Cleaning out the freezer--time of year

[blissful]

We've been trying to clear out and reorganize the freezer now for a few months so the new produce can go in. Zucchini, beans, pea pods, strawberries with more to come in the next month, then deer hunting season, we'll need room for the meat.

I've been moving all the older frozen products to the top, new stuff going in at the bottom and moving up. Except for fruit juice concentrates and bacon, the rest is from the garden or meat.

If it was cooler outside, I'd be making stews and soups from anything that is older--it's just too hot right now. Any tips on how your family does this?

I need to use up last year's venison, fish and seafood, and dozen's of oddball veggies we still have. Ideas?

 

[Alix]

Crockpot soup? Stir fry stuff on the BBQ?

 

[blissful]

Thanks Alix, Eh! (fellow Canadian)
Good ideas, I'm thinking of a crock pot of fish stew overnight tonight, might be a good lunch and dinner for tomorrow. Thank you! Eh!

 

[Alix]

Blissful, if you put up a list of stuff I think you will get some great ideas.

Did I also mention pies? Chicken pot? Pasties?

 

[Robo410]

me too...can't buy anything new until I have room for it. Butterflied and barbequed a leg of lamb...mesquite smoked a small turkey...still got some steaks and ribs in there and a chicken.

 

[blissful]

chicken-a couple
venison roasts, steaks, and ground
choriso--that is not spicy enough on it's own
fresh water fish filets
bacon--but that will keep

Alix-I read your suggestion for pasties at around 3 am, and I've been starving (YES STARVING!!! they are one of my favorite foods) for them ever since-oh I wish the heat would let up for a few days, so I could roast, bake, nesco, slow cooker most of the meats and portion and freeze for quickly reheated meals for the rest of the summer.

 

[DaveSoMD]

chicken - butterfly and cook on the grill?

choriso - stuffed peppers (green or hot peppers) ?

 

[Alix]

OK, so heres what I would do.

1. Beer butt chicken on the BBQ. Leftovers can be used any which way you like and store the bones in a ziploc for soup later.

2. Fish tacos with the fish filets. I think you can likely do the fish bits on the BBQ too and the rest of the prep is not hot.

3. Venison - (ooooo you are so lucky!) I think I would do a few things. Crockpot stew with some of those yummy veggies you mention. I think I might also do kebabs with them. You know...if you have a good dutch oven you could slow cook the meat and potatoes and have the filling for pasties all ready to go...

Is any of that helpful? I have a couple of other ideas if you want.

 

[blissful]

Yes, Alix and Dave, you are both helpful.
I really like the peppers idea, stuffed with choriso, the peppers in the garden aren't producing yet, but soon--and I'm thinking my 8 ball zucchini's would be good with a layer of choriso and corn inside too.

Alix, I have only made pasties how my grandma taught me, all the ingredients went in raw cubed, a slice of butter, S&P, then baked. How do you make them with the filling cooked?

I've never made fish tacos--though I have tortillas, beans, rice, fish, soon tomatoes, onions, lettuce, any instructions with spices on those? Not too spicy, I have finicky (sp?) eaters here. I'll just put surachi (again with the spelling!) sauce on mine.

 

[Alix]

I'll get back to you after my appointment this afternoon with some more specific instructions. I'll just quickly say that the pasties I've made were basically stew with the dough around them. More like a pot pie in method. Does that help?

 

[blissful]

tonight I made pasties in a 9x13 pan, with crust on top and bottom, but, started everything raw. We are just waiting for it to come out of the oven. I really like the way my grandma made them, nothing against how you made them alix.

 

[Alix]

No offense here! I'm a big believer in doing it the way you were taught! Hope its yummy!

 

[blissful]

OH THEY WERE YUMMY, too bad you are so far away, there is enough to share!

 

[Claire]

I, too, have an un-air-conditioned kitchen. All suggestions are good, and most take to my favorite cooking method in the dog days ... that is I tend to wake early, and when I do, I cook something that can be re-heated in the microwave oven later in the day. Just about every long-cooking dish can be done that way (stew type meals).