containers into one space, perhaps using another whiteboard to help motivate me to use these produce items in a timely manner.
Next I need to corral all of the bread products into one bag and make plans to do a bread pudding, some croutons, bread stuffing, and/or a strata. We accumulate lots of lone slices of bread, squares of cornbread, and muffins. Finding them and keeping them in one spot will help me use them.
After the vegetables and bread products I think I should gather all of the containers of stock, drippings, and fat to keep in one spot and make plans to use it. Since I've been roasting whole chickens again (instead of using b/s breasts), I've made several batches of chicken stock. It's time I start using it up. Do you have any suggestions for using stock besides as the broth for soup?
That will leave frozen desserts (ice cream, sorbet) and individual servings of various meals. My husband is the only one in the family who will eat everything served to him. The rest of us tend to freeze our leftovers, which is great as we're technically not wasting that food. But it does accumulate. So, I need to get my daughters to help me identify those oddball containers of leftovers.
The one food category that I'm not at all concerned about is meat. I keep all of the meat together in the tiny freezer and sort through it every other week. I roughly know what beef, chicken, and pork we have on hand and am making plans for how to use the older cuts of meat soon.
Am I missing anything? Do you have a method of attack for cleaning out your freezer and eating down all of the contents? You can guess what I'll be doing this weekend.
Have a great weekend, friends!
I love what you're doing and can't wait to hear some hints on broth uses. I've been eating freezer stuff for a long time now and I know there are no bread products in the freezer nor pork products. I have a couple of beef roasts and some chicken. I have lots of shredded cabbage but very little bags of veggies from the grocery store. Very little ground beef as well. I found a bag of home frozen summer squash the other day and made a quiche with a couple of egg, the squash, bacon and ham, shredded mozz and cheddar cheese. Delicious! The only frozen fruit would be strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and peaches. Those we will use this summer as a refreshing treat after being outside in the heat. I have also entertained the idea of a second freezer but honestly that isn't the answer. The answer is eating down what's there and that works for us.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteYou're doing a good job using up what's in your freezers. It takes work and creativity to use up all of the foods that are not our go-to foods. But I think we both can do that, and have our families enjoy the meals we prepare. Great job, Alice!
I need to eat down my freezer as well. Our big family reunion is coming up in a week and I do have food that I will be taking to that, which will be helpful. I struggle with organizing my refrigerator freezer as well as our small chest freezer.
ReplyDeleteI too have just recently made some broth. I used it in the recipe that called for it (chicken tetrazzini that I was making to help our church feed our local lifeguards). I do use broth in grits when I make shrimp and grits and also use it instead of water for rice. I also cooked the noodles for the tetrazzini in broth to up the chicken flavor. Here where I live, we have a local clam chowder. Chicken broth is used in it so it is a clear chowder that highlights the clams and is lower in calories than the creamy New England style. Those are a few ways I’ve used broth in addition to soups. I’ll be eager to hear suggestions! Have a good weekend everyone!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
Hi Lynn,
DeleteThank you -- great uses for chicken broth! While I sometimes cook rice with stock, I hadn't thought to cook noodles in it. I bet that really improves the flavor. I'm definitely going to try that, and the grits, too. I just so happen to have a bag of grits in the pantry that I'm trying to use up. I think grits cooked in chicken stock will be on tonight's menu. Thank you!
Have a wonderful time at your family reunion! It sounds like fun.
Lynn and Lili -- You just reminded me, we use broth with the masa for tamales, too. Sara
DeleteHi Sara,
DeleteI bet those tamales are extra delicious, too! I used chicken stock in our grits tonight. there was enough fat in the stock container that I didn't need to add any butter. So, double win!
What a blessing to have full freezers! I've found for myself that I have to keep a log of what I have or I forget what's in there and with today's food prices I try not to waste anything.Every container I put masking tape on and write what is in it and every plastic bag I write what's in it and also the date.I also put all of the same things together instead of all over the place.Chicken broth is great for flavouring rice or making homemade chicken noodles like the knorr bags.Just add macaroni,minced carrot,onion,salt,pepper&parsley to just enough chicken broth to cook until tender.Add a tbsp. of margarine to it also,it will thicken from the macaroni.If you want it thicker just make a cornstarch slurry to add to it.It's also good for making gravy,especially poutine.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder that it is a blessing to have full freezers!!! Yes, indeed, it is a blessing. I just need to organize it better so I can make best use of this blessing.
DeleteOh yum, your recipe for Knorr-style chicken noodles sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing. I'll add that to my repertoire of new ways to use stock.
