Early spring is a sparse time of year food-wise. The hoophouse greens were mostly eaten by voles last winter, except for the arugula and some kale. We still have garlic and a few squash stored. But no onions, carrots, parsnips or potatoes. Our root-saving capability is just not there. I tossed a fair number of potatoes into the compost because they were shriveled and sprouting. I could have planted them, but I have no desire to dig in the ice-cold soil yet.
On the upside, I found a baby garlic sprout under the mulch the other day. Very exciting!
So, feeling somewhat lacking in fresh food, it’s time to get serious about what is still in the freezer. It’s so easy to forget what’s available right here at home. So here goes.
Freezer compartment above refrigerator:
- Old stuff – Small amount of decaf coffee beans, jar of Brazil nuts, partial bag of commercial frozen corn, fist-size congealed clump of frozen banana
- Flours/grains – Little bag of whole wheat flour, bag of masa harina, bag of almond meal
- Herbs/flavorings – A few knobs of ginger, small bag of dill weed, a few disks of horseradish, packet of basil leaf
- Small bag of shredded zucchini (3 cups)
- Small bag of sliced okra
- Small bag of blueberries for morning cereal
- Small bag of diced jalapenos
Chest freezer:
- Dyeing – Bag of avocado waste and a gallon of walnut dye
- Squash – Bag of squash puree, 4 large bags of bite-sized squash, serving of spiced squash soup, serving of squash chili, 6 small containers of squash soup, two servings of pumpkin curry
- Tomatoes – 5 thin bags of pulp, 1 small bag of salsa
- Peppers – 1 serving of stuffed peppers, 4 small bags of chopped green pepper
- Herbs – 2 flat packets of basil leaf, 3 bags of basil pesto, 1 bag of celery leaf, two disks of horseradish
- Peas – 1 fat bag
- Shredded zucchini – 6 small bags
- Parsnips – 1 large bag
- Blueberries – 5 large bags
- Fava beans – 3 small bags
- Two disks of homemade broth
- 1 serving of barley bean stuffing
Looks like we’ll be eating a lot of squash. There’s so much frozen squash because of the bountiful harvest and the need to rescue a lot of it during the winter as rotten spots appeared.
Goals:
- Eat the prepared food servings for dinner over the next few weeks.
- Use up some of the herbs and flavorings and miscellaneous vegetables in my homemade stock.
- Eat some blueberries daily on cereal or salads.
- Cook zucchini bread with the shredded zucchini after thawing and pressing.
- Use the tomato pulp in sauce or for cooking.
