The only grocery purchase I made last week was for a 1/2 gallon of my favorite Oakhurst milk {$2.89}. I know that ounce for ounce it’s less expensive to buy a full gallon, but I can’t seem to finish an entire gallon of milk before it starts to smell/taste a bit off.
Maybe I should think about buying a gallon and freezing half of it, but even then, it would still only save about $0.50 because Oakhurst is a wee bit on the expensive {but TOTALLY worth it} side when it comes to milk.
Do YOU freeze milk? Can you taste a difference?
Here are some of the meals we ate last week.
Ham sandwich on a baguette.
Crockpot beatloaf with beans and corn.
Bet’s Fish Fry {date day}.
We happened to be there on Thursday which is apparently Farmer’s Market Day so while the HH was in line to order our lunch, I wandered over to check things out.
At one stall I found corn going for $1.50 a ear. Mamma Mia!
A surprise chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting for our anniversary {thanks to our awesome neighbor!}. 28 years. WOWZA. That’s a long time.
Crockpot beef tips over rice.
Roasted beets and carrots {cooked in the Air Fryer} over rice.
They were so good, I made four batches last week! All I did was toss the vegetables in a little olive oil with some salt and pepper before cooking and then when they were done, I tossed them in a little balsamic vinegar.
I froze three of the four batches and plan to freeze a few more quarts this week. I figure if I get the beets that are in the ground in the freezer now, I’ll have just enough time to grow another round of them before the ground freezes.
We also ate a lot of tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes.
And canned a lot of tomatoes too. So far I’m up to 51 jars of salsa. 😉 The HH said that was too many jars… But I have a feeling we’ll go through them all this winter.
Life is running at a pretty good clip these days. It seems like we’re harvesting something from the garden every day. I’m busy with canning and my rug hooking projects and the HH is busy with stuff and his house projects.
Pretty soon here the weather will change and we’ll be able to slow down, but for right now, even though there’s so much going on, and there’s still a lot to do before winter, we’re trying to soak it all in.
It’s hard to imagine that fall is right around the corner. But it is. 🙂
Here’s to another productive day.
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $2.89
- Total Spent in August of Groceries $24.29
- Total Spent in July on Groceries $335.47
- Total Spent in June for Groceries $124.45
- Total Spent in May for Groceries $172.47 {$47 of it was spent at Farmers Markets}
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $94.48
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $114.12
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $94.64
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $96.58
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2022 $1056.50
Nancy Settel says
we love cooking rice then adding a jar of salsa to it. Taste even better the next day if there should happen to be any left over. Always need more salsa.
Elle says
Those are small jars of salsa. Gone in 2 bowls of beans and rice! I love to mix it with a bit of sour cream and we use it for salad dressing 🙂
Love the roasted veg. Yummo!
Rosemary Calhoun says
I threw in the towel on my garden. I pulled out all the plants and got one banana pepper. One pepper! The bugs just devastated the plants. I thought having a garden inside the greenhouse would be a good idea as it would keep the animals away from the veggies. Worked great on the animals – not so much on the bugs. I need to do some research to find ways of dealing with the bug population – the worst ones were the aphids. I want to do a fall/winter garden and the bugs are a lot less then. Time will tell if that succeeds.
Threw in the towel on the monthly food budget as well. Seems like I’m throwing a lot of towels! The only thing we are self-sufficient on is eggs – the rest all needs to be bought. Having a hungry teenager that has certain likes and dislikes does not help the budget at all. My pantry and freezer are well stocked, but we always need the perishable stuff. I do all the tips and tricks I know to keep the cost down, but it is still a lot. I can only imagine how much I would spend if I didn’t try to save. I can’t even spend less than 100.00 per week much less per month! Mavis, you are my hero! When I grow up (I’m 69 now) I want to be just like you! 🙂
Jennifer says
I have frozen milk before and not noticed a difference in flavor. I’ve never eaten a beet before and always thought I hated them. That’s probably because I’ve never tried one that wasn’t processed in some way. What would you compare it to? Also, the picture of the beets and carrots looked like amazing. Honestly, I thought the beets were pieces of pork – I first thought it was a Chinese dish – you know the chicken skewers that have that bright red color?
