when to start feeding the freezer for post-partum

[reducereuserecycle]

baby is due in Nov.....well...not exactly, but i suspect it will be born in Nov. Anyhow, is it too early to start freezing food? I just have the refrigerator/freezer combo so it isn't a deep freeze. will food be freezer burnt in Nov.? I'd guess the latest we'd be eating these foods would be early Dec.

i didn't freeze any food last time we had a baby and regretted it everyday. that is why i am so anxious to get this head start.

if it is too early now, please suggest when is a good time to start.

so far i plan to make cassaroles and banana bread...those are just my starting ideas.

[crunchy_mama]

I am due mid Nov and have already froze 35 meals. I hadn't planned to do it so early but I had a freezer door ajar and it defrosted 21 chickens at one time. I know I have ate meals that have been in that long. Perhaps they won't be the freshest, but at that point I figure I will just be happy to have some real food that I don't have to cook.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mama

I am due mid Nov and have already froze 35 meals.

I'm in awe!!

I'm due in Sept and I haven't frozen a thing yet. I was just thinking that I need to buy some pans and get started.

[crunchy_mama]

Originally Posted by cristeen

I'm in awe!!

I'm due in Sept and I haven't frozen a thing yet. I was just thinking that I need to buy some pans and get started.

Well, when you have 21 defrosted very expensive grassfed chickens all at once you gotta do something! I am kind of glad it happened now as it forced me to as I never gotta around to doing much either time before. I have 10 qrts of chicken soup as well- I want about 20 more quarts or so of foods canned- like chili and stew and such I have to can though w/ all the meals and my new stash of chicken I have NO room in either the frig or stand alone freezer. My goals is about 60 meals frozen!

[reducereuserecycle]

wow! : ::

Crunchy Mama, i am so glad you were able to save the chickens from ruining.

so, i am very new to freezing....i notice cristeen you say buy pans...should i be freezing stuff in those throw away aluminum pans? i have a few glass and corelle type containers...but not a lot. does everything need to be wrapped in plastic and foil? i have been reading alot online the last few days but am still a little confused about how not to get everything freezer burnt.

i have an almost totally empty freezer right now. i am wondering how much i can fit in there. i know it all depends on what and the size and stuff but any tips, comments, suggestions for a good plan will really help me.

[crunchy_mama]

I used gallon sized ziploc bags for mine and for the initial freeze laid them flat at first that way they would pack better. I have a side-by-side freezer and the 35 meals are all in there- there is very little other space other-wise- the bottom drawer has misc things and a few of the shelfs have a few odds and ends but most is just the meals.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by reducereuserecycle

so, i am very new to freezing....i notice cristeen you say buy pans...should i be freezing stuff in those throw away aluminum pans? i have a few glass and corelle type containers...but not a lot. does everything need to be wrapped in plastic and foil? i have been reading alot online the last few days but am still a little confused about how not to get everything freezer burnt.

I'm going to buy pans because I only have 1 pan in each size - and they're all glass. I can't afford to stick them in the freezer for months, and I don't want to risk breaking them. I don't know yet if I'll be getting aluminum or paper... one can be recycled, the other can be composted. Pretty much everything I'll be making is casserole-ish, although I will probably also make chicken stock to get the chicken carcasses out of the freezer... so I'll have that too if someone feels like making soup (BFF, grandma, great-grandma).

As for storing - I'm probably going to get pans that are small enough to fit inside gallon ziplocs (that's the plan, anyway). It's easier, quicker and they can be reused.

[mommy2two babes]

I am due in Nov as well.
I am freezing veggies now in meal size portions as I get them from the farmers market.
I don't plan on starting any meal until probably september though.

[reducereuserecycle]

I don't know yet if I'll be getting aluminum or paper 


where do you get the paper ones? do you know if they cost less than aluminum....can you cook the casseroles in them or after you thaw do you transfer them to a reg. glass dish?

also, when you make cassaroles...let's say lasagna...do you assemble it then freeze ~OR ~ do you assemble, bake (or partially bake), then freeze?

i like the idea of making smaller casseroles that would fit in the gallon bags cause those huge 9x13 size ones would be too big for my family

I used gallon sized ziploc bags for mine and for the initial freeze laid them flat at first that way they would pack better 


ok, great, i will try that!

I dont plan on starting any meal until probably september though. 


that is a good time to start running the over alot when the whether is generally cooler that is probably when i will start too...and that gives me a month to save $ for the extra food and get all my meals planned out