How frustrating is it to throw out food that has gone bad, or that is left over but is not enough for the next recipe? It is like throwing cash in the trash! With these food saving tricks, you literally can save your money in your freezer. 

Expensive Fresh Herbs

A bunch of cilantro for Mexican empanadas is $1.49.  After using half for your recipe what do you do with the rest? You can feverishly hunt around for another recipe that also uses fresh cilantro or let the other half rot in the produce bin in the refrigerator. Or, freeze fresh herbs and use them when needed.

1. Rinse and dry herbs gently with a tea towel (or spin dry).
2. Trim and discard stems and yellow leaves.
3. Align leaves in one direction and place in a sandwich sized Ziploc bag.
4. Press flat and push out the air before sealing the bag.
5. With a Sharpie pen, label the bag with the contents and the date
6. Stack the bag like a book in the freezer (preferably in a freezer bin to keep your packets organized.)
7. When you need to use the herbs, cut off the portion of flat frozen herbs you need, chop, and add it to your recipe, and then replace the rest in the freezer.

Note: This method works best on broad leaf herbs like parsley, basil, and cilantro. Dry to preserve woody herbs like oregano and rosemary and use up delicate herbs like chives by mixing them into plain cream cheese for toasted bagels.

Savory or Sweet Citrus

Citrus can be expensive, especially in the summer months here in North America. At more than $1 per lemon, don’t waste cash by throwing any in the trash. Save money and buy citrus in bulk when it is in season at its lowest price and then use this money-saving freezer-food method to save all 25 lemons!

1. Wash the citrus fruit in warm water and mild dish detergent, scrubbing gently and remove the stickers.
2. Use a microplane to zest the citrus fruit.
3. Lightly pack the zest into a teaspoon measure and turn out the little bundle onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.
4. Cover zest piles with plastic wrap and freeze flat for at least 4 hours.
5. Remove the sheet of zest piles and place each teaspoon pile in a small piece of plastic wrap (cut to size with a scissors), gather the edges of the plastic wrap and twist to close.
6. Place the plastic wrapped piles of zest in a plastic container, cover, and store in the freezer.
7. Ream zested citrus fruits and strain and discard the seeds.
8. Pour citrus juice into clean ice cube containers and freeze for 12 hours.
9. Wrap each ice cube in a piece of plastic wrap and twist to close.
10. Place each plastic wrapped frozen citrus juice cube in a plastic container, cover and store in the freezer.

Many recipes call for zest or juice, but those that call for citrus sections check the Internet for other recipes.

Fresh Fruit and Berries Abundant in Season

Fruit and berries are tastiest and sweetest, and cheapest when they are in season. Blueberries are plump in June, peaches are juicy in July, and apples are crisp in September.  So take advantage of the abundance and buy in bulk or go pick your own. Here are a few ways to save money and ensure none of your picking labor goes to waste.

For berries:

1. When you are picking or buying, look for uniform color, smell, and shape. Look to make sure the berries aren’t crushed, and there is no visible mold.
2. For blueberries and strawberries, rinse gently. Hull the strawberries, and roll around on a tea towel gently  to dry.
3. For more delicate raspberries and blackberries, pick them clean.
4. On a jelly-roll sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper place the berries in a single layer so that they don’t touch, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer flat overnight.
5. Decant frozen berries into a freezer Ziploc bag, seal, and label, and keep them fresh in the freezer for up to a year.

For other soft flesh fruit like mango, banana, or pineapple (or berries):  This super quick money saver method works best with very ripe fruit.

1. Wash, peel, seed, and cut out the bad spots in the fruit.
2. Place about 3 C of fruit in a blender or mini-food processor with a teaspoon of sugar, (or honey), or an optional dollop of yogurt, or a 1/4C of firm tofu (yes, this actually works and tastes good) and puree.
3. Pour into popscicle molds and freeze for a refreshing fruit money-saving treat

(Popsicle molds are available in summer seasonal section of the dollar store and other retailers. I purchased ours at Ikea for somewhere around $3 for a set of 6.)

Last Bit of Favorite Coffee!

So you brewed a pot, drank a bit, and there is a small cup left over, and it is your favorite expensive blend. This coffee saving method will help you keep your cash in your pocket and not pour it down the drain.

1. This will work for stock, juice, and tea as well.
2. Simply pour your extra liquid in a clean ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
3. Place ice cubes in a labeled storage container and use: 

• coffee cubes for iced coffee
• tea cubes for iced tea
• stock cubes for next recipe (simply place in microwave safe dish to thaw quickly)
• and juice cubes for a favorite ice-cold cocktail

Bottomless Tiny Can of Tomato Paste

Why do recipes call for 1 tablespoon of paste when the stores sell 10 tablespoon containers? Well you could buy it in a tube and dispense it like toothpaste, or make 10 batches of baby-back ribs. Or use this method and save your cash in the freezer.

1. Measure tablespoon fulls of paste and place each one in plastic Ziploc snack-size bags.
2. Seal and press into a flatter mound. Label and place in freezer, stacked like a book to save space.
3. When you need another bit of paste, thaw in warm water, snip the corner of the bag, and press out the paste. No fuss, no mess, no cash in the trash!

Nuts….at $9.99 a pound!

That super yummy nut cookie recipe came out superb, and there is a quarter cup of very expensive pecans left. What do you do with too little for another batch? Freeze it for a healthy, tasty snack later!

1. Grind nuts in a food processor (or you can chop them with a chef’s knife) and place in a freezer Ziploc bag. (To save clutter in your freezer, combine your different kinds of nuts in one bag.)
2. Seal it, label it, and place it in the freezer.
3. Use chopped nuts to rim your cakes, top your sundaes, and dress up your yogurt for a healthy, cash-saving addition!

Grocery prices are high and budgets are tight and there isn’t any extra time in the day to cook. So I hope these time-saving, money-saving tips help you save your cash in your freezer!

Do you have any money-saving food tips? Leave a comment here and share your tips with other readers! Happy Organizing!