Use it up!

[patandchickens]

I'm going through one of my recurrent bouts of this, these days, and thought it would be good to a) lend and b) borrow <g> some moral support to/from others doing the same.

If you have *nothing* in your kitchen or pantry or freezer that is nearing the end of its shelf life and has been neglected because frankly you forgot you had it or no longer remember why you got it in the first place... then you can stop reading right now.

For the rest of us -- what are you doing to frugally use foodstuffs that you already have sitting around, to prevent them from dying of old age and being wasted?

Me, today: found a small container of bulgur of undetermined age, and some dried probably-basil-or-oregano; mixed both into hamburgers for dinner. Also found small tin of green curry paste lurking behind the Bisquick, and will make a chicken curry tomorrow.

I have noticed a significant number of older neglected bits-and-bobs in the cabinets recently, so this is only the beginning, for me. Some will probably get fed to chickens, but most of it I try to use in the house.

Howzbout you?


Pat, always feeling very stupid when I discover these things forgotten back there, but not seeming able to totally prevent them from accumulating

 

[freemotion]

Well, I have finally gotten militant about marking everything I buy or put up with a date! That has helped a lot. I have no problem simply tossing the old parsley, oregano, and other dried stuff when the new stuff is all in. I do offer it to those less fortunate....I don't say it is my old stuff, I just say I have too much. :/

I do tend to have grain products that have gone bad, especially since I started grinding my own grain. I have to go through all my old flours and bake up some breads for the hens. That can wait until all the harvest is in and the wood is stacked and the fencing is re-arranged for the new goat I might get. You know the drill.

I do have plenty of "What was I thinking?" items that I try to donate if I really don't want to use them. I don't force myself to consume everything. I like to enjoy my food, and it is good to donate, too.

I really have to be more careful now and not waste money by buying more than I can use. I mostly send dh to buy stuff because I tend to buy more than I need, with my stocking up instincts. Or buy more fresh stuff than I can cook with my work schedule.

 

[Dace]

Thanks you Pat for the reminder that I am not the only person who forgets stuff!

I had to throw away some napa cabbage that I had purchased to make kimchi and never got to it. It was moldy so I threw it away.

I was making pickles and found two lone cukes in a bag at the bottom of the veggie drawer....they were a tiny bit soft, so I sliced them up with the fresher cukes and tossed them into an ice bath for a couple of hours. Now they are happy little pickle slices.

Yesterday I found a couple of pieces of garlic bread that had been stuffed to the back of the fridge...I warmed one up for a snack.

That is about all I can think of

 

[keljonma]

I made veggie risotto yesterday with bits and bobs of fresh veggies that were given to me on Sunday but got hidden behind the milk in the fridge....

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

When I rotate my groceries, if I find something that's nearing it's shelf life, I pass it on to my mom. I know it will be used and appreciated.

 

[dragonlaurel]

When I moved into my DH's apartment, I found expiration dates that were scary! He hates to waste stuff.

We finally opened the can of spinach in the baacccckkkkk of the closet. It's date was fine, but neither of us like canned spinach. Yuck. Fresh or frozen from now on. He agreed to getting rid of the fish that was freezer burned 9 months ago. Yeah! Our stuff is current now.
We need to get more masking tape though. I like to write what it is and the date on anything I put in the freezer. If I buy cans that don't have a date, I will write the currnet month and year on when I store it. I use it within a year on those.

 

[davaroo]

I'm going through one of my recurrent bouts of this, these days, and thought it would be good to a) lend and b) borrow <g> some moral support to/from others doing the same.

If you have *nothing* in your kitchen or pantry or freezer that is nearing the end of its shelf life and has been neglected because frankly you forgot you had it or no longer remember why you got it in the first place... then you can stop reading right now.

For the rest of us -- what are you doing to frugally use foodstuffs that you already have sitting around, to prevent them from dying of old age and being wasted?

Me, today: found a small container of bulgur of undetermined age, and some dried probably-basil-or-oregano; mixed both into hamburgers for dinner. Also found small tin of green curry paste lurking behind the Bisquick, and will make a chicken curry tomorrow.

I have noticed a significant number of older neglected bits-and-bobs in the cabinets recently, so this is only the beginning, for me. Some will probably get fed to chickens, but most of it I try to use in the house.

Howzbout you?


Pat, always feeling very stupid when I discover these things forgotten back there, but not seeming able to totally prevent them from accumulating

I fall back on the age-old reliable, Pat - I make soup!

 

[SKR8PN]

I fall back on the age-old reliable, Pat - I make soup!

Us too!! BUT on the other hand, there are some things that ya just can't make into a decent, edible soup. THAT stuff goes onto the compost pile or gets fed to the chickens.

 

[prism]

I'm mostly a soup and then compost user upper. If it won't work in soup and is still edible but know I can't use it before it goes bad, I try to share it with someone that might be able to use it.

Can also extend the expiration by cooking a fresh, canned or frozen ingredient that is about to expire into a recipe and then freezing the cooked dish for the usual freezer storage time. Once made into something else, it takes on a new expiration date.

We've been vegetarians for several years now but have used that trick plenty of times for frozen raw meat that was thawed and not getting used up quick enough or meat about to get freezer burn. Not suppose to refreeze raw meat but can be refrozen if cooked. Certainly didn't want it to end up in the garbage. Good time to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce or lasagna to freeze or even thin slice a cooked steak and toss in the freezer for quick pepper steak sandwiches later.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

goes to the pigs if its not too far gone.

my problem is the bits and bobs of mustard, mayo etc thats in the fridge. i always save them but then never use them
:-(