Monday 26 September 2016

Two day absence.

Yes, I have not posted for two days - and for that I apologise.  The fact is that I have had a sudden surge of energy which has led me to do various jobs around the house and that has taken up most of my time.

Cupboards have been cleaned out, drawers have been tidied, several recipes have been tried out (Tuna and vegetable pie - a Lyndsey Bareham recipe from the Times);in addition I have been getting on with the latest baby cardigan I am knitting for my forthcoming great grandchild.

I have been beavering away today today by cleaning out another kitchen cupboard and throwing away several things I haven't used for years.   One of these was a juicer that I have had at least thirty years (probably old-fashioned by today's standards).  It was bought for me by a cousin who, many years ago, used to spend Christmas with my previous husband and I.   It made the most marvellous fresh orange juice in a couple of minutes but unfortunately it then took about half an hour to wash up.

Similarly I threw out a juice dispenser which took up a huge amount of room in my fridge -    room which I could put to better use.

Yesterday the farmer and I tackled the large freezer, which was in urgent need of a defrost.
Everything was taken out and put either into the smaller freezer (not much room left in there after a bumper crop this year of raspberries), the cool box or the cool bag.  These were then put into our downstairs wet room, the window was opened wide and the whole lot were covered with layers of newspaper.   Now time was of the essence so we put bowls of very hot water into the freezer and changed them about every quarter of an hour.   In two hours the freezer was defrosted and all I had to do was wash and dry it out and switch it back on.   Soon everything was back in and - more importantly - on the correct shelf.   Does any one amongst you keep your freezer in absolute order at all times?   If so I would be interested to hear how you do it.

It may seem silly to some of you to have two freezers, but I would point out that we live a couple of miles from the nearest shop.   On- line shopping with Tesco helps but unexpected visitors really means that I must keep a fair supply of food available.

19 comments:

Heather said...

For your circumstances having two freezers sounds very sensible. We are much nearer shops and just one is sufficient for our needs, but I still find it impossible to keep the drawers filled as they should be. After a shopping session things have to be tucked in as and where there is a space for them.
Isn't it lovely when one has a surge of energy? I am hoping for one at the end of the week to allow me to keep up with sorting out the garden. I have been wilting today after our flu jabs last Friday. It must be a good batch!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

When defrosting our freezer, I usually employ Shirley's hair drier. We have several supermarkets within a ten minute drive so I guess we don't need a freezer as much as you do but we have brambles, apples and vegetables from the garden to freeze plus stand-by frozen items from the supermarket.

Rachel Phillips said...

You're not pregnant are you?

donna baker said...

As much as you cook and garden, I would think it a must to have two freezers. I always forget what is in there, and, I am cooking very little nowadays. I'm getting blog posts hours and/or days late. I don't know what is on about it, but glad to hear from you again.

jinxxxygirl said...

Well if you use them then i see every need to have the two freezers you have... I only have the freezer that comes with my frig. And it is usually not all that full..... Hubby has often mentioned he would like a freezer so maybe one day we will end up for one even though i don't see a need for one.. Its just the two of us after all... Ofcourse if we have a world wide catastrophe i'm coming to your house..lol Hugs! deb

Derek Faulkner said...

I always wait for a cloudless and hot day in the summer and then drag the freezer out into the garden, leave the door open and in an hour or two it's defrosted and you don't have to worry about the water running out of it.
Don't overdo all the cleaning, you don't want another spell in hospital, don't forget that your mind is probably far more active than your body.

Wilma said...

The freezer compartment of our American style fridge could use cleaning out, but it is at least frost-free, so doesn't ever need to be defrosted. I try to keep up the habit of labeling and dating all the food I put away and have bins for odd-shaped things like packages or bags of fish or lobster. We don't have the luxury of buying prepared frozen dinners or even frozen vegetables at the nearest stores (45 minutes away), but I often cook extra dinners, soup, bread, or veg that I freeze for later. I bet you have a great sense of accomplishment after that flurry of activity!

Sue said...

I often freeze meals in plastic containers but sometimes I'm too lazy to label them properly. That usually results in some unexpected dinners.

Joanne Noragon said...

If I had two freezers, and access to raspberries, one freezer would be dedicated to raspberries.

angryparsnip said...

If I lived where you did and many of your friends and home growers I would have two freezers.
Raspberries or any fresh berries I would be stacking up the freezers.

cheers, parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

I'm afraid we now have 3 freezers (one is quite small). I would be lost without them.

Librarian said...

All I have is a small freezer compartment as part of my kitchen fridge; living on my own (except for when O.K. spends the weekend) and eating at work during the week means I do not have to keep a large stock of food. Also, the nearest supermarket is a mere five-minute-walk from my house.
And funnily enough, I defrosted my tiny freezer yesterday, too :-)
I had made sure it was empty already, using up its meagre contents last week, so all I had to do was wait for the ice to melt off enough so that I could get it out with a cloth. Of course while I was at it, I cleaned and washed the entire fridge, not just the freezer compartment. By late afternoon, it was all back in.

Good to know I could always pop in at your place as an unexpected visitor, and you'd be able to provide me with a sumptuous meal!

Mac n' Janet said...

Having 2 freezers makes sense for you. We bought a refrigerator with an over-sized freezer, it's fractured so no defrosting.

Elizabeth said...

Sounds a very satisfactory day's work!
Sort of 'spring cleaning' - autumn version.
How sensible to keep supplies on hand.

Gwil W said...

Concentrated beetroot juice is a recommended performance enhancer
according to the doctor who looked after the successful British paralympics
athletes.

Go and get that juicer back! You'll clean out your cupboards in half the time.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

We only have one freezer and it is rather small. There are definitely times when we could have used a second one, or a larger one. Every once in a while we would order a quarter, or half of beef and then the freezer would be full to overflowing for a while. Right now it is bags of frozen tomatoes taking up a lot of space. -Jenn

Frances said...

Pat, you and the Farmer are wise to take care of getting the freezers prepared for cooler weather. Once again, I'll count my blessings on having a small self-defrosting freezer as part of my fridge. Before my landlord installed this fridge, i had to deal for many years with an older fridge that did require defrosting maneuvers that were a real chore.

I guess I am also very lucky to have so many shops and other facilities within walking distance. Alas, no beautiful dales, though. xo

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

I wish I had that degree of energy. Yesterday after my previous day's exploits I slept till 12

The Weaver of Grass said...

Rachel - pigs might fly!
Any one of you is welcome to drop by any time and take pot luck - but I must warn you that, like Sue, I often put cooked meals into plastic containers and forget to label, so you never know what you might get for your meal.

Thanks for popping by.