The Joys of Free Food

We have hardly had to buy fruit this past month, and it is such a blessing. Our grocery budget has been really tight (as has every other area of our budget) with income being down, so I've been trying to make things last and find creative ways to use what we have.

What we have are:

Golden Delicious apples and red grapes from The Big Garden (aka my parents)

Blueberries picked from a friend's place and generously given to us for free - little tiny morsels of sweet tang as it was the very end of the season

Feijoas from our local walkway, picked on our morning walk and stashed in the bottom of Munchkin's backpack carrier thing - they are pretty small, but taste just as feijoas should!

How I've used them:

Apple crumble. LOTS and LOTS of apple crumble. A personal favourite of Boyo's. Stewed apple with porridge for Munchkin and I for breakfast most mornings. Fresh apples every now and then (keep forgetting that we can eat them fresh, which is a shame as they are SO good!). They've had some bad codling moth again despite traps. We think we left the first trap up a bit too long, and with the infestation last year things are just going to take time to get it all under control again. So a lot of the fruit is damaged and/or rotting. I hate seeing it go to waste! So there I've been, picking up all the windfall apples that I can before the birds decimate them, and cutting out the bad bits. I've made quite a few crumbles this way. We are just now starting to use the 'good' apples straight off the tree.

Grapes, well you just eat grapes. Munchkin has decided that grapes may just be his new favourite food. Banana is old hat now. Grapes it is! He started off by having small ones squirted into his mouth, then whole grapes but with the skin split a bit first (skin being pretty tough to manage when you're little). Now, he has progressed to being given a small bunch and eating them himself. He does need reminding occassionally that the stem is not actually for eating, but for the most part he manages quite well.

Blueberries have been frozen into 1cup batches in the freezer, to use throughout the winter in smoothies or crumbles or whatever takes our fancy. We have also eaten a fair few, small handfulls from a jar when we are out and about, a few added to the morning porridge, a pile left on a plate for Boyo after work at night. Munchkin has decided he quite likes blueberries too! Mummy just needs to remember to keep him further away from the bushes next time round (he got hold of a leaf and choked a bit). A few of the last fresh blueberries made it into last night's crumble.

Feijoas are just yummy eaten fresh. Munchkin thinks they are pretty good too (Munchkin seems to love all fruit, in fact!). I am thinking apple and feijoa crumble at some point soonish. If they don't all get eaten first.

Now, if only I could find a free source of locally grown bananas!!!?

Amy

Wednesday, 30th March, 2011