Oh for cryin' out loud! You've reminded me that a freezer clean out/inventory is on my list of "must get dones" that I'm to deal with tomorrow as I am not scheduled to work...outside the home, that is.

Then, I suppose I'll be cooking, in the way of salvaging things that are past their peak or won't be good for much longer etc. I KNOW I've got several packages of berries in there from last Summer that I must do something with.

And I've a notion that there might just be a rather large bag of chicken breasts that I must use, as well as several packages of tomatoes left from last Summer's crops. Guess I'd better do something with those as well, seeing as I'm going to have this Summer's crop coming in far sooner than I will be ready to deal with it. :D

I did this a few months ago and it has worked great. When I did my inventory, I purchased a dry erase board and attached it to my freezer with the inventory written on it. Now as I use things, or purchase things, and especially before I go shopping, I can just check the board and determine what I already have before buying more. This helps if you have "memory issues", LOL and tend to forget what you have on hand. I also attached the special pens for the board so they are right there when I need to add or subtract items.
Just an idea I thought I would share.
Murphy

I just cleaned my garage freezer yesterday. I threw out some mystery meat and reorganized everything.

I have half a shelf of chicken, including a 10 lb. bag of BSCB and six pkg of chicken quarters, all from an organic farm.
There's a pork loin roast and a rack of ribs, two pkgs. of ground pork.

The beef shelf is mostly round steak that I bought recently on sale, one chuck roast and a couple of pkgs. of ground beef.

The fish shelf has salmon, walleye, perch, flounder and 2 pkgs. of wild caught shrimp. There is also a bag of Lobster Bisque from my seafood order in Feb...I am saving that for a dinner I am planning in July.

The vegetable shelf is looking sad. Two pkg of green beans and about eight of sweet corn.

I need to use up fruit, with the new season here almost. I have blueberries, cherries, strawberries and black raspberries. Some of this I planned to make jam with in the winter but never did. Time to get busy.

The freezer door has lots of little goodies. Homemade TV dinners, yeast, butter, soup, juices, phyllo dough and puff pastry.

I need to focus on using up freezer stuff. I didn't have to throw away too much...just a few mystery's and I found some older beef I'll cook up for the dog.....she doesn't care!

Nancy

Shrimp, sole fillets, tilapia fillets (we don't live near the coast, so seafood is frozen or we don't get it!), ratatouille, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, sliced bell peppers, one shelf of various home-made breads, soups, Brunswick stew (result of a sale on chicken thighs), gumbo, chicken breasts, beef for stewing, beef and chicken stocks, pork tenderloins, and okra.
Murphy, that sounds like a great idea! I think I need to do that. The one thing in my inventory that I didn't include is something 'way in the back, but I don't think it's moving . . . .

Good timing! Freezer clean out is on my list to do SOON. I know I have:

- 8 large piza crusts left from a marathon crust making session. I made 24 of them, parbaked and froze them for the kids to use when their friends come over. Of course Hubby and I have partaken of a few.
- Several packages of baby corn other than that the vegetables are wiped out. I can't wait for produce from the garden.
- Several packages of berries and am still over loaded with jams and jellies so I'm thinking juice for cocktails. Mixed with vodka or rum maybe some herbs or spices no one will care. :-)
- 10 lbs. of ground turkey that I normally use for Meatball Soup or White Chili but the weather's too warm so I might try turkey burgers though the family are not fans.
- Numerous packages of marinated meats because DD brings it home from the butcher shop she works at and she has moved back from college for the summer.

Most bizarre thing in my freezer, the kids' DNA. (When they were in grammar school the sheriff's dept. sponsored a clinic and they collected tooth imprints and DNA and gave it to the parents to store in their freezers.) I suppose I should check on the shelf life of DNA since it's been in my freezer for 15 years!

That's just a little bit of what's in the chest freezer now the upright...that's a whole 'nother story!

IF DD didn't keep adding stuff to the freezers I MIGHT get them cleaned out.

