Cleaning the Freezer (How old is too old?)
Yes, it's time. Dallas is coming on Monday (when we're supposed to get an inch of rain) to slaughter beef. I bought a pig locally and it should be ready next week. That means it's time to clean the freezer, I need space for a whole hog and half a cow.
Anyway, it was time for me to defrost the upright freezer and go diving in the chest freezers, just to see what I could find.
Hey, look, it's a roll of maraschino cherry/white chocolate shortbread left from Christmas baking. I'll stick those in the oven now:
Here's a brisket, looks like the vacuum pack lost its seal. What does that date say? December 2013? I think that might be dog food...
That goes straight into the crock pot, although it really doesn't look all that bad...
Well, that filled up the crockpot, so what else is there? A package of rib steaks, extremely freezer compromised and a stray soup bone that never made it into the roaster for stock, both dated 2013. Elery put those into the instant pot, and they became dog food too...
Two packages of our homeground chicken sausage had also lost their seal, although they were only dated 2017. (sigh) My Foodsaver is not dependable, even though Elery bought me a newer and more expensive version. I lose seals about half the time, no matter what I do. It seems sealed when I put it in the freezer, but it is unsealed within a matter of weeks. Sometimes I find it and fix it, sometimes not. Unfortunately, this time it was a "not" so I cooked them and they are also in the refrigerator for dog treats...
Ooooh, look here, moose loin. That is still sealed, thank goodness, I was planning on having one for Easter dinner and saving the other one for the next time Peppi visits. Back into the freezer with these, in the bottom basket next to the venison.
The Princess is spending the night and she brought her Golden Retriever, who just loves to eat at my house. I told Makayla that Miley picked the perfect night to stay, when I cleaned the freezer. Because Miley weighs nearly 100 pounds, and my old Sadie is a St. Bernard/lab cross and weighs over 100 pounds and our shelter dog, Molly, weighs 80 pounds, all that old beef won't last long enough to get any older.
I really have to try harder to keep things sorted out and use the oldest stuff first, though. This is what we're having for breakfast with pancakes:
I think I need to invest in some more baskets, just to keep things sorted. Yeah, like I'll actually do that. (sigh)
I also found a gallon ziplock full of frozen jalapenos, already seeded but left whole in case I decided to make poppers. I never decided to do that, of course, but we're out of jalapeno relish, so I'm going to can some of that tomorrow too.
I try to clean and defrost the freezers every year, but obviously a few things get lost in the shuffle. I do have baskets for fruits, other baskets for vegetables, I try to keep wild game in one place, pork in the upright freezer, chicken/fruit/vegetables in one chest freezer, beef in the other one. Things like ice cream, apple cider, extra butter go in the refrigertor/freezer. How do you keep things straight? How often do you clean the freezer?
Annie
Comments (18)
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years agoI've had my giant up-right for a couple years now. It has pull-out bins...fish, meat, veg and fruits. Open shelves hold stocks and soups and one for dog food, (we grind our own). The bins pull out so I can sort on the work counter. A top shelf bin (Ikea) I use to place meal ideas or what needs to be used...I also have a big hunk of moose I'll use soon.
Just went through it as I do this time every year. Also summer crops are being used up and fall stocks and soups, chili, bolognese, etc. Anything 2016 I have to toss a coin if I'll ever use it. Or pups food.
I get pork and beef every Spring from a friend that has a farm so I'll have plenty of room for that.
No broken seals since I started double sealing the food saver. I have noticed too much shuffling frozen foods can poke holes in the bags hitting each other.
At the Newfoundland home I have a horrid chest freezer. Hate that deep-thing-hole-to-China. I cover the entire bottom with gallon water jugs, (emergency drinking water) and it still is hard to organize. I started using the medium Ikea bags and that has helped a lot. Short and long handles make it easy to pull out. And a shoe box size basket where I freeze flat pack stuff and anything else coming in from the sea, then they go into the designated Ikea bags when frozen solid.
I have an Ikea nearby but all the bags are on eBay. Really strong and don't stick together in the freezer. I think I have the small ones. 3.5 gallon seems right.
(can't wait to get some of the new colors, lol. I'm so sick of that blue). They are everywhere...in the garden shed, back of our cars....
ci_lantro
6 years agoRelated Discussions
So, how old is too old?
