Making your groceries last longer

[Wannabefree]

fem that's what i do as well, though my animals don't get a whole lot, they do get what we won't consume within reasonable time. I keep a pig at all times, to eat anything the dogs and chickens won't/can't have. It works out well for us. Food recycling is great! If I feed it to the pig, it's turned to bacon eventually, and the chickens it makes eggs, so I don't see it as waste. Even with the dogs, it saves on their food, and they are the farm protection!

Marianne...20 pounds?! Wow! There is no way we waste that much here. I'd have a fit if we had to toss that much food Of course we have had years of practice reusing ingredients, know when to toss in the freezer, know when to haul out the dehydrator, give it to the pig etc. I do know some folks that toss that much probably every week, but certainly not here! We can't afford to throw out that much! Even at a rate of 4 pounds a week, that could be anywhere from $4-16 worth of food in a weeks time, or $18-72 a month....NOT happening!

 

[ORChick]

I figure between good planning, the food dehydrator, the chickens, and the compost pile not much goes to waste here. Dogs would help too, but the cats would object, and they don't see much reason to help in this matter.
Asparagus and herbs will keep for awhile longer if the ends are cut, and then (the ends) put in a container of water, like a bouquet. I usually put a plastic produce bag over them before putting in the fridge to keep the tops from drying out. I keep bread in the freezer, already sliced so only the needed amount gets pulled out. Bananas were a problem until I started dehydrating them. Neither of us particularly like banana bread, and DH doesn't like fresh bananas that have started to get spotty, but he absolutely adores banana chips. I'll have to try the veggie wash, and the lettuce in a jar.

 

[Marianne]

I keep thinking that one day I'll vacuum seal salads in jars. I have the hand held vacuum sealer and there's no shortage of lids here. I just haven't done it.

I first saw it at http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/how-to-make-salad-in-a-jar-2

 

[DimondaleBergs]

Does anyone know if you can freeze heavy cream in mason jars? And, if so, for how long? Thanks

 

[Marianne]

I recently put heavy cream in a mason jar and popped it in the freezer. If your freezer doesn't have the defrost cycle, why wouldn't it last for months? Or that's my thinking anyway. It's the self cleaning cycles that shorten the life or quality of frozen food - oh, and improper wrapping, etc.

 

[HEChicken]

We waste almost nothing here. I figure if I have to toss food in the trash, why bother spending time and money purchasing it and hauling it home - I may as well have just taken some cash and tossed THAT in the trash.

We favor casserole type dishes because we like to have leftovers in the fridge to heat up next day for lunch or what-have-you. I mostly stay cognizant of what's in there. On the rare occasion I forget about something and it gets past its prime, it goes to the dogs or the chickens. The chickens turn it into eggs or meat and the dogs protect them and our sheep/goats, plus let us know when people come down the drive, so they provide a service that is valuable to us.

I buy milk by the gallon and mostly we use the whole gallon. Occasionally milk will go sour and though the dogs were happy to have the sour milk poured on their food, I wanted to find a way for US to use it before it goes to the dogs. I discovered that sour milk makes the best pancakes (think buttermilk pancakes), so now whenever I make pancakes, someone wanders through and asks, "Milk go sour?" LOL.

 

[Denim Deb]

I need to find something to do w/sour milk. I've stopped buying gallons because I don't normally use the whole gallon quick enough and I don't remember to freeze part of it.

 

[Marianne]

I need to find something to do w/sour milk. I've stopped buying gallons because I don't normally use the whole gallon quick enough and I don't remember to freeze part of it.

Do you use your microwave? A gallon of milk in the microwave for just one minute on high will kill some of the bacteria that makes it spoil faster. That minute won't heat the milk up. It's supposed to last longer that way.
I've had milk issues here for the past year or better. You can add something acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, heat it on the stove and skim off the ricotta cheese. Save the whey for baking, of course. I freeze all my whey in ice cube trays, then pop 'em in a gallon bag. Perfect for biscuits, waffles, soaked grains, beans, you name it.
We were having a lot of ricotta for a while. DH kept coming home with more and more milk, forgetting that he bought some just a day or two before. BUT I made crepes with sweet cheese filling that was really good, and froze some of the ricotta to use in lasagna. (Thanks to all that suggested that back in the day.)

 

[frustratedearthmother]

If my raw goat milk goes 'sour' I call it clabber and eat it up! My dad said that he grew up eating clabber sprinkled with brown sugar or maple syrup. That is some GOOD stuff, but I try not to do that too often.

The dogs love it and so do the chickens... but they have to wait in line cuz clabber is good for lots of stuff. It's great in baked goods and I think it's pretty interchangeable with sour cream and yogurt. I've sliced bananas into it and sweetened that with a little stevia - man oh man!

 

[Denim Deb]

Marianne, I've been wanting to look into making some kind of cheese w/the milk, just haven't had the time to really try to figure it out. Right now, I have about half a gallon in the freezer.