I hadn't heard it, but I do have a couple of single cloves in the fridge that have been there a really long time and I've been surprised that they never sprouted.

Good to know because one year I planted a bunch of garlic and tied it up in the garage with the onions, and every garlic rotted but the onions were fine.

i went back to read more tips and someone posted this one and someone else supported it working - I'll try this. I'm good at freezing things in an ice cube tray and then transferring to a baggie or other container. it'd be all chopped up and ready to go in a hurry this way.

" I have also heard you can cut up fresh garlic (or leave it in the whole clove if that�s more your flavoring style but I like the minced action) and then distribute them into an IceCube Tray. Throw em in a hot pot and you�ve got garlic in a matter of ice-melting seconds. Keeps it fresh tasting and wonderful."

That's a good one too. I sometimes put my leftover soup stock in ice cube trays and then pop them out and put them in zip locks. When I make soup and need some concentrated stock, I put in a few cubes. I figure it's healthier than bouillon cubes.

Here in FL (where lemons grow) we juice the lemons and freeze the juice in ice cube trays for later usage. They're great in iced tea!

Oh, flgargoyle, that makes me thirsty just thinking of it--yum!

"I figure it's healthier than bouillon cubes."

I'm sure it is! I also freeze in cubes - chicken broth, pumpkin (for the dog), and even spaghetti sauce since I never use up a whole jar at a time.

I'll be freeing lemon juice when my sister gives me lemons from her tree.

Great tips ~ thanks for sharing!!

Don't have ice trays any more, we have an ice maker.
One thing I have now that is fantastic is a VitaMixer 5200, which just about PULVERIZES and liquifies raw veggies and fruits. Yeah, I'm doing the raw foods thingy for one meal each day now. Even DH is going along with the program. We have cut down on the red meat we are eating, and he even gave up whole milk in favor of non-fat. And I did not nag him into it. When he came home from up nawth, he announced it. Whoaaaa, that is COOL.

But the Vitamixer makes a green smoothie, and I could keep going and turn it into HOT SOUP. Yeah, if you run it long enough, IT HEATS UP THE FOOD TOO.

Anyone else tried this? I figure EATREALFOOD might maybe?

We use our Vitamix every single day! Smoothies, soups, hummus, almond milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, salsa, and more! The heating up feature works well for hot cocoa (well more like pleasantly warm) too!

Though I don't think I/we will ever eat 100% raw, we are trying to add more raw dishes into our rotation.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that. I'll try breaking up the cloves. I buy bags of garlic at Costco because it's so cheap, and it's excellent fresh garlic. If they sprout, I either cut off the green and use it right away, or I plant the clove in my vegetable garden.

I freeze the lemon juice from my meyer lemon tree in ice cube trays, too. I also freeze eggs that way. I don't use them fast enough otherwise, and I don't want to waste food. Then I thaw them out when needed for baking.

I freeze my milk in 1 cup measurements for later use. And if you like banana bread (but don't feel like cooking it when your bananas have already turned brown)just peel the bananas and freeze in plastic baggie. I tried both of these for years with good results.
Oh yeah, I also freeze my cooked rice.

yogastef - I've never heard of anyone freezing a raw egg! 1 egg fits in a 'cube' space? maybe I have small cube trays...
that'd be good for me to do because I have had to toss eggs before and just hate to do that. I've taken to buying 1/2 doz at a time when i'm not cooking them up for my dog.
I've just recently taken to making up a 4 egg omelet in the mw and saving half for the next day or so to eat. I always put stuff in mine my dog couldn't have so then I'd turn around and make up another 2 egg omelet for her w/o onions etc.

idie - I've only recently (yr or 2) found out that rice freezes fine. my sister often freezes their leftovers for me and a time or 2 it's been rice - I was so surprised. Also, her dh will cook up scrambled eggs with veggies in them and she'll freeze for me. Works out great for me!

anyone substitute almond or rice milk for cow milk in baking products? work ok? I don't drink regular milk and hope to make my own almond milk when I get moved. It'd be good if I could make it up and freeze some. I seldom cook now but might make something like zucchini or banana nut bread when I get moved over. I usually only use milk in mashed potatoes.

