the freezer challenge: week 1
last summer i went a little crazy. i’m not sure if i was preparing for the end of the world or the great rapture, but i canned, preserved, and froze food until i was left with battle scars & a full pantry. i also stocked up on meats & grains in bulk. like i said, i’m not sure what i was thinking, but at the end of the winter, we were still left with a freezer full of food. i don’t even want to mention the 20 lb. of organic chicken breast in my mother-in-law’s freezer… anyway.
once my weekly rant of “we need more storage! we have too much crap!” resided one afternoon last week, i decided to actually follow my own life mantra & began sorting through our belongings with simplicity in mind. once i got to the kitchen, i was forced to face my overwhelming freezer. i tossed unrecognizable foods in plastic bags & freezer-burned bread. i used a damp cloth to pry gooey substances from the bottom & scrubbed the rest. i made a list of what was left & organized until late into the evening. i was left with this:
the contents of my freezer:
animal protein-
4 packages of deer hamburger
2 lamb livers
1 package of ground lamb
1 package of deer sausage
1 package of frozen deer meatballs
1 package of lamb ribs
1 ham hock
1 package of beef stock bones
1 chopped sirloin
20 lb. chicken breast
1 frozen bag of acorn squash & sausage stuffing
meal ready-
freezer bag full of frozen ice cube sized basil
freezer bag full of frozen ice cube sized pesto
freezer bag of swiss chard
frozen tomato soup (serving size 2)
2 bags of hot peppers (for salsa making)
freezer bag of skinned tomatoes
box of morningstar veggie burgers
fruit-
2 gallons of strawberries
3 ripe bananas
freezer bag of black cherries
dole brand bag full of mango, pineapple and strawberries
2 jars of peach conserve
1 gallon of blueberries
small tub of homemade cookie dough
with plenty of food still packed in my small freezer & a tight budget in mind, i plan to use at least half of this food during the month of may. each thursday i will check-in with my progress & possibly include a recipe or two. at the end of the month, i will report the leftover food in our freezer & photos for proof!
i never really thought i would write about my freezer, but sometimes i have to unearth those not-so-glamorous parts of my life. also, you guys keep me accountable & i hold zero willpower without accountability. in case you are totally uninterested by my freezer challenge, avoid this blog every thursday during the month of may! for the rest of you, i hope you feel just a little more inspired to make your list & join the freezer challenge!
week 1 progress:
+ blt sandwiches (goodbye, bacon!)
+ tomato soup
a slow start, but i plan to kick it in gear this upcoming week! who’s with me?!
love,
natalie
bridgmanpottery | 11th May 12
you have all of that in your fridge freezer?! Wow. We bought a small upright freezer for our basement. I'm using the last gallon of my cherry tomatoes for my bookclub dinner dish this weekend. I'm good about cycling through the basement (upright)freezer, but the fridge freezer is a hot mess. I'll join you in eating it clean (except for the meat. my fellas will eat that).
abby | 11th May 12
wow, your freezer is STOCKED! Well done on the cleanout. I actually love this sort of home organization / planning stuff, so I will be checking back 🙂 In our freezer it is pretty consistent all year round… frozen mangos, blueberries raspberries… tortillas… the occasional amy's meal… frozen garden kale… OH can't forget the haagen dazs. This year though, I keep talking about getting a stand alone freezer for preserving garden harvests.
fawn & fern | 11th May 12
holy moly, my freezer is so empty compared to yours. I have a (small) bag of Cabot strawberries, a bag of broccoli, three ice cube trays (that are probably empty right now because i always forget to fill them up) & frozen kefir. You need less, I need more! ha! good luck & i am stoked to see the results & get inspired by some recipes!
Kelton | 13th May 12
this is so great. i really like these kind of things and can't wait to check back. good luck!
Anonymous | 17th May 12
Hey Natalie,
I hope your freezer week is going well! I think you might be finishing it up today. Freezing food is something I want to get into next winter in my little Saint Louis apartment. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy knowing that your blog was a large portion of the inspiration for my morning, here: http://dont-flinch.com/2012/05/17/fire-escape-gardener/
To summer projects,
Kait