Clutterbusting Fresh Food Before it Goes Bad

Last night, my husband reminded me that if I didn't make that strawberry jam soon, the strawberries were going to go bad.

I am terrible about letting food go to waste. I forget to check expiration dates before I decide to cook meat. Heavy cream always goes bad because I don't think to organize my meal plan to utilize the entire carton. And I have to throw out rotting veggies or fruits almost every week.

We bought 4 pounds of strawberries for $5 on Sunday, so my overly optimistic brain had the bright idea of, "Strawberry jam!" I've had a cold since last Thursday (just got over it today, Wednesday). What the hell was I thinking?

I still don't have much energy. But I pulled the 4 clam shell containers of strawberries out of the fridge, set them on the cleared half of the kitchen table, and stared at them. They didn't magically turn into jam, as I had hoped. They just stared back.

While searching freshpreserving.com for the recipe I used the one and only time I ever made strawberry jam, I came across instructions for freezing strawberries. Aha! I decided to use the sugar pack method. Super easy. And we can use them for ice cream topping, too.

I only got 2 pounds of strawberries out of it, because one container was already getting moldy, and the kid had already eaten half of another container. Might as well leave her some fresh on hand. 2 pounds filled 2 pints and 4 half pints, all the already-washed freezer safe jars I had on hand.

However, I had to improvise a lid for one of the pints with plastic wrap and a rubber band. I couldn't find one that would fit in the cluttered drawer I keep the lids in.

So this got me to thinking about that time I bought a pound of green beans. And had to throw the whole thing out because I never used any  of them. Green beans are on sale for 98 cents a pound this week. Could I freeze them too?

I found this nifty page on freezing vegetables, complete with a chart that has instructions for preparing different types of veggies.

Further more, when I looked at the date on the chicken tenders I was planning to cook tomorrow, it was today's date. But I have to cook the steaks tonight, too. Damn it!

Then I remembered reading How to Cook and Shred Chicken in Bulk (Fast!) this morning.  Right! So I tossed them in the slow cooker, on low, with salt, pepper, and the juice of one lemon. Tonight, they are going in the freezer for next week (cause I have some ground turkey that needs to be cooked tomorrow).