Making the most indeed....

[zazen999]

Milk
Cheese
Mayo
Hoummus

These are the items that we have bought this week; we are trying to just use what is in the cupboards and freezer [it is SO full but SO small] and so we aren't buying anything else now.....wonder how long we can last out - or whether we can make what we have [which thankfully includes flour, pasta, rice and marge] last for as long as possible.

Tonight's dish is garlic, chili pepper, small sweet pepper, onions; with flour, milk and cheese added to make a thick cheesy sauce; with pasta. Pudding will be stewed apples [we were given a bag of apples at an open gardens allotment in Derby earlier today] with my very own mixed fruit jelly on top.

Tomorrow, I'm making pastry to make an apple pie from some of the stewed apple from above. I might make some spicy potato pies as well; if I have enough pastry left over.

Quite looking forward to this week I like a challenge. If anyone wants to join in, feel free.

[bazzaboy]

I like a challenge. If anyone wants to join in, feel free.

So what's the challenge Z? To live off garden/freezer produce? Reminds me when I was a student, eek a time ago now, when I used to set myself the challenge of using no money at all throughout August.... I didn't have mortgages and credit cards etc in those days (nor a freezer, nor a car...) there were two difficulties, a) I had a dog who expected regular meals and b) I smoked (oh happy days...). So in July I had to store up 31 tins of dogfood.... I tried growing tobacco (hilarious because you were supposed to inform the tax office who would send a civil servant to count the leaves and calculate tax, I kid you not....) - but it was so disgusting even in a pipe I subsequently stored up bought tobacco along with the dog food.... Transport bike, alcohol homemade beer, store of flour and pasta and a few choice tins. I only tried the dog food once, wasn't very nice, but the challenge improved my fruit/veg gardening no end.... Favourite day of the year, September 1st.
b.

[zazen999]

Challenge - to clear the cupboards and freezer and spend as little as possible thus preventing food being chucked next spring when it is far out of date.......total cupboard wipeout.

And eat as much of these flippin summer and winter squashes as we can......and be creative about using up stuff I've bought and not used. And grown and not used yet.

[weekendwellies]

Challenge - to clear the cupboards and freezer and spend as little as possible thus preventing food being chucked next spring when it is far out of date.......total cupboard wipeout.

And eat as much of these flippin summer and winter squashes as we can......and be creative about using up stuff I've bought and not used. And grown and not used yet.

Good going Z. I am full of admiration.
This is something that everyone ought to do from time to time.
Perhaps anyone who does a monthly shop, as I do, should get enough for only 3 weeks a couple of times a year and make it stretch out into the 4th using up those store cupboard items that we all have.
I have tubs of powdered milk that have been there for far too long.
Also spaghetti, which rarely gets used because pasta shapes are so much easier to eat
Porridge oats which hardly ever get made into porridge, but flapjacks go down well.

[zazen999]

Once we run out of chocolate biscuits this week; I am making flapjacks; and freezing 3/4 of the mix and only making so many every few days.

We spend far too much at the shops; and I am sick of seeing flippin couscous in the cupboard and never using it - so I'm going to make myself use it before we buy any more rice.

And I've got loads of little bags of pasta that were too little for one meal so they are being combined in a roast veg pasta bake at some point.

[zazen999]

AARRGGHH - I want clean cupboards and I want them soon. And I'm too tight to actually chuck it all away!!!!

[gardendancer]

I do a slightly different version - every so often I postpone the grocery shop by 3-4 days, and that gets rid of a few things

I keep thinking I should do the no shopping for a month resolution, it's only really milk that'd be difficult with.

[zazen999]

I don't mind the stuff that makes life worth living; cheese and mayo for me makes all the difference and milk has to be bought as we have little freezer space as it is.

We had postponed our shop by 2 days but this time we decided to go the whole hogg and see how long we can last.

I'm wondering about all those licorice tea bags though - I think I'll start with them tomorrow so that I can eke out the coffee - don't want to be left with no coffee and just licorice tea bags to drink

[gardendancer]

So what are the things you'd like to get rid of most?
Maybe we can come up with some good ideas for you.
my favourite couscous recipe was always tabouleh (before i found out i was gluten intolerant)

[zazen999]

I'm making a list sometime today....I'll post it in here later. Thanks. xxx

[Hilary B]

My 'store cupboard problam' is mainly things bought because they were a bargain (reduced price for some reason). The freezer is definitely over-full of such things, and I need to reduce quantities before cold weather comes, because we have one small chest freezer, and one fridge-freezer, and the latter is not intended to be used in an out-building, so only the fridge-part works when it gets cold (stupid design, but we didn't know until it was bought and defrosting all my home-made ice-cream).
The cupboards need a bit of a clear-out, but not as bad.

[maytreefrannie]

Years ago, I used to do a cupboard clear out every month - anything that had been there since the previous month was taken out and used. I'd do this for a while - maybe six months - then drift out of it, and start doing it again about a year later. It worked well while I did it. I haven't done it for years now - but your post brings it back and I think I'll also make this week one of using up what's there before I buy.

[Flummery]

I'm doing similar to make room in the freezer. We have so far got over 50lb damsons from our little tree! I can only make jam or jelly or chutney one batch at a time!

I'm making a sauce today from Brandywine toms, chilli and garlic and I'll use some store cupboard polenta with it.

[bazzaboy]

Thought of you and this thread this afternoon, Z, as in the local garden centre bookshop section there was a newish cookery volume (which I didn't buy...) called "WASTE NOT, WANT NOT", wholly based on finding ways to use up surplus stock, leftovers etc... One of the chapters was called (something like) "Delicious yesterday, even better today" which is a clever turnaround of how most people, including me, think of leftovers... b.

[zazen999]

I do leftovers; I am renowned for doing sausages and mash here on a Friday just to that I can have mash on toast for breakfast on a Sunday.........but it is using up things that I have half used in cupboards that is my main issue. We don't have much cupboard space as it is.

So far: I have
finished one bottle of Pesto [not that big a deal, I usually go through one a week]
finished off one huge jar of my Green Tomato Chutney, used more cukes, finished a jar of pickled beetroot from last year, used raisins, used oats [in hob nobs], got rid of peas from the freezer, and used some felafels from the freezer; and beans from the freezer, made an apple pie [using flour etc and apples], and made spicy potato pasties. Plus I've finished off another bag of pasta.

Not listed everything yet; it's going ok so far