Good morning . . .
This morning, I tackled a job I have been putting off for years . . . cleaning out the chest freezer. The garbage man comes on Tuesday's, so I decided I would get 'er done quickly this morning before they made their run.
So, after our son got on the school bus this morning, it was freezer speed cleaning 101 (I had one hour to get 'er done!). :D
I didn't want to unplug the freezer, (you know how your string of lights at Christmas work fine, you unplug them and next year they don't light up? I didn't want to take a chance on my freezer quitting on me if I unplug it - it runs fine, but didn't want to chance it), so I worked quickly putting the food on a card table and having a large bowl with me to put the ice I chipped off the sides of the freezer into.
My poor MIL (may she rest in peace), would roll over in her grave if she saw the bag of items I threw out today. Some items were dated 2004! :o I promise Mom D, I'll do better!
That's my problem - food gets put into the freezer and goes to the way bottom and never sees the light of day again. If I had it to do over again, I would never buy a chest freezer. I was practically on my head trying to reach the bottom of the freezer to clean it.
So, now that my freezer is all cleaned out - ;D - I am looking for any suggestions on how you rotate, store, etc. items you put into your freezer. As we all know, in this day and age, one cannot afford to waste money on food. I feel bad that I threw away at least $75 - $100 worth of freezer burned food. :(
And by the way, anyone want some frozen delicacy? I've got some frozen ladybugs for ya!! :D
Thanks for any suggestions.
Bucky
I don't have a chest freezer, I have a stand up freezer so I see everything. However my grandfather and grandmother had 4 big chest freezers, they lived on a farm and grew veggies, had pigs and cows. So two was for meat and the others for veggies. What they did besides date everything they had a tablet that hung on the freezers and had the dates with the food and as they took out they marked it out, then as they put in they added it. It did not always worked but it was what they came up with. When my grandfather died and my grandmother came to live with us, the food in the freezers was given to their church to feed families. (That is how they found out that it did not always worked ;D)
Maybe this can be something to work on...
Bucky I do not think that you can avoid throwing away freezer burned food. We have an upright and have that problem.
I think that you may have a computer and could produce an Excel spread sheet to track what is in there. It is too much work for me.
Ah, country girl has a solution... Why not use a pressure canner?????
Got a couple of them Bucky. You're welcome to back pack one on them home on your Harley the next time you folks ride to the Smoky Mts Ntl Park. :D
Joy on the farm...beef cattle farm at that!!!! ;D
dainbramage - I'll have to try keeping a list. Thanks for the idea. I'll have to put it somewhere where I'll remember where it's at. ::) Maybe I'll get a magnetic clip and put it on the side of the freezer.
Joe - I think I'll just write it down, versus putting it on the computer.
Newjoy - I don't have a Harley . . that's Kimbo. ;) However . . . I AM coming to the Smoky Mtns. the end of next month!! We just love the mtns. of TN. (in reference to something you posted on my other thread . . .just so you remember, you just turned 68 on 1/27. :D ;))
Bucky