After the Icepocolypse hit Texas in February, I resolved to be more intentional about the foods I would keep on hand and how to store them. I have always been one to stock up on anything that I could store in the freezer for long-term storage. Now, I already know that a freezer is no good if one does not have any electricity to run it. That is actually a disaster in itself. I found that out the hard way a few hurricanes ago when we were without power for over a week. Throwing out a freezer full of meats and frozen foods will make a person cry. A freezer will keep foods frozen for a few days if left closed because all the frozen items together sustain the temperature. Any longer than that should cause concern and dismay. Fortunately, my neighborhood was not without power for very long during Icepocolypse, only for a 17-hour period, but I know many people who were without power for an entire week. It was not a good situation in any way, shape or form.
Like most intentional projects, I think about them for a while until I figure out the most efficient way to complete them before I start them. I have to be careful about thinking because thinking can turn into procrastination. It’s a grey area. The first step is to resolve to change some habits and stop procrastinating. Sometimes a project is not as bad as it seems to be (sometimes). I concluded from the start that I must change some habits. Everyone is capable of changing a habit; the first step is to think about how to do that. For me, I broke the whole project into parts, so I thought about the different ways to store food:
- Store foods in the freezer and refrigerator properly to prevent food waste and freezer burn
- Learn food preservation methods: canning and dehydrating
- Learn more about long-term dry good storage and implement
- Preparing freezer meals
- Food storage organization
Today, I will talk about the first bullet point. I know how to store foods in the freezer and refrigerator properly, but sometimes I don’t take the extra step or the time to do it. Everyone does that with something, right? We know we need to do it, but we are in a hurry or tell ourselves we will do it in the morning when we have more energy; however, the next morning comes and the task is left undone. I am going to say this is human nature.
To be more intentional, the hardest part about that first bullet point is to stop justifying the reason to not do a particular task and just do it; otherwise, it may or may not get done for a variety of reasons. Now, when I get home and put the groceries away, I take care of wrapping and packaging my foods for storage in the freezer and refrigerator immediately. It really doesn’t take that much effort to take this extra step; plus, the task won’t be hanging over my head causing mental clutter of guilt.
As I am putting away items from the store, I set aside the items that need attention as I go through the bags. After all the items from the bags are sorted and put away, I can start working on the items I set aside. Most of these items are meats and produce. For supplies, I need some plastic freezer bags, a Sharpie marker, Foodsaver bags and the Foodsaver.
For the meats, I determine if that item will be used in the next couple of weeks or if it is a stock up the item. If it is something that will be used over the next couple of weeks, I only need to wrap it in a freezer bag. The first thing I do is take the items out of their original packaging and place them in a freezer bag, writing what it is and the date on the outside of the bag. On this week, I had a chuck roast, Italian turkey sausage and salmon that I would use in the next month, so those only required a freezer bag. If it is a long-term storage item, I will vacuum seal it using the Foodsaver.
Looking at the produce for this particular week, I had some fresh Italian parsley to take care of. Fresh parsley, leaf lettuces and cilantro are fairly delicate, so they will wilt rather quickly if not stored properly. To store them properly, take a good length of paper towel and wet it, wringing out the excess water, so the paper towel is damp. Wrap the parsley, lettuce or cilantro with a damp paper towel as seen in the middle picture below. You can place the wrapped item in the produce bag or in a freezer bag to store in the refrigerator, making sure to squeeze out any excess air. The damp paper towel will keep the item fresh longer. Every couple of days, you should check the item to make sure the paper towel is still damp. If it is dry, dampen a new paper towel and wrap what is left of the item. I learned this trick watching Foodnetwork years ago.
Being more intentional about anything is worth the time and effort it takes to complete the task. Usually, it is procrastination keeping someone from doing something that really doesn’t take much time to begin with. One procrastinated task is not a big deal, but if you have a lot of them, they pile up over time, and that can be a problem. This is one small task that I can do that will prevent that mental clutter I was talking about.
Check back later to see how I tackle the rest of those bullet points.
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