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I have half a cow in my freezer.
We went in on a cow (actually a 750-pound calf) with a friend and our half arrived at its final destination this weekend, which is this lovely retro chic 70s disco gold upright freezer. We bought it used for a really good deal. It sits in the basement beside another used upright freezer found at another awesome price. It looks like somebody needs to clean that one. (I hope you’ll be right over! I’ll give you a cookie.)
Behold, half a cow. (There’s a shelf missing in the door. It’s a used freezer.)
Actually, that’s half a cow and a whole ewe and half a lamb. Two shelves are devoted to the lamb. The rest of the shelves and the storage in the door is for the beef. Have you ever seen so much ground beef in your life?
There is every cut of meat imaginable–sirloin tips, porterhouse steaks, ribs, etc. And lots and lots of ground beef. Wondering what’s inside these big plastic bags?
This is your lucky day because I’m not going to show you, but I’ll tell you. It’s giant bones. Like dinosaur bones. Okay, actually there are some cow leg bones in there. They just look like dinosaur bones. I think they would probably make Coco very happy. There are also some normal-looking bones that aren’t so huge, and some fat. The bones will be used to make stock. Except for the giant bones. I’ve never seen a pot big enough to hold the giant bones. They might be bigger than Coco. As for the fat, it will be used to make tallow for soap and candles. IS THAT NOT EXCITING? I can hardly wait!
I’d better be doing that soon because in a few months, the pigs will be coming to visit their friends in the freezer and we’ll need the space. Right now, the pigs are still in the meadow bottom. My pantry is full of canning. Two freezers are filled with meat, fruit, and vegetables. There is something very secure about being stocked up. I’m not eager for winter, but I’m ready for it. The other upright freezer holds some store-bought meat and all the fruits and vegetables that I froze over the summer and am continuing to work on. (STILL working on pears here! Pumpkins waiting on the tarmac to go next.)
No one will go hungry here, that’s for sure.
(We have a generator in case of a power outage.)
So that’s what’s in my freezers! You?
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on November 4, 2009
1:39
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i have been wondering lately why you never post anything about the piggies….now i know. i could never be a farmer. please don’t post any pictures of them.
2:18
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DH needs gluten-free & many grocery store meats have added juices with gluten, so there’s several organic chickens & a turkey. Other meat cuts from our meat market, esp lean grd beef & stew beef. Two bags of hamburger patties for our son and two bags of minute steaks for us (super lean ground beef, thin patty, cubed–not cube steaks which are thicker & cook longer). A couple of 5# boxes of plain fish fillets.
One bucket full of small containers of leftovers DH takes for lunch at work.
He likes to do the grocery shopping (clip coupons, read ads), so a variety of convenience meals he gets cheap.
A friend gave us goose & duck eggs this summer. We saved some in baggies in the freezer (minus shells, yolks broken) & use those in his gluten-free bread.
8 boxes of Kashi strawberry flax waffles because I eat two of those for b-fast each day & think they’ve helped my cholesterol.
The nice meat market guy gives us a couple of huge hunks of suet each year. We render it & pour into cupcakes that we put out in a suet feeder for the birds. So bags of suet cupcakes.
The freezer in the spare fridge in the house has flours & baking mixes so we avoid those little moths. All his gluten-free mixes & flours, and our regular baking stuff.
My kitchen fridge freezer has 10 trays of ice cubes. My 5 are made out of distilled water (I use 4 trays a day). 7 cold packs my DH uses to keep his lunch cold & grandkids (here after school every day) use for boo-boos. Two containers of Cool Whip. More frozen meals for g-kids after school. Hot dogs. And a hodgepodge of bits & pieces the dh & son stick in the bottom basket.
Heck, I didn’t mean to go on so long!
3:56
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My house side-by-side freezer just keeps frozen breakfast items, my Sonic ice (a treat for me), frozen juices and small items. We have an icemaker that takes up quite a bit of room.
I love being prepared, but I am not quite as prepared as you are.
I also like to imagine my meat comes from a tree somewhere. I am such a baby when it comes to “reality.”
Cece
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Dede
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Thanks for showing us your haul. It’s good to know that you’re able to take care of your family in these tough times. I’ve voted for you everyday and you’re still in my prayers that you get the gig. xxoo
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Freezing strawberries?Don’t they turn to mush when you thaw them,or do you liquidise them?
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In my freazer I have 4 box’s of toster strudel, 2 lbs of ground beef, package of small steaks, freazer jam, 2 tyson ready made meal things, some ground steaks, whole wheat flour, buck wheat flour, corn meal, rice. I have a small little square freazer that was given to us. And the freazer to my refreigator. I kind of wish I had a bigger freazer but I make what I have work for us. I need to get in there and orginize it a bit better.
6:20
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Other than that, I have lunchmeat that was on sale, some bacon, several packs of steaks, chicken stock for soups, a large ham bone that will go into some ham and beans with cornbread….and ice. And half a bottle of water. Interesting, huh?
Carol
6:31
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Thanks,
carol
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We always got a 1/4 for 3 people…it was gone like the wind in no time flat.
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Have you dried any of your pears? Yummmm, pear candy.
8:20
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My stand up freezer is bursting at the seams with venison. My 17 year old son (the football player), and my dear hubby love to hunt. Its their passion. He says during the friday night football games he is thinking of saturday morning hunting. But he does well at both. I am going to start canning it as soon as santa brings me a pressure canner.