To me, that jar of salsa is just one hearty helping or two regular ones. A bowl of rice, a big spoonful of salsa, some meat and a big spoonful of sour cream and that’s dinner. I’m not a Yankee, but I would add some black beans if I had them, and fresh cilantro!!
Chris says
Hi Jennifer,
I never liked beets until discovering golden beets. For whatever reason, they’re so delicious quartered cooked in a stew. Or small pieces steamed plain and added to rice or quinoa. Savory sweet, but not overly sweet. It may depend on the variety, similar to the wide range of apple sweetnesses. Don’t know the variety I get from a market, all I know is I crave them. 🙂
Jeni says
I freeze milk often and there is no noticeable flavor change. It will look different when frozen but will go back to what it originally looked it when thawed.
I buy milk at my local Sprouts when it is close to date and they mark down to $.99/gal and pop it right into the freezer when I get home after taking a bit out to allow for expansion.
It takes me a couple of weeks to get through a full gallon myself but I’ve only had one taste off the 2nd week after thawing. At that price I didn’t mind throwing it out as much as I would had I paid full price!
Cindi says
Yes, we freeze milk all the time. I currently have 7 half-gallons in my freezer (bought on sale.) You just have to remember to shake the milk each time you pour. We’ve been doing it so long it’s automatic for us.
Nancy in California says
We love salsa mixed with non-fat cottage cheese. It’s great as a side or as a dip with chips. It looks alittle strange but it’s delicious and a good way to add non-fat calcium to your diet.
Jenn says
You are the first person to mention this mixture!! It is so good ♥️The salt from the chips and the spicy cook from the mixture is soo good!
Melonie K. says
Happy anniversary!!!
I love to add salsa over scrambled eggs or a Denver-style omelet. Mmmmm, yummy.
suzanne says
We had fresh green beans in the air fryer last night. First time cooking them that way and they were absolutely delicious. 370 for 12 minutes. we used a lil parm the last minute of cooking but I’m going to try balsamic next time.
We also tried a new recipe with mayocoba beans simmered in salsa verde and broth. They’re so much creamier than pintos. I wonder if cooking them in salsa would give them as much flavor as the verde.
Jennifer Ashford says
Could you share your recipe for the beef tips and gravy? It looks really good.
Brianna says
Well that is only 1 jar of salsa each week for the next year. Maybe enough?
Cathy says
Try freezing the milk in ice cube tray. A cube or two would be enough for your tea?
Ruth K. says
That’s a great idea! I might try that!
Cindy Brick says
The local King Soopers and Safeway seem to be playing this little game — their regular price on whole milk gallons is $3.89 – $4.00 plus now, but every other week, they’ll include digital coupons bringing it down to $1.90.
I can play this little game, too. So I wait, buy the maximum milk — and store it in the freezer. I have never noticed a change in flavor, but you do need to wait a while for it to thaw. A cold glass of milk with frozen bits still in it — yum, in hot weather.
Why whole milk? Because you can thin it down up to 1/3 – 1/2 the volume, and it becomes “2%,” but with much better flavor.
Zukes are the only thing we’re getting right now, plus some greens. I did replant the greens, hoping for a fresh crop, since the grasshoppers seem to have left town.
Dot K. LeClerc says
Happy Anniversary! I have tried feezing milk. We don’t care for the taste.
Nancy Nussbaum says
I always keep a half gallon of milk in the freezer! Never worry about running out; just need to remember to pull it out to thaw when I’m running low. I let it thaw in frig on paper towel as there is usually some ice residue on the container…
Barb/Belmont says
I hate wasting….so always have instant pudding on hand. It’s a sweet way to finish up the milk before it goes bad.
Tiffany F says
I’ve frozen milk before also and don’t notice a difference in taste. We drink whole milk.
Anita says
Hi Mavis,
Do you peel the beets before roasting them?
Thanks! Anita
Debby T says
When I freeze milk, I freeze it when first purchased in small amounts. I re-use quart and half gallon milk containers or other containers appx quart size. Squeeze out some air for expansion. If not frozen soon after purchase, when you thaw, it won’t last very long. Small amounts frozen are especially good when needed for cooking. I also like to have Heavy Cream on hand but find it will spoil before used. So, I freeze it when purchased in small amounts so available when needed.
Tammy says
Happy anniversary!
Milk freezes great – it just takes eleventy thousand years to defrost. So you definitely have to plan ahead if you’re counting on using milk that is frozen.