Don't Throw That Away! Things you should freeze for later.

 Freezers are awesome! They let you put off canning and allow you to preserve the things that you can't or shouldn't can. I see people toss things all the time that make me cringe. So here are some things you might not think to freeze that you totally should!

Have you heard of flash freezing? If not check out this post too, its great for berries and such.

Citrus Juice: Squeeze and pour into ice cube trays, when frozen pop the cubes out and store in an air-tight container. Use for any cooking needs, it's also good for cleaning!



Citrus Zest: Freeze in water, oil, or just by it's self in a container, baggie or ice cube tray.

Here's a more in depth post about freezing citrus juice and zest.







Whey, Milk sour and fresh, Yogurt, Buttermilk: You can freeze all the milk products.  Cream cheese and sour cream separate and sometimes won't work right in a recipe after freezing so I don't recommend freezing them. Whey from making curdled milk products, fresh and soured milk, buttermilk and yogurt all freeze well. Fresh milk does separate sometimes so freezing milk for drinking might not be the best idea, although people do use it for that. Frozen fresh milk can be used for anything you would use fresh milk for normally. Whey, buttermilk, sour milk and yogurt are all excellent to use in baked goods. Save buttermilk and yogurt in the freezer to have cultures to make more of them. Whey is also great to use when making bread and soups, to cook grains in and there is a great recipe for a Lemon Whey Pie over at The prairie homestead; I definitely want to try it!

As long as soured milk doesn't smell putrid and there is no mold or off coloring, it's safe to use.

Eggs: Crack into ice cube trays, baggies or containers. Freeze singularly or in multiples that your most used recipes call for. You could also freeze whites and yolks separately. To use, Let them thaw in the fridge. I haven't used frozen eggs to make meringue or other things where you whip the whites so I don't know how it would work. If you have, comment about it!

Mashed Potatoes: Use to thicken soup, make bread or biscuits or top shepherds pie and other casseroles. Contrary to popular belief they also reheat very nicely.
Meat Scraps/Bones: Save these up to make stock!
Black Bananas: Use to make banana bread and other baked goods or freeze nice bananas, use a food processor and eat them like ice cream.
Tomato Paste: Freeze in tablespoon portions so a whole can doesn't have to opened every time you need a little.

Stock/Broth: If you don't use all of the container you open or if you make your own stock; it freezes beautifully.

Berries: For blended things, making preserves, cooking or snacking!

Stone Fruit: Same as with berries!
Chop and Mash: Freeze in daily portions for your birds so you don't have to cook for them as often and you always have something fresh on hand in a pinch. Don't know what this is? Check out my post about making chop.

Peppers: Slice so they take up less room, use in cooked dishes.

Tomatoes: Freeze whole or chopped; use in cooked dishes our save to can later. They do become watery so leave extra time to cook them down.
Cooked Sweet Potato/ Squash: Save to use in recipes, to make Four Leg-ed Hunter snacks and to feed your birds.
Soft Dog and Cat Food: To hide pills and other medicine in. You can also freeze tablespoons of hamburger or the dough from making Four Leg-ed Hunter snacks.

Cooked Beans: Cook a big batch or save left overs, these guys freeze really well.

Cooked Rice: Same as with beans!

Biscuits: Instead of buying biscuits, why not make and freeze your own?
Pie Dough: Just let it thaw in the fridge before you need to use it.
Bread Dough: Thaw in the fridge and let rise, then bake, use for fry bread or some other creative idea.
Puff Pastry: Make a big batch of this time consuming but delicious dough to have on hand for: pot pie, filled pastries, cresants...
Sauteed Mushrooms: Cooked mushrooms freeze beautifully, I saute in butter and olive oil.
Colostrum: If you ever find yourself in need of colostrum you will be very glad you froze some. When an animal loses her baby, milk her right away for the colostrum. This is what imparts the majority of the mother's immunity to the baby, forming the foundation of their immune system. Colostrum comes in handy if a baby is rejected or the mother dies.

Juice from Cooking Shrimp/Shellfish: Save this to cook pasta or rice in.
Bread: Any kind of bready thing will freeze very nicely. You can buy on sale or make a whole bunch to freeze. I also save crusty bits for making my own bread crumbs and bread pudding.

  I know there are way more things than this, what did I miss?


This post is participating in The Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #80 , 119th Homestead Barn Hop Thrifty Things Friday and HomeAcre blog hops go check them out to find more blogs like ours!