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

greent

Cherryfudge said:

greent said:

Cupboards and freezers are groaning - so the *plan* is to use lots of things up in the first 2-3 weeks of this month

I imagine a lot of us are trying to 'eat down the freezer' in readiness for those supermarket discount veg! That's assuming they do them this year. They have to, haven't they? I mean, it's tradition now.

What are people's plans for eating through all that stuff? If you don't have a plan (I don't), where are you going to start? I'm going to defrost some berries as we like to have them on our cereal and have finished the fresh ones. I need to do some pomegranate seeds too: they've been in the freezer far too long.

A1di and Lid1 have already both announced that they'll be doing 8p veg 😁

No real plan to use things up, other than not buying too much new stuff! I'm also losing weight, so am trying not too each too much/ too calorific things before we get to Xmas week (Xmas nights out are an exception!) 

I also have some already-made meals that would create space in the freezer and I know some of those would be suitable for work lunches on some longer days I have coming up. I've got a couple of chickens (possibly 3??) in one of the garage freezers so will do at least 1 roast dinner, too - that will clear the space of the chicken from the freezer, along with parboiled parsnips and chopped leeks from there- and also tidy up some of the random veg in the fridge. I may do it this coming weekend, if we don't have much on 😁

Cherryfudge

You are off to a flying start, @LotsOfTea! You're right about frozen meals: I like the feeling when I can say 'I used up...' instead of shoving half a bag of something back in.

When I inspected the pumpkins, one had gone off inside so I fed it to the compost and used the largest remaining one (still small) in place of a butternut squash in a spicy soup. It was really nice and I'm putting two portions in the fridge for another day and giving the rest to family.

Next up was a spiced bread pudding, using up the end of a loaf of bread, the dried mixed fruit, a few very small foraged apples, some long life milk and eggs. I had to throw out some other eggs as they didn't pass the float test, and some pears and a pepper had to go too.

Fridge clean has been started but not finished. I've chopped more citrus peel for miser's marmalade (I hope I can find the recipe again; I'm only about a quarter of the way through collecting the peel) and lastly, I made a big batch of curry that we've had for tea and which should do several more meals.

It's a good job I like cooking, that was rather a mammoth session. I now need to restock some tins but I think it's the first time ever when I've not carried half a jar of mixed dried fruit over into the next year.

Cherryfudge

I found the marmalade recipe so I thought I'd share it: Shirley Goode's Misers Marmalade recipe made from leftover orange peel — MoneySavingExpert Forum

There's another version on the same thread, immediately below, which is the one I was thinking of trying.

Cherryfudge

Yesterday we had more of the curry (still plenty left!) - DH had a baked potato with his and I finished off the mash I froze the other week. That's the last of the September freebie potatoes gone!

About half the pumpkin and chickpea soup has gone to DDiL and I've remembered to defrost frozen berries to put on cereal. The freezer is still, to all intents and purposes, full.

Today I'm defrosting the remains of the pomegranate seeds to put on cereal, and a handful of peppers too (lucky escape as I nearly used chillis). I found another bag of citrus peel, so I'm closer to target than I realised, but that's had to go back in for now.

How is everyone else doing? I'm finding I'm being a bit more proactive now that I'm posting my progress!

greent

I had a ready-to-reheat meal yesterday for lunch, so that was a tub out of there. Dinner last night (and lunch today) was bottom of the fridge soup, so that saved some waste. No idea what to do for dinner tonight - I'm hungry, so fancy something quite substantial 😊

Cherryfudge

Just when I make a bit of freezer space, I've refilled it with avocado that couldn't really hold out much longer in the fridge, and some chopped up bits of apple to add to some pudding some time.

I have, however, eaten half an avocado with tuna for lunch and finished the posh biscuits I bought when a friend came round, and the sweet chilli crackers too. We had more of the curry for dinner: I think there's one portion left now and I was so glad I batch-cooked on Monday because we've been able to eat well even though we were juggling child care and me having a cold.

Cherryfudge

I've finished the soup I made the other day for lunch and added cubes of cooked beetroot found in the freezer. It made a novel and eye-catching topper for a tawny soup and I'd have it again.

Also while exploring the freezer. I found salmon for Saturday's dinner and liver and bacon for Sunday's and we've now defrosted the last of the pomegranate seeds and fruits of the forest. Once those meals are eaten, I will have a bit of space, which is as well because Adl1 have released details of what will be their Christmas veg discounts.

I need to replace stocks of tinned tomatoes and chickpeas but that's all part of the plan.

Wraithlady

I really must start making inroads into my packed-to-the-density-of-a-black-hole chest freezer - there's very little room in quite a large appliance.

However, we'll be using the YS pork joint for pulled pork next weekend  and Xmas/New Year will take care of the baby-shark sized sea trout, pizza bases, at least 1 pheasant and a lot of the frozen fruit. Just need to find out what to do with the 2 packs of cheap duck liver that's been in there for a while.

Cherryfudge

Wraithlady said:

Just need to find out what to do with the 2 packs of cheap duck liver that's been in there for a while.

Pate? Then you could pot it up nicely and give some as gifts (or eat it yourself of course - I love pate).

Wraithlady

Actually, was thinking of pate - the festive season nearly upon us and all.

Think it may have to be done