I did mine not too long ago , not sure of exact quantities .

Several quarts of chicken stock and beef stock. Couple of pints of demi glace. Spaghetti sauce, shrimp, spanikopita, puff pastry, phyllo, dim sum, brisket, pork belly, 8 slabs of ribs, pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, hamburger, ground pork, pork chops , steaks, couple of eye of the rounds, tons of sauerkraut, bell peppers and diced onions, peameal bacon, regular bacon, couple of pork loins, rhubarb and breadcrumbs.

That's downstairs, then there is upstairs, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, bananas , yeast, rye flour, gluten, whole wheat flour, bran, OJ, ice, vodka, ginger, butter, shortening, chipolte in adobo, tomato paste, bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, gravy, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts.

Then there's the cottage.........

I'm not playin' that game....don't want to know!

Almond Paste
Butter
Rice Flour
Shrimp
Blackberries
Rhubarb
Garlic
Sesame Seeds
Pecans, Walnuts and Almonds
Beef and Chicken Stock
Bananas
Neapolitan Sauce
Chicken Thighs
Habaneros and Jalapeños

Em, it looks like I have everything I need to make a big pot of slop :)

Sol

Oh geez, I just found my stuff after getting rid of all the wedding things. I know I have:

14 whole ducks
2 beef briskets
6 packages of chicken parts
2 whole chickens
4 packages of Lake Michigan salmon
1 package Lake Trout
4 small filets of sole
4 salmon/feta/spinach patties
3 packages of ham slices
1 half ham
8 packages of round steak
2 packages of t-bones
7 boneless pork roasts
2 pork tenderloins
3 packages of oxtail
2 slabs of pork ribs
1 corned beef
1 package sliced homemade pastrami
1 wedge of Black Star Farms Raclette cheese
6 packages homemade Italian Sausage links
1 lb package yeast
mixed bags of bread crumbs
2 packages brussels sprouts
8 quarts sweet cherries
10 quarts strawberries
16 quarts blueberries
7 quarts rhubarb
10 packages butternut squash puree
4 quarts corn (off the cob)
14 small containers basil with olive oil
3 small containers chipotle in adobo
3 quarts of last years home pressed apple cider
1 small package frozen habaneros (I just found those!
1 lb butter
1 gallon bag home smoked fish
4 servings homemade pancakes
5 bran muffins, individually packaged

We also have a pork loin in the refrigerator right now, brining to become Canadian Bacon.

That's just what I wrote down when I took all the wedding stuff out, I was trying to figure out what I had before the fruit season starts and what I could make for Ashley's graduation party to use up some of the stuff.

I can all my stock, tomato products, beans, beets, etc., so that's a lot of stuff in the basement, but like Nancy, I was supposed to make jam from some of that frozen fruit and I just didn't get to it.

Annie

I admire what you all are doing, but for fun????? I think I'll go out and have fun weeding my herb garden.

My freezer needs cleaning out more than it needs organizing, then I could organize. I'd just about as soon take a dose of poison as my adopted mother used to say. Not really but when she said that I knew it was something she really hated doing. I know I don't have as many wonderful foods in mine as y'all do, either.

Maybe one of these days.

jude

Oh, I know I need to do this, but am having trouble getting motivated...

I can't find anything cause all the heavy venison is laying on top of everything else, so I have no idea what is in there...and I don't even eat venison!

sherry, it's a new Weight Watchers trick, isn't it?

Annie

"I admire what you all are doing, but for fun????? I think I'll go out and have fun weeding my herb garden."

You took the words right out of my mouth Jude!

Beverly

These are such fun to read! (Jude -- while fun to read, agreed that it wasn't all that fun to *do*... Particularly the cold fingers and hacking of frost off of things part...)

Murphy -- I love the idea of a dry erase board! I'll keep my eye out for one!

Annie -- 14 whole ducks?! Wow. Do you have a favorite way to prepare them?