Thanks for sharing your every day life with us!
Brenda
Hanahan, SC.
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In the freezer are trout caught by DH, venison and elk via our sons who hunt and friends, tomatoes, green beans and zucchini from the gardeh, beef, pork and chickens from the market when they were on sale and packaged fish fillets, a ham, a turkey, herbs, blueberries, butter purchased on sale, packaged soups, chicken and beef stock, bones to make more stock and I have no idea about what
DH has stuffed in there. I package soups and stocks in zip lock freezer bags, lay them flat until frozen then stand on end like books; saves a lot of room. Have large containers of flour, sugar, cornbread mix, and biscuit mix. I think we can get through a blizzard this winter.
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Oh and pie and lots of apple pie filling.
We don’t go hungry over winter that is for sure.
The only thing we still got to do for winter is chop some more wood, got a lot done but not quite enough for the whole winter and a cathouse has to be made.
Other than that…we are ready for winter….but from the bottom of my heart…I hope winter will be hold up somewhere so we don’t see him too soon.
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A full freezer is a blessing and a comfort.
9:58
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Our freezers (we have 4 of them) look like yours since our roads look like yours — but with more sheep stuff (eg, lamb, milk, livers that need to go to Univ of Mich. for analysis to make sure everybody is still getting enough and the right minerals). Plus we have some paw-paws from last year and some pecans that we need to get rid of since deer season is coming.
We had a freezer fail on us last summer and it was very unpleasant; the buzzards circled and everything. The young man who delivered the new chest freezer had to haul the old nasty one out. I heard him ask his friend “Geez, haven’t they ever heard of baking soda?” Probably not enough baking soda in Missouri to help on that one. Gotta go vote.
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After deer season in December, I’m planning to switch my dogs to a raw diet of (mostly) venison. I may need another freezer.
10:49
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Love, LOVE your blog! You’re inspiring me to consider starting my own.
10:53
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I’m jealous of your freezers! For two of us, we keep an extra 7 cubic foot freezer in the garage. It has a little elk, venison and antelope. The seasons are just starting, so we’ll be re-stocking. I also keep a rib eye steak or two and chicken, Italian sausage, tilapia, shrimp and salmon. In winter, we may not get out for a couple of weeks…….you just make do!
10:59
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Looks like you are one prepared gal for cold weather.
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I am be so afraid of a long power outage when we would also not be able to get gasoline for the generator. I am considering canning, instead of freezing everything, meat included. I have read that meat is a lot more tender and juicy when it is canned. Also, we wouldn’t lose it during a power outage.
I have to get a canner first, of course :-)
I also have to build some very sturdy shelving in the basement, but I am thinking about it.
We only have one, not really big, freezer and its full of veggies, freezer jams, breads bought on sale and odds and ends – very little meat right now.
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My pears are all done. Have your tried pear butter – so easy and tasty.
I’m still working on apples. I think I’ll be done this weekend. I love to can but by the time the seasons end – I’m ready for a breather.
New for me thisyear – homemade pizza sauce and tomato basil sauce to make into soup. Couldn’t wait for winter – tried both and know I will be doing more of each recipe in 2010!!
1:14
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Wow, that is SOME pick up line.
ha
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The suet doesn’t have to be rendered. We throw the hunks into the freezer if we can’t get to them right away & often chip pieces off (with an ice pick or screwdriver ) and put them out in the suet feeder cage. But that leaves little chips that flake off when I chisle & they’re too small to stay in the suet cage. Plus we feed suet year-round & when it’s rendered it doesn’t spoil. So the cupcakes are easier, neater, & use every bit of the suet.
All you do to render is melt it in a pot. Once it’s all melted, we remove the cooked meat & rinds (like chittlins), then dip the melted suet with a ladle into cupcake pans with double paper liners. Once the cupcakes are solid, we bag & freeze. We put the cooked meat & rinds into old pie plates & stick those in the freezer, too. During some big snowstorm, we put those out so the big crows will eat that and leave the rest of the feed alone. They only bother our feed stations when there’s a really harsh snowstorm with deep snow.
Our woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatchers, etc won’t touch the store-bought suet cakes. We tried when we couldn’t get suet during deer season one year. Had to laugh at their disgusted flutters when they’d land, ruffle feathers,then take off without pecking.
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Now on a side note, do you have any experience with the fruit quince? I’m looking to make an apple and quince pie and my goodness there seems to be a million and one ways to do it. I thought you Suzanne might know of a recipe, or maybe Georgia. Could you ask her for me?
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So, that’s what’s in my freezer.
But I’m glad to see the pics. I wanted to buy 1/2 cow and 1/2 pig this fall, and I wasn’t sure my freezer would hold them. Now I’m thinking it just might …
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Doesn’t seem like much but it is a lot more than I used to have. When I lived with my ex-husband we never had more than what we needed for 7 meals to go the week. Today is Friday and there is enough food to go at least a couple more weeks. I am hoping there will be deer meat in there this winter and am thinking about doing more chickens if I can ever get rid of this raccoon!
12:29
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Come November, we will have an elk and two pigs to add to all kinds of fruits, homemade maple syrup, fruit syrup, veggies, juices and baking to add to our three freezers. We have some other truly odd-ball stuff in there right now too…You’d NEVER guess. My daughter does have some frozen insects, however, in one fridge freezer. She still needs to pin them into her collection.
Aside from that, as far as the food goes, there is just nothing like having your own “store” right in your own house.
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