De profundis (of the freezer, not a cri de coeur, to mix languages)

I digressed, yesterday. I often don’t know what I’m going to write about, when I sit down at my computer. The events of the day are the obvious subject (is/are???) but sometimes I just go off at a tangent.

The rest of the china is being picked up over the next couple of days. I’m doing the accounts and haven’t found all the expenses yet, though I’ve listed them all – all payments should be from one account and I’m wondering what I’ve done wrong. I’ll find it all soon, though. Thank goodness for online banking, it makes accounting so easy.

Paul the Fish called, as usual, this morning and I bought a piece of haddock. I’m not shopping much, nowadays and I can’t see myself visiting the butcher in the foreseeable, unless the family comes for Sunday lunch, when I’m afraid there will be a socking great joint of meat. Otherwise, it’s cheese, eggs and fish, with vegetables of course. But, as I really can’t be bothered to shop, I’m running low on veg. I thought I’d have to base the veggie part of tonight’s meal on a tin of haricot beans but I picked some Swiss chard in the garden. I’ve got half a pepper (a nice locally grown one) and a few spring onions, so they’ll make a stir fry to go with the fish. Too much to eat tonight, it’ll make another meal and I’ve got a kipper for tomorrow night. Since Tim died (and apart from food for his funeral feast), I’ve been to the supermarket once for staple foods, the wholefood shop for flour, the farm for cheese and the greengrocer a few times. I’ve got a lot in the freezer. I make everything from scratch and don’t need much food. I’m wondering why we needed to go shopping so often.

In an endeavour to put off doing the accounts, I sorted out the freezer, having put stuff in it when I defrosted the fridge/freezer the other week. Mostly, I had to return frozen herbs to the latter, so that they’d be easy to find in a hurry. I buy big bunches of coriander from the Exotic Superstore in Reading (or freeze homegrown) and also buy curry leaves, lemongrass and lime leaves. I put in the remains of anything else I pick or buy, such as parsley. I’m so very sensible.

When lockdown started, in March of last year, we thought we’d use up the contents of the freezer. How wrong we were. We actually added to it, because we only shopped once a week and leftovers were made into dishes to freeze. I already froze leftovers as single portions, which I ate when Tim was away, but of course he wasn’t away, for weeks or months at a time, so they’re mostly still there.

5 comments on “De profundis (of the freezer, not a cri de coeur, to mix languages)

  1. thequacksoflife

    I must have totally zoned out of blogs during September as I was so sorry to read about Tim. I glanced at the dramatis personae and went what? Life is not fair is it. The last of my parents siblings died this and we were unable to say good bye sigh.

    I had never owned a freezer. I live 5 minutes walk from a massive Tesco and I popped in every other day on my way back from work. When lockdown was obviously about to happen I bought a table top one. It has been a life saver!!

    Reply
  2. allotmentqueen

    I’m hoping that you’ll be able to eat some of those single portions of leftovers and remember fondly of you and Tim cooking those meals, because he’s still there in your heart.

    Reply
  3. Blue Witch

    I miss my big freezer. With just the bottom half of an upright fridge/freezer currently, planning is needed.

    How do you freeze your herbs?

    And I am convinced that two people eat more than twice one person or two people living apart. If that makes sense? For me it’s that I often can’t be faffed to cook properly when I’m on my own. Which is when those one-portion frozen meals come in handy. Hope yours do too.

    Reply
  4. Z Post author

    I just freeze them in the bunch and chop off what I want while they’re still frozen. That’s fine for coriander and parsley, but wouldn’t work for basil and other tender herbs. I don’t normally freeze basil, except as pesto.

    I certainly take more care over meals if it’s isn’t just me. Toasted cheese for lunch three days running, because it’s simplest, which would be out of the question if I’d been feeding Tim. I do cook the right amount or have planned leftovers, rather than waste any food but I don’t really cook for the freezer.

    I’ve found one slice of Tim’s leek quiche. I’ll eat it because it’s silly to keep it as a sort of shrine, but it’s another goodbye and so are all the boxes labelled in his handwriting. Everything just hurts so much.

    Reply
  5. Blue Witch

    Good idea to freeze as a bunch. I’ll try that as I find coriander particularly goes slimy if chopped first – I guess because chopping breaks down the cell walls, releasing the liquid in them.

    In moving I’m having to throw away things I otherwise wouldn’t want to… but am finding that taking a photo of said objects is helping ‘preserve’ them. Might that work for you with the leek quiche and handwritten labelled boxes? Perhaps you’re not as ridiculously sentimental as me!

    Reply

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