Thursday 7 April 2011

The Store Cupboard Challenge

The Store Cupboard Challenge is going really well, after last weeks No Spend Week, things are starting to be really used up. Spotty Jug got his injection of the full £70 housekeeping money and is currently standing at £424.50. The home preserves cupboard (above) has at last got space in it.
And that means I have empty jars to re-use.
One freezer, the one in the kitchen with four drawers has been completely emptied and defrosted, now I am in the process of moving things from the big chest freezer upstairs into this one, so the contents can be chomped through. The big chest freezer is mainly used for storing our own home grown produce and now that I have the jars available I can start to process some more of this.
First to be tackled is the tomatoes and I spent yesterday making some tomato juice and a few jars of simply cooked tomatoes. Since the tomatoes have been frozen they have turned much more watery, so the rest of the bags were left to defrost completely overnight and then strained and peeled first thing this morning. They are currently in the bottom oven of the Aga, slow cooking to intensify the flavour, then they will be bottled up.
I can use these jars of tomatoes for all sorts of recipes in the coming weeks, in place of tinned tomatoes. I do think that this year though that I won't freeze as many tomatoes, instead I will make sauces and meals with them, and freeze them instead. The quality of the frozen tomatoes is not as good as when you use them fresh.
So once again the Home Preserves cupboard will be filling up but I can almost see the bottom of the large chest freezer and soon I will be able to turn it off for a couple of months and save on the electricity bill!
Sue xx

6 comments:

  1. Hi Sue,
    Congrats on your blog, I've just found you and it's so interesting. Think I'll be learning lots.

    sft x

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  2. They look lovely Sue, bet they taste way way better than anything tinned. Going off to see if you have the recipe on your blog here!!!
    How lovley to see the pictures of the chooks, they have grown so much, well a they would of course, but it really doesn't seem that long ago they were just hatching out!
    Take care
    Sarah x

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  3. Oh, my mouth is watering..I love homegrown cooked tomatoes on toast! Have an extra portion for me, please.
    Jane x

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  4. Well done you! Aww I am salivating over those tomatoes x

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  5. Those tomatoes look good.I have never been successful in growing them, don't have a greenhouse and they didn't do well outside. My 90 year old Mum has grown them for a while and I always come back loaded when hers are out.

    I don't keep a lot in my fridge, it's too small and my cupboards have the sort of stuff you use in emergency. Likewise my freezer as it's in the garage and a pain to have to go outside in rain & open the up 'n over door!

    Your food pictures look very appealing! Love to the chooks x

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  6. I just found your blog and I'm oggling these jars! I never get round to actually storing anything so well- I normally end up munching it all straight off the plant! Now I've got my allotment I'm going to have to clear out the cereal cupboard and rebrand it the jars of delicious lottie loot cupboard!

    Great blog!

    Holly x

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