Monday, December 28, 2009

Still Stocktaking

Quite a lot of yesterday was spent stocktaking. After doing the chilled and unchilled fresh foods, moved on to the larder where I sat in my chair, writing down every last little thing on five long shelves.
Beloved laughs at my stocktaking, but do think he realises the sense of it. He has to help me by letting me know when he helps himself to foods listed, and he is free to eat anything he likes. Last night he came into the living room and said he had used 5 tblsp of double cream with his pudding (heated leftover Xmas pud that was not on the list but the cream was). Did he expect me to keep count of every spoonful? Perhaps he did. There is no need to be that exact.

My first concern is to use up the fresh foods that will deteriorate the soonest. Already need to use up some celery, and with an onion and carrot (maybe even a small parsnip) it looks like vegetable broth will be served for supper tonight.
Three or four bananas will be put into the freezer, as they thaw out quite well, and if at all mushy can be used to make a banana cake or something similar.
Possibly a fresh fruit salad will also be made, some fresh fruits could be set in jelly - this will keep them 'fresh' for a few days longer.
The bag of watercress, not yet opened, will need using within a few days, also the iceberg lettuce (this has been in the freezer at least two weeks if not longer, so may not be fit for use although it looks and feels solid enough). Must keep an eye on the cream, but double cream will freeze, so a good way to keep it longer.
The baking potatoes need a weekly check as noticed they were just beginning to sprout. These were rubbed off, and the potatoes will keep well if all shoots are removed as soon as they appear.

Although all foods can be eaten fresh, freezing those that can be does make them accessible over a longer period. Yes I do have an old recipe (as yet untried) to make an easy double cream, and if it works - then that is another thing that will help to improve desserts once the real cream has been used up.

Luckily, oranges keep for weeks (months in fact), and so do the apples, so it is mainly the bananas that needs using. Kiwi fruit, kept in a cool place, keep quite well. A lot more vitamin C in a kiwi than other fruits, so worth eating at this time of year.