Planning Ahead

     Someone asked me recently "How far ahead do you plan your food for the year?" As any farmer will tell you, you start planning the next year's crop as soon as you harvest this year's. The same is true of canning and "putting food by". When I run out of something in January, I am quick to make a note of it in my plans for this year because I don't want that to happen again!
     Two of our budget stretchers are Garbage soup and Kitchen Sink soup. These 2 tips, along with having a "bean night" will give your budget a boost!
     In order to make "Garbage" soup, I save my scraps to do double (or even triple!) duty. All through the year I save my vegetable scraps in the freezer. I use large, gallon-sized, resealable baggies in which to keep these  and I label them "Garbage". (This keeps me or my beloved from thawing something for supper that later turns out to be less than desireable!) Into these I put the ends of onions or peppers, carrot or potato peelings, the ends of squash and tomatoes and any other vegetable scraps. (All of these I wash first, of course.) I do not use the vegetables from the cabbage family as these are too strong in flavor, although an occasional cabbage leaf is not too overpowering.
     When I have accumulated 3-4 bags, I choose a day and make soup broth. I place all the vegetables in a large water bath canner and cover with plenty of water. I also add some of my favorite  herbs and seasonings and bring to a boil then turn down after half an hour. I let this simmer all day, filling my house with a delicious fragrance better than anything I could spray around the rooms!          
     After several hours, I strain the vegetables out of the liquid. (Scraps then go to chickens or if you don't have stock at least start a compost pile. Our chickens provide a third use for the vegetables and in turn they provide eggs and fertilizer!) I ladle the broth into pint and quart jars and process them, then label the lids.
     You can also freeze broth in baggies. I measure them out in amounts I cook with for this (1/2 cup to 2 cup amounts)and label clearly. I lay them out on a cookie sheet in my freezer until solid. Then I file them in whatever box I have available. (I really like using those plastic shoe boxes for this to help keep my freezer tidy.)
     Kitchen Sink soup is done more in the fall and winter months only. All week as we eat I take the leftover bits of vegetables I serve each night and add them to a baggie in the freezer labeled "Kitchen Sink". At the end of the week I toss them all in a pot and add a couple quarts of tomato juice or soup broth as well as any leftover cooked chicken or turkey bits we might have in the freezer
and we have a nice toasty soup that is a fresh way to serve left-overs. Because the vegetables I serve are different each week, the soup tastes different each week.
     One thing I have always tried to do for my husband is to fix him a microwaveable plate for work so that he has a hot meal at lunch. Before setting our supper on the table, I take a divided plate and dole out a serving of each item. With a lid on it and a quick label of masking tape, I pop this in the freezer for him to snag for his lunches. If I do this before we eat, we are less likely to eat everything on the table. I try to keep ahead of him by 2 or 3 days so that he doesn't eat the same thing the day after we eat it for supper. When this sometimes results in a tablespoon or 2 of beans or corn left in the pan after supper, they can go into either baggie depending on the time of year. He is a big man who works hard around the farm and in the blacksmith shop as well as at the university where he is employed as a welder, so I like him to be well fed and not rely on sandwiches too much of the time.
     If you are the only one in your home think about starting to fix your own meals for work as well. They will certainly be to your liking and will also have a lot less preservatives and sodium than commercial meals.
     The best thing I learned to do was to ask myself "What else can I do with this before throwing it in the garbage?" I've used popsicle sticks as plant markers, the plastic sheets that bacon comes on for quilting templates, meat trays for paint palettes, and so much more. I'd love to hear your "double duty" stories!