I've been busy like this little guy, storing up food for the winter.
It all started with so many zucchini and tomatoes I was overwhelmed, so I started slicing zucchini and freezing it in quart bags. I found I can freeze tomatoes whole and then bag them for use over the winter. No canning! This led to plugging in my dinosaur of an upright freezer and deciding if I'm going to run the classic appliance I'm going to fill it.
I have spent three weeks following the circulars from the four grocery stores within ten miles. I have so much chicken in the freezer we will be clucking by mid-January! Today I finally accomplished my goal and have stuffed the freezer. There is still room for whatever tomatoes and zucchini I will have, but this squirrel has prepared for winter. For whatever reason, pasta has been on sale all over, so the cupboards are packed with every variety imaginable. I have become a hoarder.
My apple tree produced tiny apples, perhaps because most of the growing season was in drought. I think I will freeze them whole and deal with peeling and coring what I take out to use as I use them. I happen to know someone with a magic pumpkin plant and maybe I will be one of the anointed and get a pumpkin to cut up and freeze. Pumpkin pie!
Something else; I'm thinking about turning off the satellite TV. I think I'll get one of those boxes that gives you digital service and dump the satellite. It's expensive and I watch it so little, I'm just thinking........ It feels like I'm preparing to go out into the wilds.
See what an economic downturn does for a person, gets you to look at life a little different. Trim the fat, stock up on sales and hang on.
12 comments:
Oh my! I can't imagine what you guys have to go through with all that canning & freezing & whatknot. We are blessed to get a variety of different fruit & vegetables all year round.
You are so right about looking at everything through different eyes with the current economic situation. We've made so many changes as far as cutting back..must heat the house through the winter ;) I applaud you for becoming a hoarder although I don't think that would be the correct moniker. I'm thinking "sage wise one" is better!
Ganeida, you remember my winter whining. And those frigid photos! We can have 'fresh' from the grocery store, or we can can or freeze or both. I don't can. : )
Alicia, I wish I knew years ago what I know now. But I guess we say that about a lot of things. I just paid for the first of three propane fills I get through the winter, so I know too well about the heating burden. Yikes! I like "sage wise one". I'll take it!
Wow Sandra! You have been busy! I found a fun vegetable cookbook called "Too Many Tomatoes: A cookbook for when your garden explodes." It has some interesting preparations and covers just about every vegetable.
I have an entire shelf in the freezer, three tiers high, of bags of frozen tomatoes. Dozens and dozens of them. They, along with the zucchini will make wonderful sauce for pasta during the winter. The cookbook sounds interesting. Are you back from the wilds of OK?
I'm coming back tomorrow. Evening flight, straight to dinner with Paul, off to a reunion in the morning, new job Monday morning. Life is getting back to normal!
Ah, and 3 dogs coming tomorrow at 5am. That will make for 9 total. It will be a circus around here. My goal is to stay somewhat clean before I get on the plane...but I think this is wishful thinking.
Wow!! In Vegas digital cable is way more expensive than dish!
You are being so creative....and creativity is fun!
Good luck with staying clean!
Queen, I live in the country, so cable isn't an option. The box I'm talking about let's older TV's pick up the digital signal to pick up local channels. My TV's are on the older side. : )
Judy, your kind of creativity is fun! What's for dinner? CHICKEN!
My mum has an apricot tree and it doesn't bare fruit like it use to due to drought also.
It's a shame I love fresh apricots and you can also make jam or stew them when the start to become over ripe.
home grown fruit and vege always taste so much better.
Love apricots, can't grow them here. : (
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