I'm learning a lot on here - and a few things from my sister - but we won't tell her that!

Also, I just bought another pkg of 4 Ball plastic freezer containers and sent to my sister to use for now to fill with leftovers for me. After I get settled I'll take 'em back from her to use in my freezer. I'm not freezing much now because I don't want to lose it when I move and someone doesn't plug the fridge in over there...or gets it out of this place and half over to the new place and decides to let it set while they go have lunch...

desertsteph,
I just separated all the garlic heads I have. There were three left. I separate the egg and put the yolk in one square of the tray and the whites in two squares. Once they are frozen, I put them in ziplock freezer bags. I have a chicken who is fourteen, so she is only laying every few days now. She used to lay every single day from late Feb. until it got too hot for her in the summer.
I bought some eggs at Costco and don't want them to go bad, so I will be freezing about a dozen of them today.
idie2live,
I freeze milk, too. I dump out a small amount and then keep an extra half gallon in there for part of my stockpile. (The milk expands in the carton.) I'm going to try switching over to raw milk and cream from a co op of organic farmers, so I will probably have to freeze more often. I usually eat all of my bananas before they go brown. Thanks for the tip. I freeze cooked rice, too. (Usually with cooked chicken for a dinner later in the month.)

"I separate the egg and put the yolk in one square of the tray and the whites in two squares. Once they are frozen, I put them in ziplock freezer bags."

that's a good and logical breakdown! i'm gonna try it.

I always have a freezer bag with unskinned bananas for banana bread. They are kinda slimy and gross looking as they thaw out, but they DO make wonderful banana bread!

Another thing I do is buy those large rotisserie chickens from Costco and pull the meat off them and separate into freezer bags. Then when I want to make something with chicken--say chicken enchiladas, chicken ala king, pulled BBQ chicken, etc., I just have to pull a bag out of the freezer. Here those ready-made chickens are $4.99 for a rather large bird. To me, it is a steal.

You can also stick the whole, unpeeled banana in the freezer. The peel will turn black, but will protect the banana. When it thaws, the banana is perfect for making banana bread or put in a smoothie. I do this when my bananas get a little too ripe for just eating and I don't want to mess with them right then.

"They are kinda slimy and gross looking as they thaw out, but they DO make wonderful banana bread!'

I've always been more concerned with them being slimy and gross getting 'em INTO the freezer! I've been planning to do this anyway as i hate wasting food BUT always forget and then end up tossing them when the gnats start pounding on the door!

there's also the thought in the back of my head that since I don't cook/bake much (almost never here) I figure I'll just get 'em frozen and end up tossing them in 2 yrs from the freezer! I really do plan to do this once I get settled in the new place tho - I'll have a regular stove/oven and I think it'd be a good way to have a healthier snack for me than a hostess cupcake or even a maple iced donut!

the chicken - I don't get to Costco but when a local store (one of our lowest priced groceries) has their extra 10% off for seniors day I try to get there and buy some chicken to freeze. Lately I've been buying a pkg of chicken strips to bake and then I freeze them about six to a baggie (put 2 in, roll the bag over, put in 2 more, roll the bag again, repeat. I can usually get about 6 in the bag). That makes it easier for me to cook up and use. I can pull 1 or 2 strips out of the baggie to chop into enough chicken salad for a sandwich, toss in with my rice and veggies or even leftover noodles (cooked!) sent home with me by my sister. I also used them to feed my old girl when she wouldn't eat her dog food or an egg etc. I'd toss a chopped up strip into my small measuring cup with some water and mw it, then mix some of the juice with some of the pieces into her dog food - she gobbled that up!

marti - that'd make it a lot easier for me! If I'd known that worked I'd probably have a few in the freezer now! I'll try that the next time one starts to turn before I've had a chance to eat it.