Comments (38)I don't think age has much to do with it. If you're going to fall you are going to fall. I do think there is a time in your life where you should not be thinking you are 25 years old anymore!!!! Saturday morning we got up to wet carpet along an outside wall. Our buildings are almost like a T in shape. The snow and ice in a valley of the roof was melting (in the 30's the two days before) the water ran down the valley behind the vinyl siding to where it met the cement floor, then ran in somehow. DH has used the roof rake at least 3 times this winter pulling piles and piles and piles of snow off the roof.You stand on the ground to use a roof rake. DS got up on the roof and used a snow shovel to clear the roof also. So 4 times its been cleaned off, but still a bad ice jam snow layer in this valley where the two roofs meet. DH got up on the roof Saturday to shovel again, only in some spots this time because the snow was so packed down with the winds we've had he couldn't get it with the roof rake. He is not in top shape, he isn't out of shape either. He slipped on ice and started falling head first toward the parking lot pavement. He was trying to twist himself around so that when he fell he would fall on a side, arm,leg anything but his head. It happened so fast he couldn't get twisted around. So he "spread eagled" out as much as he could to try and stop himself with his hands and his feet. He stopped with his chin 4 inches over the eavetrough! Scared the beejeepers out of him and me too! It all happened in the blink of an eye there was very little time to react. When I think about how he'd have landed if he'd hit the pavement (on his head) and how he could have been hurt I get so mad at him!!!!!!!! Leave it alone, I'd rather do anything to cope with a problem then to have him permenently injuried!!! He does not need to think he is 25 years old and can do anything anymore. He is 56!!! Bottom line my opinion NOW is nobody needs to be on a roof unless you have proper shoes and a safety belt!!! I don't care how young or old you are....See Morehow old is too old for seeds?
Comments (12)As a collector, I track my seed longevity, so that I know how often seed needs to be regrown. I planted a lot of older seed this year, and these are my observations: Beans: Of 10 varieties planted from saved seed, (mostly from 2009), 5 had 100% germination, 3 had 96%, and 2 are just coming up now but look strong. Two more varieties being grown for the first time (one labeled as 2009, the other a swap of uncertain age) had rates of 87% and 60% respectively. Two limas (2010 & 2013) & two runner beans (2010 & 2015) had 100% germination. A yardlong bean (2012), adzuki (2010), and garbanzo (2014) all germinated 100%. One cowpea grown last year, however, had only 66% germination. It was grown under poor conditions, which demonstrates that you have to start with good seed to get good storage life... and I am hoping for better seed quality this year. Soybeans: Seem to have a shorter storage life than beans, especially large-seeded edamame varieties. An edamame type (2010) had very poor germination (under 10%), while a grain variety from the same year had nearly 100%. I was happy to see, though, that an edamame variety from 2007 still had about 7-8% germination, which is enough for me to renew the seed stock. Tomatoes: Two older varieties (2005 and 2006) had 100% germination, and another from 2005 had 83%. Saved seed from more recent years was 100%. The only tomatoes of 12 with poor germination were from swaps; one 64%, and one 0%. Peppers: Much more variation in germination than I see in tomatoes. The oldest (from 2007) had 92%. However, two varieties from 2012 (Beaver Dam & Pizza) only had 59% and 74% respectively. Of 15 varieties planted, only one had 100% - from 2015 seed. Seeds recently acquired (swaps or purchases) again had the worst performance; 27%, 57%, and one at 0%. Bitter melon: Two varieties; seed saved from 2015 (100%) and 2013 (98%). Cucumber: Very long-lived... seed saved from 2009 still had 100% germination. Watermelon: Blacktail Mountain saved seed (2012) - 100%. Onions: I did a bunching onion trial one year, then tried to plant some of the left over seed 3 years later... it was dead. Onion seed is the only one that I always freeze. I don't save seed for sweet corn & Swiss chard, but I buy them in bulk, and they have good germination for 3-4 years. Except for a few irreplaceable varieties (for which I freeze samples), all of my seed is stored at room temperature in an air conditioned home. I have had good luck with zippered freezer bags, since I can squeeze out excess air before storage; the bags are then packed tightly in boxes, so they can't re-inflate. Don't know if naming a brand is OK, but the Hefty freezer bags have proven to be the most durable. Cool & dry is important for seed storage, but exclusion of oxygen is also helpful - especially for room-temperature storage. For the most dedicated seed stewards, enclosing a desiccant & an oxygen absorber in the seed container will extend storage life. It is also important to avoid exposing the container to direct sunlight, especially if it is clear... heat buildup can occur very rapidly, and could kill or damage seeds in a very short time. If the seed container is opened frequently, the desiccant may need to be changed periodically, especially in humid environments. "And if you decide to give seeds away do tell people seeds age, as best as you can recall. Recipient will at least be prepared for what to expect." Agreed... and keep in mind that for swaps, your storage may have started in a hot mail box....See Morehow old is too old??
