I put new purchases of flour, cornmeal, rice, barley, beans, etc. in the freezer for a few days to kill off any insect eggs that might exist. Sometimes, however, (cough), I forget to write down where/when I put said purchase in a freezer and find myself having conversations with my husband that resemble, “We’re out of cornmeal.” “We’re not out of cornmeal; I just don’t remember where I put the new bag. It’s in one of the freezers; I just don’t know which one or where in which one.”

I keep the majority of my spices in the freezer, as well. I buy in bulk from Penzey’s, remove only a small portion (less than 1 oz) of each spice into little metal containers for daily use, storing the rest in the freezer.

It was amazing how fast it filled with chickens, sausage, ground turkey, more stock, frozen broccoli and cauliflower, butter, whole wheat flour, etc. I have also taken to freezing a quart of soup out of every batch. Space will open up soon when I take out the ham I got on sale, and I hope to take advantage of the seasonal turkey sales. Frankly, I can’t afford an organic turkey, but I do buy from a local poultry guy at a farmer’s market. I can afford organic produce, eggs, and bones for stock, and I hope to slowly increase the organic meat we can afford, using the money we save by buying bulk.

Just before buying the freezer, I checked the farmer’s web site again to show someone at work, and they’ve gone out of business! D’oh! So far I haven’t been able to find a similar supplier, but I’ll keep looking.