Frugal or profligate?

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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Are you someone who carefully uses up all the fresh food you have before buying more? Or perhaps you impulse buy, when things are in season or look good and end up too much food?

I confess to falling into the latter category (somewhat). I simply can't resist buying fresh ingredients which have been recommended or are in season etc. Consequently, I end up with too much stuff and can't use it all up. Freezing is sometimes an option but my freezer(s) are already overflowing!

Right now I have too many Jersey Royals (these beautiful potatoes have a short season). Luckily they keep quite well. I also have too much asparagus (currently in season in the UK) which doesn't keep quite so well.

What about you?
 
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I don't often go to a shop so am not tempted by anything I see when wandering the aisles. I shop from Riverford Organic and Ocado but not every week. I buy what I think I will want to eat more than once, that way I think about ways of using ingredients before I buy. I am, though, quite profligate with eggs. I love them and, in fact, this evening I made a crustless quiche with smoked Salmon which I enjoyed very much and have some left for lunch tomorrow.
 
Toffeeapple said:
I don't often go to a shop so am not tempted by anything I see when wandering the aisles. I shop from Riverford Organic and Ocado but not every week. I buy what I think I will want to eat more than once, that way I think about ways of using ingredients before I buy. I am, though, quite profligate with eggs. I love them and, in fact, this evening I made a crustless quiche with smoked Salmon which I enjoyed very much and have some left for lunch tomorrow.
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I wish I was a frugal buyer like @Toffeeapple. I definitely "over buy".
 
Dill and cilantro ALWAYS go bad before I finish them, but there's a reason for that: they're sold in bunches larger than most people can use. And, they're not very robust herbs. The only exception is when I make a cilantro pesto.

Potatoes often go bad, too, despite how long they last individually: if I get a 10 pound bag, it's unlikely that I'll make that much involving potatoes. But, at $2.99 a bag - much as I hate being wasteful - it's not a major loss.

I do snap up things that are plentiful and in-season, which is why I made a second batch of asparagus soup after I made the first one. Part of it is still in the freezer.

morning glory said:
My latest purchase of Morning Glory (Water Spinach) is a profligate purchase.
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Currently on the lookout for a bottle of The Late Night Gourmet (Tequila). :drink:
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
Dill and cilantro ALWAYS go bad before I finish them, but there's a reason for that: they're sold in bunches larger than most people can use. And, they're not very robust herbs. The only exception is when I make a cilantro pesto.

Potatoes often go bad, too, despite how long they last individually: if I get a 10 pound bag, it's unlikely that I'll make that much involving potatoes. But, at $2.99 a bag - much as I hate being wasteful - it's not a major loss.

I do snap up things that are plentiful and in-season, which is why I made a second batch of asparagus soup after I made the first one. Part of it is still in the freezer.



Currently on the lookout for a bottle of The Late Night Gourmet (Tequila). :drink:
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I buy potatoes from a small farm. 10 kg bags for $8. Cheap as chips,lol. Sunday dinners for family they don't last long.

Russ
 
morning glory said:
Are you someone who carefully uses up all the fresh food you have before buying more? Or perhaps you impulse buy, when things are in season or look good and end up too much food?

I confess to falling into the latter category (somewhat). I simply can't resist buying fresh ingredients which have been recommended or are in season etc. Consequently, I end up with too much stuff and can't use it all up. Freezing is sometimes an option but my freezer(s) are already overflowing!

Right now I have too many Jersey Royals (these beautiful potatoes have a short season). Luckily they keep quite well. I also have too much asparagus (currently in season in the UK) which doesn't keep quite so well.

What about you?
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Only yesterday we we discussing freezing some asparagus whilst it's still in season. Apparently, it works if you blanch it first.
 
We're the sort that sticks to lists and typically avoids farmers markets because we buy too much of everything at them. But we do visit them every now and again because they also happen to have a lot of speciality herbs and spices, relishes, pickles, jams and the likes. It's also the best place to pick up different beers and dark ales in particular something that Australia lacks in the liquor stores/bottle shops .

All that said the local town has a country market this Sunday and I think it's about time we visited it . Who knows what we'll come home with. Luckily freezers are only about 1/3rd full . In fact at the moment I'm currently restocking the freezers.
 
Madness! The fish van from Whitby which visits here once in a blue moon, arrived this evening. They knock the door and ask if you want fish from their van which they have driven down from Whitby. My freezer is already overflowing with fish and shellfish which are waiting to be cooked. So what did I do? Well of course, how could I resist?:

A large piece of fresh turbot, 2 x fresh Dover sole fillets and a fresh monkfish tail - all for £30 ($38 US, $55 AUS, $58 NZ, 34 Euro, 1214 Thai baht). I don't know how that compares to the price of fresh fish in your country but its really quite good for the UK.

Tomorrow its Dover sole with some sort sauce containing parsley... the rest will have to be stuffed into the freezer. :ohmy:
 
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