Eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge - part two

FurryBeastOz

Out - the failed brownies. Discussed with DH. Not worth keeping even with custard. Was going to put them out for the birds, but did the google thing and as I suspected. Same as dogs. Big NONO.

Berry Breakfast Bake x 1, Breakfast SAusage Bonanza x 2.

Going in - Vegan Brownies. Absolutely delicious. Going to freeze because otherwise they are ALL going to get eaten.

Leftover curry. Not much considering. All demolished by guests last night.

zafiro1984

Anyone any ideas on what to do with loads of frozen runner beans. I sort of grew too many last year and froze the surplus. I'm getting fed up with them and they are not as nice once frozen as when they are fresh. My DH suggested feeding them to the hens (their other name is 'Small Dustbin') I must grow far less this year.

Primrose

Zafiro, I share your problem. This year I will grow more climbing French beans instead which freeze better but even so a surplus is still a problem. You could try a runner bean ratatouille using them with onions in a tomato sauce with pasta. Add some shopped bacon if you want some extra meat content.
Otherwise I!ve been using them up in minestrone soups.
They also go ok in a cheese and potato frittata .

Florence_J

Made a vegetable soup with fridge drawer veg, best soup I've made so far and it certainly wasn't due to the quality of the veg as they were going off!

Minimal shopping this week, but have due to birthdays and events been eating out a lot this week instead.

Ginmonster

Good using up again yesterday - I made a cauli & chickpea curry and added some powdered coconut milk I found lurking at the back of the cupboard and a spoonful of some onion marmalade that has been in the fridge for a million years at least. It worked out well. The onion marmalade is basically going to go in everything until it gets used up now as it also went in Saturday's carrot and orange soup and was good.


Dinner was pasta with leek, pepper, chilli pesto and a bag of salad leaves that needed using up chopped in.


The fridge is looking clear given that we're not due another veg box until a week on Thursday so I'm hopeful I can get rid of some cupboard and freezer stuff over the next week or so. Fingers crossed!

oldtractor

OUT of freezer milk and soup
IN nothing
freezer is about 1/3 empty now. when it gets 2 thirds empty I'll get everything out and defrost it.

zafiro1984

Primrose wrote: »

Zafiro, I share your problem. This year I will grow more climbing French beans instead which freeze better but even so a surplus is still a problem. You could try a runner bean ratatouille using them with onions in a tomato sauce with pasta. Add some shopped bacon if you want some extra meat content.
Otherwise I!ve been using them up in minestrone soups.
They also go ok in a cheese and potato frittata .

Thanks Primrose, certainly better ideas than mine. have you ever frozen the climbing french beans - I have, and I'm not keen as they were too watery on defrosting. Maybe it's the way I do it, I'm not sure. This year I'm only growing a few runners and a few french climbers but I'm growing a few dwarf french ones every month in my tunnel to try and get as long a crop as possible. The first batch are already coming into flower so I'll have some beans by the end of this month. The second batch have just been sown.

caronc

Runner beans are lovely in a curry or with beef and black bean sauce.

Missed posting the last couple of days but nothing in and a few bits out/used up.

Today:
In- nothing
Out - chicken leg, 2 slices of bread
Used up - 1/2 tin of baked beans

Primrose

zafiro1984 wrote: »

Thanks Primrose, certainly better ideas than mine. have you ever frozen the climbing french beans - I have, and I'm not keen as they were too watery on defrosting. Maybe it's the way I do it, I'm not sure. This year I'm only growing a few runners and a few french climbers but I'm growing a few dwarf french ones every month in my tunnel to try and get as long a crop as possible. The first batch are already coming into flower so I'll have some beans by the end of this month. The second batch have just been sown.

Yes I freeze climbing French beans. The trick is to blanch them for two minutes, drain them, wipe off all the moisture in a clean dry tea towel and then open freeze them on a flat tray or tin on the top of a freezer drawer until they're hard. (About an hour). Then bag them up up in whatever portion sizes are most convenient,

I,ve found that one of the things which makes frozen beans go mushy when boiled is having too much moisture in them. Freeze them in as dry a state as possible and only simmer them for a couple of minutes. Too many people overlook them.

zafiro1984

Thanks Caronc, I'll bear the curry thought in mind.

Out two turkey wings.
In milk.

I must get back to batch cooking and freezing before the veggies start coming in off the veg patch, if only to make more room in the freezers.