Comments (14)wintercat- Interestingly enough, mayonnaise (unopened and stored in a cool, dark, environment) is on a list I have of "indefinite (or nearly so) storage items" I received from a Food Storage Class, and also from other scientific sources on-line. After being opened, however, it goes downhill from there as determined by other contributing factors. An opened and partially-used container of mayo that has food debris in it, cross-contamination from meat on the knife and back into the spread, and/or has spent long periods of time sitting out of the refrigerator or at an unsafe refrigerator temperature (and most people haven't any idea what their refrigerator temperature actually is, nor what a food-safe temperature is), will be something I would consider "questionable for safe use" BOTH before or after the use-by or best-by date. A jar that has been kept free from food particles and cross-contamination, and has spent 90% of it's in-use time at a food-safe temperature will keep much longer even after opening, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it long after the date expired. This is where common sense comes in when asking if something is "still good". -Grainlady...See MoreSeeds: how old is too old?
Comments (3)It depends on how they have been stored over that period. Seeds found in the tombs of the great pyramids have been proven to be viable several millennia after they were initially harvested! Sure won't hurt to just scatter them into the garden where you want and see what happens....See Morecooper8828
6 years ago
Jasdip
6 years agoannie1992
6 years agosleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years agoOn the rolls, when cutting and sealing, I just seal the bottom again, just the heat seal. After filling and it seals on its own, I pull the bag a 1/2 inch and seal again, with my eyes rolling, lol. (impatience). A double seal on both ends.
When I put them in the freezer for the freezing process, they are placed on a top shelf and sometimes I have a stainless lasagna pan on that shelf so flat-pack items freeze 'flat'. Sometime later, a day or three, I move those recently frozen to where they belong....that way I can check the seal.
I like the off market cheaper brand idea. But Costco is so convenient.
I don't FoodSaver as many things as I used to. Cherry toms from the garden freeze great just whole, then grab a few for pizza, frittatas, etc. Pop them on frozen and they thaw an heat during cooking. 'FlavorBombs', I call them, are just in thin small bread bags tied tight without air, then into a gallon zip-lock. Roasted toms, garlic, onion, are lust in quart freezer zip-locks. Again, easy to seal without air being so soft and liquid.
ediej1209 AL Zn 7
6 years ago
gyr_falcon
6 years agoleahikesgardenspdx
6 years agoannie1992
6 years agoKatieC
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agowintercat_gw
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agosleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago"Plus I have to break my husband of the habit of picking up beef at the processor and just upturning a box and dumping into the chest freezer...."
(lol) : )
We have two 'organized' kitchen 'everything-else' drawers that need organizing once a month when it gets to look like a dump/junk drawer...after I collect all the contents from all over the house, lol.
I keep a small folded card stock credit card sized note paper in my wallet with shelf hight, width and depth sizes for pantry, closet, linen closet, freezer....and anything else I'm searching for. I so dislike shopping, but when I see something that might work I have the sizes on me at all times.
Put in an extra shelf in the pantry that holds two boxes of flat packed parchment from the Webstaurant store, 4 sheet pans on top of them and the food saver and bags, just by luck, has an easy access slot next to them. Real estate is tight.
I need to finish the freezer soon. One shelf needs to be moved up a bit waiting for a couple baskets I found cheap to use as slide-ins. Perfect depth. Like this...straight sides so they will not waste space. Similar, but longer.
Most of the organizers specific to fridge/freezer are way over priced.
pkramer60
6 years ago
2ManyDiversions
6 years agoannie1992
6 years agosleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
6 years ago
annie1992Original Author