Penny Pinching Tip #9: Your Freezer is Your Friend

Have you ever bought too many fresh vegetables and kicked yourself later watching them go bad in the fridge?

I don't do this too often, but occasionally I'll end up either eating out more than I thought I would for a given week, or just not cooking as much for one reason or another. So what to do with my leftover veggies?

Penny Pinching Tip #9: Your freezer is your friend.

I frequently freeze bananas and pull them out at some later date for banana bread, but I had never really thought about freezing veggies until my friend RHG told me she throws peppers in the freezer if she thinks she won't use them up before they go bad.

Now, defrosted fruits or veggies do not have the same consistency as before they went into the freezer; since they have so much water in them, and water expands when frozen, cell walls get broken and fruits & veggies end up rather mushy (i.e. don't expect to be able to defrost and then julienne a red bell pepper for a salad). They are however great for dishes that involve heat like stir-fries, casseroles or soups. You can pretty much throw any veggie in the freezer--if nothing else, it'll be great for making soup stock.

Check out my other tip about buying in bulk and freezing.