The Challenge: The Fridge
Funny how when a storm approaches we all run to the store to stock up. It was strange not to do that yesterday. I have what I need already but I must admit it was odd not to join the long lines at the store. By most standards it has been a mild winter around here. Periods of cold, but short lived. I am starting 7 weeks now of not going to the grocery store. So far, so good. I will not say it has been easy all the time. There are foods I miss like oranges and fresh berries but I did put away plenty of food in the freezer and I have dehydrated fruits and vegetables and canned goods, both homemade and store bought.
In the interest of not being wasteful, which is part of the reason for this little experiment, I have become much better at keeping up with the fridge. Unlike the pantry and freezer which can do with a good clean out and inventory about once a year, the fridge needs more constant watching.
Generally speaking you should give the fridge a good look about once a week. That means checking the nooks and crannies that can get away from us all. Check the produce drawer well. We have all had the experience of finding some formless blob in the bottom that looks like a science experiment gone bad. It really only takes about 5 minutes to do this. Keep after perishable foods with some diligence.
If you have more of what you can or want to eat in a few days try freezing it. I think this matters even more for smaller households. Even our favorite foods can get boring too many days in a row. I know when I get started making a vegetable soup, what started as a little pan turns into a vat pretty quickly. It tastes great but to eat it up before it goes bad I’d be looking at eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Remember, though, to label everything you freeze and to keep an inventory of what is in the freezer. The nice thing about freezing the leftovers is the ready meal you have on those days when you might not have time to cook.
Trying an experiment here today. As you may have read in earlier posts I am to the point where I must bake bread if I want it. I have made sour dough bread before, but not in a long time. I decided to start a batch last night. I combined 2 cups of warm water with 2 packages of yeast, a little brown sugar and about 2 cups of whole wheat flour. I mixed it all up and left it in a towel-covered bowl on the counter overnight. I’ll add some oil, salt and more flour in a little while and eventually should have 2 loaves of whole wheat sour dough bread. I’ll let you all know how it turns out.
Thanks for all the feedback and support. I will hold out until March 1st and I may even try for April. Well, maybe not. The sprouting has been a great help. I only wish I would have started more of the alfalfa. I am really loving them but go through them quickly and it takes a bout a week for another crop. Also starting lentil sprouts this week. I’ll let you know how that works out. 🙂
