Stocking up

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been busy filling my freezer for the fall and winter. Actually, it’s not just for the cold months — school starts today and my husband’s and my work schedules kick back up from their easier summer schedules, so life in general gets busier for our family. Having lots of food options on hand makes it easier for those week nights when life is just flat-out crazy.

Something else I did this past weekend was stock up at the farmers’ market — I visited my favorite beef farmer and bought enough pot roasts, stew meat, ground beef, etc. to last us for a few months. Then I did the same thing with a different farmer who sells chicken. We don’t eat that much beef and chicken in general — usually chicken once a week and beef every other week — but it’s nice to have plenty in the freezer.

I’m also planning a trip to Mona Lisa Pasta soon to stock up on raviolis and a couple of lasagnas. Again, this is a combination of a need to have some easy things for quick meals and a desire to fill our pantry and freezer in preparation for winter.

Every year around this time, my husband starts to tease me about my Little House on the Prairie mindset — it’s like I’m Ma Ingalls and I’m preparing for the Long Winter. While I do tend to go a little overboard, I think this past winter showed us just how much that Mother Nature can dish out.  Luckily, we knew in advance that the big snows were coming, but in every case, I was ready. Instead of dashing out to the grocery store to get milk and eggs and things to feed my family, I instead went to the bookstore for reading material and then to Main Street Market for special treats — cheeses and breads for snacking on while we all read on the sofa, some chocolates from Gearharts, and so forth.

In the next couple of months, I’ll continue stocking up — I’ll make applesauce and other apple-y delights, pumpkin puree for muffins and pies, and more.  When I cook chicken, I’ll make broth afterward with the bones.  As I use vegetables, I’ll save the scraps to make veggie broth.  It’s not all that much extra work, but it will pay big reward down the road.

I’m curious… Is it just me or do other people get ready for the fall and winter too?