Great strategy, Lili! I'm with the last gal who said they have to keep a log. I always used to, and it was a HUGE help; but I can't keep one accurate now, with two other people getting in and out of the freezers. I used to leave my meat inventory actually taped to the outside of the meat freezer with a pencil on a string to cross things off as I used them. My strategy now is to try and keep food grouped properly, so I at least know where to look for bread products, cooked meat, etc. I was thinking the fruit juices might be tasty mixed with sparkling water (a friend's doctor mom used to serve us that in the summer for a treat.) If there's more, maybe freezer jelly? I agree with the other ladies about using broth to flavor rice or other grainstuffs. I have an herbed rice recipe we've been eating lately, which is fine with water, but super-tasty with broth. I also love to have it for gravy, instead of bouillon. We also sip it as a hot beverage, instead of tea or coffee. It's very healthy for joints, skin, etc.; but don't drink a lot. It upsets some people's digestion. Good eating! Sara
ReplyDeleteHi Sara,
DeleteThank you for your organizing tips. I did make an inventory of the frozen fruits and vegetables as I cleaned. And I do keep all of the meats in one space, so like you, as I go in and out of that freezer, I take mental note of what we have and what to use more sparingly or deliberately.
I love fruit juices with sparkling water. It's a healthier version of soda. I'll add using the blackberry juice mixed with water to my list of ways to use up the juices. I'll have to give the crabapple juice a try that way as well. Crabapples have an astringency that I usually cover up with spices and sweetening in making hot cider.
That's another great suggestion -- to drink the chicken and beef broth as a hot beverage. I will certainly do that.
Thanks for all of the suggestions!
My favorite way to use blackberry juice is to make blackberry lemonade! It is so refreshing, only requires some lemon juice, sugar, water, and ice. If making blackberry jelly or juice, I give the blackberry pulp and seeds one more boil in water, let that liquid cool, then add lemon juice, jug at, and water. Also use pretty much all fruit peels to make “juice” for the liquid portion of lemonade. My favorites are blackberry, peach, and pear. My favorite part of this custom lemonade is controlling the sweetness. Also great added to tea!
ReplyDeleteFor broth, my favorite way to use it is in homemade ramen. You can get fancier noodles or just the really inexpensive bricks of ramen. I use homemade broth for the cooking liquid and all kinds of proteins, veggies, and seasonings for a complete meal. Homemade ramen is a great way to use up small amounts of veggies, meats, and eggs. Preferred seasoning for ramen include white pepper, ginger, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and even a tiny bit of white vinegar. All pantry staples! Also with Asain meals in mind, homemade broth can be used to make a simple egg drop or egg flower soup, as well as a hot and sour soup.
Hope these ideas help!
These are some really great suggestions! I will make some blackberry lemonade for sure this summer. It sounds so refreshing! And I love your ideas for ramen and egg drop soup. I'd forgotten about egg drop soup. I used to make that for lunches often and somehow just forgot about it. I will be doing something along both lines very soon.
DeleteThank you very much for offering suggestions!
Good luck with your freezer challenge. I always find some interesting things when I organize our freezer. Live and Learn
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteThank you for the good wishes. It's surprising what we can toss into the freezer and then totally forget. I found some wonderful treat items in one of the freezers.
Use a dry erase marker to create an inventory right on your freezers. Easy to update. When you put something in, add it immediately. Take something out, adjust your count. I also use the canvas shopping bags to group things together. No plastic bags, it has to allow air flow. Easy to grab the handles and pull the bags up to get to bags underneath. Much better than dangling head first into a chest freezer trying to reach something on the bottom. I also use plastic milk crates to keep things divided. Easy to stack and lift out. Found out years ago that just tossing everything in created a jumbled pile and wasted my time and food wasn’t being used because it was too hard to get to. We use ground beef more often than roasts, so the roasts are stacked in the milk crate on the bottom with a milk crate of rolls of ground beef on top. Easy enough to lift the crate of ground beef to get to the roasts. I have multiple freezers so I keep beef, pork, chicken, fish, lamb, etc. in one and vegetables, fruits, broths, breads, desserts, frozen pizzas, etc. in another. My little 5 cubic foot freezer is where I keep some overflow in the bottom and water pops, ice cream, etc. up top because it’s easier for the grandkids to reach in the little one. As I type this I realize I’ve turned into my mother.
ReplyDeleteHi friend,
DeleteI love the idea of using milk crates to stack and lift out, as needed. And how you manage roasts vs ground beef is similar to what I did with our frozen fruits and vegetables -- I put the most frequently needed foods on top. In my case, that was a bag of open packages of vegetables. We need to access those almost daily, and this makes sure we check for opened packages before opening a new one.
Thank you for your tips! You've clearly thought this all through.