The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

Cherryfudge

Gammon again today - that big one I bought after Christmas is long-lasting! I have some sad veg to deal with, too.

Cherryfudge

There's a bit of cooked gammon left over, which I'd better freeze. The carrots are nearly finished but there are still parsnips and courgettes, and I feel guilty because some broccoli, yogurt and margarine had all gone off and had to go. However I made banana and blueberry muffins which also used some eggs, and I found blackberry jam in the emergency cupboard for DH.

I need to go to the shops tomorrow or the day after for milk and the tinned marmalade mix, and I want to do more baking to use up the eggs.

LotsOfTea

I also feel super guilty if I end up throwing food away @Cherryfudge but although that's the norm amongst all of us here I think lots of people are quite happy to just throw food away. I've been shocked seeing how most of my friends and family wouldn't even consider saving leftovers or using up bits and bobs from the fridge rather than chucking them. 

I didn't get round to making any of the things I'd planned yesterday but I did make a chickpea curry and some naan bread which we all enjoyed and there's plenty left in the fridge for DS & me to eat for tea tomorrow. I've got soup to use up for lunch today which is a bit meh so I'll add a good dollop of kimchi to it to add a bit of pizzazz. DS has a hot a meal at school today so he'll have something on toast for tea and I'm going to have an unlabelled mystery tub from the freezer. Exciting!

Nelliegrace

The Christmas price potatoes, carrots, parsnip, swede, and cabbages kept well in the garage. I have not wanted to go out in the very cold weather, so the stores have been useful.

Why does tinned evaporated milk change texture? I am sure it is a new thing. That needs sorting by date, and using up in my daily porridge. 

Aldi sold off their Winter blend ground coffee for 99p, so we are well stocked. 

The four hens are all laying, so we have not needed the 24 beaten eggs from the freezer. They will keep. I check the Defra UK map of bird flu cases regularly, in a bad year it affects egg prices and availability. 
https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8cb1883eda5547c6b91b5d5e6aeba90d

Spendywendywoo

LotsOfTea said:

I also feel super guilty if I end up throwing food away @Cherryfudge but although that's the norm amongst all of us here I think lots of people are quite happy to just throw food away. I've been shocked seeing how most of my friends and family wouldn't even consider saving leftovers or using up bits and bobs from the fridge rather than chucking them. 

I didn't get round to making any of the things I'd planned yesterday but I did make a chickpea curry and some naan bread which we all enjoyed and there's plenty left in the fridge for DS & me to eat for tea tomorrow. I've got soup to use up for lunch today which is a bit meh so I'll add a good dollop of kimchi to it to add a bit of pizzazz. DS has a hot a meal at school today so he'll have something on toast for tea and I'm going to have an unlabelled mystery tub from the freezer. Exciting!

I'm embarrassed to say that I was one of the people who would throw food away each week and then go to the shop and top up... LBM Dec '24 and I can safely say that the thought of doing that now makes me cringe. I have this morning just looked in the bread box and realised that I had some Soreen that's been open a few days, I have cut it into 4 small slices and popped them into the freezer, and updated my inventory, for future use

LotsOfTea

Spendywendywoo said:

LotsOfTea said:

I also feel super guilty if I end up throwing food away @Cherryfudge but although that's the no

I'm embarrassed to say that I was one of the people who would throw food away each week and then go to the shop and top up... LBM Dec '24 and I can safely say that the thought of doing that now makes me cringe. I have this morning just looked in the bread box and realised that I had some Soreen that's been open a few days, I have cut it into 4 small slices and popped them into the freezer, and updated my inventory, for future use

You're a much quicker learner than me though, for years I've been putting things unlabelled into the freezer only for them to effectively disappear into a black hole. You've got the sense to have an inventory. 👏

I did start labelling and keeping a list of everything from about may last year but I'm still dragging out stuff from the bottom of the freezer that's been in there 4 or 5 years. Apart from some veggie burgers going a bit dry it's all been pretty much ok but I am trying to be more organised!

Spendywendywoo

LotsOfTea said:

Spendywendywoo said:

LotsOfTea said:

I also feel super guilty if I end up throwing food away @Cherryfudge but although that's the no

I'm embarrassed to say that I was one of the people who would throw food away each week and then go to the shop and top up... LBM Dec '24 and I can safely say that the thought of doing that now makes me cringe. I have this morning just looked in the bread box and realised that I had some Soreen that's been open a few days, I have cut it into 4 small slices and popped them into the freezer, and updated my inventory, for future use

You're a much quicker learner than me though, for years I've been putting things unlabelled into the freezer only for them to effectively disappear into a black hole. You've got the sense to have an inventory. 👏

I did start labelling and keeping a list of everything from about may last year but I'm still dragging out stuff from the bottom of the freezer that's been in there 4 or 5 years. Apart from some veggie burgers going a bit dry it's all been pretty much ok but I am trying to be more organised!

I have only just started the inventory too... I don't mind a random mystery meal but DS certainly wouldn't lol x

Cherryfudge

Used some corned beef from the freezer today and there was a bit of 'freezer taste' to it. The freezer is cold but doesn't have a built in thermometer so I'm not sure how to check it's absolutely cold enough. I know from work it should be at least -18C. Having looked it up, I think the taste/smell is bacterial build up.  We need to make more effort to shut the door when just briefly using the freezer, but I need another onslaught of using things up and having a good clean out.

LotsOfTea

I've made a bit more progress at clearing down the freezer this week so far. I've used up a pack of veggie burgers, a tub of soup and an unlabelled tub which turned out to be a veggie chilli (thankfully!). The chest freezer is about half empty now which I'm really pleased about. 

I'm taking a sarnie to work for lunch and have some leftover pasta in cheese sauce to finish for tea tonight so that's all sorted but I'll need to make some more soup tomorrow for at home lunches. 

I've promised DS pizza at the weekend so I'll need to pop to the shops for some toppings bit don't need much else. 

Watty1

Love this thread - so - I can freeze eggs?  

(I'm buying them from a neighbour as her hens are beautifully kept and I want to be more mindful of where my food comes from and I've committed to buying them every week)

Slow cooker meal tonight: sausage casserole. Am adding the frozen wine from the freezer to it. Glad to have that gone, its been in there over five years I think.  Pleased to see the freezer still has lots of stuff in but not the random stuff collection I started with.

This week's sweet treat was banana bread with more of the spelt flour, realised it wasn't going to get eaten before it went off so popped four slices in the freezer.  The cupboard still seems overstuffed.