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On the Preservation Front: In the Freezer

November 25th, 2008

I am part of the Harvest Keepers Challenge over at Freedom Gardens, so I’ve been trying to preserve some of the things I’ve grown, been given or bought at the Farmer’s Market. I’m not a big fan of canning, but I do all this to be more environmentally friendly and reduce the frequent flier miles of our fruits & veggies and because it’s much healthier to eat locally and preserve your own. I made a detailed post about everything I have canned in jars last week. I do like freezing, it’s so easy: put food in containers, chill in the fridge, then put in the freezer. So what have I been preserving in the freezer?

Throughout the summer when we bought sweet corn I froze the left-over corn. In the freezer I have 24 containers of frozen corn (each one should be enough for 2 meals).

The freezer is also stocked with berries galore. I have 40 bags of blueberries (2 cups each), 15 bags of black raspberries (2 cups each), 21 bags of blackberries (4 cups each). I can’t wait for winter cobblers & pies. I may even make up a batch of blackberry jelly for Christmas gifts.

I also have 7 quarts of frozen roasted tomatoes and 7 containers of grilled peppers (green & poblano peppers) in the freezer. The peppers & roasted tomatoes are layered between wax paper so I can easily grab some when I need it for pizza or sauces. I also have a jar of frozen basil in olive oil and a jar parsley in olive oil as well as a few containers of frozen greens (turnip & beet) that will make their way into some veggie soup this winter.

My freezer is also stocked with a few pastured chickens that I bought from our local farm as well as 2 turkeys (one will be Thanksgiving dinner, the other will be made into sausage). I also have a small amount of venison from my dad’s hunting season last year. I’m hoping he gets another deer for us this year and we’ll be set for meat for the next year.

So what’s nestled in your freezer for the winter?

12 Comments to “On the Preservation Front: In the Freezer”
  1. farm mom on November 25, 2008 at 9:37 am

    Lovely pics! Well, what takes up the most room is the whole hog we bought last spring from a local, organic, pasture-based farmer. We also have the turkeys and the chickens we’ve raised. Plus the stocks made from previous meals. Then there’s various veggies: greens, chopped leeks, onions and peppers. Corn, beans, broccoli, squash and pumpkin puree. Veggie stock. Freezer jams and homemade pizza sauce and ketchup. Lots of berries and fruits ready for pies and cobblers. Eggs. Mmmmm, I’m getting hungry! :)

    Reply to farm mom's comment

  2. Stephany on November 25, 2008 at 9:56 am

    You have been tagged!

    I only have the freezer in our fridge so there isn’t much room for preserving. It is full to capacity right because I also stocked up on really cheap organic veggies at our local coop. I do have some stuff that I preserved in there. I froze several large batches of vegetarian soups made with the last of our veggies and the farmer’ market stuff. I have pesto in there and pureed squash for soups. There are also a few pasties from the UP of Michigan (long story). What I don’t have is very much meat. My husband and I are thinking of a small chest freezer because we want to go in with a friend on some local free-range beef in the spring.

    Reply to Stephany's comment

  3. Susy on November 25, 2008 at 10:10 am

    I would definitely get a chest freezer, it’s so great when buying meat in bulk. We bought ours right after we got married 10 years ago and it’s been stuffed to the gills ever since!

    Reply to Susy's comment

  4. Squawkfox on November 25, 2008 at 11:14 am

    Wow! I love your freezer! I too had a freezing party on my little farm. I froze tomatoes, pears, apples, plums, and Saskatoon Berries. I also have a freezer with a steer. The Berries are my favorite though…I think I will plant strawberries next year. Love your photos.

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  5. Kelly on November 25, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    OK – I have to be the most loser friend you have on here – I am not admitting to my chicken nuggets and ice cream that are in my freezer :)

    Reply to Kelly's comment

  6. Susy on November 25, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    Oh Kelly, you’re too funny (we do currently have some DQ ice cream cake in the freezer for Mr Chiots!).

    Reply to Susy's comment

  7. John the Pirate - Arrr! on November 25, 2008 at 8:53 pm

    Sensational post, I like your writing style! I’ve added / to my feed reader, and will be reading your posts from now on. Just a quick question – did you design your header image yourself, or have it done professionally? If you had it done by a professional, who was it?

    Reply to John the Pirate – Arrr!'s comment

  8. Sara at On Simplicity on November 25, 2008 at 9:28 pm

    Like Kelly, I have chicken nuggets and frozen pizza. Lame! Your beautiful pictures are such an inspiration.

    Reply to Sara at On Simplicity's comment

  9. Susy on November 25, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    John the Pirate – Arr

    Actually my theme is a WordPress template I got on-line for free. I found in their site. The artist is listed on the design though, here’s her website:

    http://randaclay.com/wordpress-themes/new-theme-for-wordpress-bluebird/

    Reply to Susy's comment

  10. Judy on November 25, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    Hi. Found you through Stephany. Love your pics. I also love my freezer! We’ve got sweet corn, greens, cherries and apples from my Mom; pork, chicken and beef from the farmer’s market, a variety of other frozen veggies, tomato sauce and stock. Ok, we’ve also got frozen cheese tortellini and some eggo wafles…we all have our vices.

    Reply to Judy's comment

  11. Joe on December 3, 2008 at 3:26 am

    I love how you made typed labels for your frozen foods!

    I don’t have anything in my freezer right now, as I haven’t needed to do an emergency harvest. We have had no frost yet, so I still have ripening chile and bell peppers, as well as lemongrass, French tarragon, parsley, and lots of lettuce. The basil isn’t doing so good, as the lack of light is causing the leaves to drop. My morning glories are still technically alive, but they produce maybe 3 or 4 flowers a week now, and those fade fast in the cold temperatures.

    You seem to have access to many rare meats…what about a rooster? The French recipe for coq au vin (“rooster in wine”) is supposedly best when made with its namesake bird. A French person I know made coq au vin with chicken and said that the meat got too tender (mushy). I guess the rooster has a firmer meat that becomes perfectly tender when cooked in the wine.

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  12. Susy on December 3, 2008 at 9:38 am

    I like typed labels, it’s so much easier when you’re labeling large quantities of stuff!

    My sister had a rooster once. I’ve probably eaten them in Colombia.

    Wow, Joe not frost yet. We’ve had snow on the ground for the last 2 1/2 weeks straight (that is a little early for us). We’re having January weather in November.

    Reply to Susy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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