Originally Posted by
redheadtempe33
Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I did order the cookbooks off Amazon, 6P&E and Gfunkdave, so I will see how that goes.
I'll try buying frozen vegetables more and thanks to Missy and Bama, I will certainly try throwing in leftover vegetables/perishables into stews/soups/meatloafs.
I guess my follow-up question would be - what foods (especially vegetables) do you find that do not freeze/refrigerate (over time - 2 weeks) well? Lettuce has been mentioned. I was surprised that mushrooms freeze OK (though I've never tried so what do I know?).
I tried freezing cheese once and although it was edible once thawed, the consistency changed and it could no longer be sliced.
I don't think any of your strictly salad vegetables can be frozen (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts). But I think almost anything you spot in a can will do okay and if you see it in the grocer's freezer, you can freeze it too although some things may need to be cooked before freezing. I freeze fresh onion and celery and bell pepper after washing and chopping and so always have a supply on hand for cooking. You can do that with jalapenos and other peppers as well. I don't know about garlic but BamaVol Jr #1 has got me almost completely converted to the stuff in jars anyway.