What are You Putting up for Later Use?

rjxj wrote:
Lead, Ramen, Tequila, Gold, Silver

Well, 2 of the 5 at least.

When DH's parents were alive, we would can beef for them as a Christmas gift. They went through it like a hot knife through butter.

I grew these while I was traveling in Florida last year. Put them outside to soak up the sun whenever I stayed more than a day in a CG. Man do they grow LARGE in the Florida sun! :B

They are Cayenne peppers. Then I picked them and hung them up on a string in the MH. When they were dried I crushed them and put them in a shaker.

Dried FRESH grown Cayenne peppers taste out of this world as a seasoning on food. Tastes nothing like the ones in a store bought bottle.

We have frozen squash, zucchini, and green peppers. Dehydrated apples, green peppers and onions. Canned stew meat, beef roasts, barbeque, spaghetti sauce, seasoned taco meat, chili, and chicken, and brunswick stew.

Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes! I think our neighbors have decided that they are the new zucchini. I have roasted, sauced, chopped, frozen and given away who knows how many of them. In the just past week I have picked almost 30 pounds from our four plants, with a ton of Romas just starting to ripen. If the Danged squirrels don't get to them, there should be at least 20 pounds more. The pizza sauce tastes especially good this year.

DH is gearing up to do his pickled jalapeños and jalapeño jelly. We also char and freeze the ancho chiles. If you freeze them with the charred skins on, the skins just slip off when they are thawed. Chile rellenos this winter.

wannavolunteerFT wrote:
NYCGirl, how do you "flash freeze"? I have always frozen onions, as I dislike having to stop and chop onions when I need a few. I have been buying frozen peppers and onions (fajita mix) as they are generally less than fresh, and when cooked there is no real difference in taste. Maybe next summer I can find fresh peppers somewhere around.

And to keep it RV related, I am trying to determine how to have a freezer in my MH when I go full time.

This link shows you how to flash freeze and discusses some of the benefits:

Home Flash Freezing

I'm like you.....when I start cooking I don't want to be bothered with mundane tasks like cutting onions. Once and forget is a thing of beauty;). Oh and I always line my sheets w/ parchment paper before freezing; easier to get the food off the pan. I find that the only type of dishes that home flash frozen food doesn't do well for are high heat meals like stir frying. Too much water even though it's less than regular freezing.

I'm looking to have my fridge w/ miniscule freezer removed at the plant and just install a complete freezer in it's place. I'd rather store refrigerated goods in a cooler if there is no space for a larger unit.

Just purchased an Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator. We will start to dehydrate things than can be dehydrated, rather than freeze them. Longer storage life and don't have to worry about a freezer for them.

NYCGirl, how do you "flash freeze"? I have always frozen onions, as I dislike having to stop and chop onions when I need a few. I have been buying frozen peppers and onions (fajita mix) as they are generally less than fresh, and when cooked there is no real difference in taste. Maybe next summer I can find fresh peppers somewhere around.

And to keep it RV related, I am trying to determine how to have a freezer in my MH when I go full time.

swtgran wrote:
...I also turn leftovers into frozen meals,

by lining foil pans with parchment paper and freezing

, for nights I don't want to cook. Great for camping, too.

With the parchment, they are also microwave ready, by lifting out the parchment wrapped meal

and popping it in, or they are toaster oven ready, in the foil pan. Could even go into a Dutch oven.....

That's a great tip. :C

I really don't like freezing/cooking in those plastic containers made in China!

drcook wrote:
My wife froze 6 dozen ears of corn. She blanches it and then cuts it off the cob and freezes it. There is a local farm that got the luck of the draw and their dirt grows the best sweet corn in our county. We also have folks coming in from surrounding counties to that farm.

We are also going to do crab apple jelly. The birds sat on the old horse fence from when we had a couple horses and started some crab apple trees. We have one that tastes similar to a Gala, one similar to a Red Delicious and one close to a Yellow Delicious. The crab apples are around the diameter of a quarter or a little bigger. They make wonder jelly. We tried it last year and it came out great.

We still have blueberries and sour cherries left from last year. We have a couple orchards close to us and we buy in bulk and freeze.

I still have blueberries from last summer too! Spent some hours at a PYO farm while dodging the rain in the area we camped at. Gosh they freeze well. My sister's house is in a former orchard and we, 2 city grrls, are trying to figure out how to care for the apple trees still there. On the bright side this year the trees gave off fruit for the first time in 8 years but she's been ill for most of the growing season so this harvest will be a loss. Despite this generation being born and raised in the city we seem to have inherited out great-grandparents' love for the land:).
For various reasons I'm a perimeter shopper and it's reflected in how I cook and store foods. So for me putting up 15 lbs of peppers is a nice relaxing way of spending a Saturday. And I know 15 lbs is a good number cause the first year I put up 10 and the produce only lasted till March, LOL. The only item I can on a regular basis is tomato products and then I follow my sister's lead; she knows how to can and has the equipment-I don't. Makes for a nice visit though. 4 generations get together are all busy and laughing.