Nancy -- I am jealous of the walleye, which is my husband's favorite!

Sol -- what is neapolitan sauce?

Sherry -- how did you end up with a freezer full of venison if you don't eat it?

Thanks to everyone who posted!
Em

Walleye...aka Pickerel...fresh caught? K Nancy I'll trade my whole freezer content and my first born ! OK you don;t have to take the first born.

Em, you must have missed my adventure in raising ducks last year, I ended up with nearly 30 of them in the freezer. Turns out they were much easier to raise and had a high survival rate, LOL.

I like Ina's method, where you boil them, then high heat roast for a crispy skin.

Sharon, I've been promised a couple of packages of fresh walleye, although I asked that they not be "delivered" until after the wedding stuff was safely gone. Should I save you one?

Annie

Annie may have 30 ducks, but I had 32 pounds of butter back in December. Bit much, I would say. Two people shopping sales is not good.

This Friday is clean out day, so I may post the inventory.

Aw crap, now I feel guilty about not cleaning out my freezer....

Murphy, I love your idea of the dry erase board! How ingenious! How did you attach it to your freezer?

I haven't gone downstairs to take inventory, but there are a "few" things in there that I am certain of:

beef stock-several pints
chicken stock-several pints
shrimp 3 lb
crab legs-4 lb
ground beef
ground pork
bacon
chorizo
andouille
pancetta
prosciutto
whole wheat flour
chicken breasts
lobster tails-four small ones, I think
pollock filets
navy bean soup
pizza sauce
baked rigatoni
tomato basil soup
ham & cheese stromboli
ciabatta
french bread
spanikopita

And the upstairs freezer has:

blueberries
cherries
raspberries
strawberry sauce
peas
corn
green beans
spinach
phyllo
puff pastry
butter
lemon juice
ice cream maker freezer bowl
bananas foster gelato (made today)
limoncello
walnuts
cashews
almonds
pine nuts
pistachios
ginger root

Okay....that's all I can remember. I know there's more....I'll get to it, really I will!

Linda

Linda
The board came with some sticky things to attach with. My board is 17x23 and I wish it were bigger. Have to write kinda small and with dry erase markers that is not so easy...no fine point. I did attach the special markers to the board with magnets. It is pretty easy to keep up to date with the markers already attached.
My freezer is in my laundry room and two guys delivered a new washer, one thought the list was great! Said "wished my mom would do that, so I could shop there!", the other thought I had a "problem". LOL

I'm in awe with your lists and the room you must have! (((heavy sigh))) There is:

chicken, thighs (I think)
whole chicken
bread-honey wheat berry
bread-sour dough
white bread
peas
chicken nuggets
fish sticks
eggrolls
pecans
walnuts
almonds
chicken pot pie
tequila
Citrónge
ice cubes
chicken enchiladas
freezer pops
a carcass (either chicken or turkey)
bowl for the ice cream freezer
ice cream, chocolate and strawberry
leftover dessert LF got from J Alexander's
bag of mixed fruit for a smoothie
gumbo
coconut

and other things I am forgetting. Mine is a mixture of dinners I made and half of which got put away for a rainy day, kid foods, and odds/ends. Oh, and liquor. I seem to the only one! :) There is also a bowl in the ice compartment, that I am picturing in my mind, and I cannot even remember for the life of me what is in it! Guess I'd better check!

Oh geez, I forgot the freezer in the house, the one over the fridge. That has:

3 packages of home cured pancetta
1 lamb chop (for Elery)
I large salmon filet
3 quarts frozen asparagus
1 loaf pumpkin bread
Fresh/frozen ginger root
1 lb butter (note, Peppi, just ONE pound, but we won't mention that I just did appetizers for 600 and used butter!)
The tops of Ashley's birthday cake, from leveling it for frosting and stacking.
1 partial half gallon vanilla ice cream
4 trays of ice cubes (nope, no ice maker)
The insert to the ice cream machine

Annie