I’ve never done a post like this before, but I have a bunch of things to say that wouldn’t make good stand-alone posts. So, here are several very unrelated things all squeezed into one post.
Celery
Last September, right before we went on vacation, I mentioned that I was freezing some celery(I had to do something with it before we left!). I’d never done that before, and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, because I’ve heard some frozen celery horror stories before.
I knew it would have to be used in a cooked dish, so I got it out the next time I was making stuffing for chicken. I’m happy to report that it behaved remarkably like fresh celery, and in the end product there was no discernible difference between stuffing made with fresh celery and stuffing made with frozen celery.
I’m really pleased about this because celery is one of those things that’s gone bad on me countless times. I’ll buy it for a recipe, use a few stalks, and then forget about the rest of them until they are wilty and brown. It’s delightful to know that I can freeze and use it just like fresh when I’m making stuffing, soups, and the like. I’ve also learned that frozen celery(stalks and leaves) are lovely additions to chicken broth, so I think my fridge has seen its last bag of rotten celery.
(and yeah, the celery is frozen in a Halloween bag that I bought on clearance after Halloween…and of course it’s been washed a few times. 
)
Tea
In response to my whiny post, several readers suggested that I drink some warm beverages. Well, it occurred to me that I have a ridiculous amount of tea sitting up in my cabinet. I keep meaning to drink it, but I never get around to it. So, from now on I’m going to try to drink a cup or two a day. I usually use teabags twice, so even at that rate it will take me a little while to plow through my tea stash.
If I run out of herbal tea before winter is up, I will still not be out of luck because I have a ridiculous amount of regular tea(the orange and black pekoe stuff) to use up(as in, probably more than the herbal tea in the picture). I really need to stop buying tea when I see a good sale. In my defense, I haven’t bought a single box since I started on my “no-waste and buy only what I need” mission back in March.
There were lots of other good suggestions and comments on that post(you guys really came out of the woodwork! I don’t think I’ve ever had that many comments on a post before.), and I may devote a post to responding to them next week sometime.
Hot Dog Buns
This one’s kind of self-serving, but I was pleased with this and I had to tell someone! Last night, bratwurst were on the menu, but unfortunately, I’d forgotten to buy buns. I really didn’t want to go to the grocery store for just a package of buns, so I decided to try making some using my hamburger bun recipe. They weren’t perfect(I’ll have a better idea how to shape them next time, and I’ll also leave out some of the sugar), but they certainly sufficed, and I was pleased at how much they resembled real hot dog buns. And I was especially pleased that I didn’t have to bundle up the kids and make a run to the grocery store.
Sanding
Lastly, it actually wasn’t TOO cold here today. I think it got up into the 30s and maybe into the low 40s this afternoon in the sun. I decided to take advantage of the weather, so after I got my other work done today, I dug out my sander, ear protectors, and face mask, and tackled the nightstand. I’m happy to report that it’s all sanded, and some of it is even primed. It wasn’t quite 50 degrees, but the primer seemed to go on ok and it dried fine. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, so if all goes according to plan, the nightstand will be primed, painted, and residing in Zoe’s room by tomorrow night.
I recently discovered your blog and I have to say I love it!
I have a tip for you about celery, and produce in general, though you might already know it. I have found that if I take produce out of the bag and leave it in the veggie drawer it lasts longer. I do this with most things–celery, broccoli, kale, and even parsley and cilantro (store wrapped in a paper towel loosely around the bunch, after rinsing). The gases that veggies emit are the same gases that make them rot, and keeping them in plastic bags only traps and concentrates this gas.
Anyway, keep up the posts. I look forward to them everyday!
I’d be interested to see the Hot Dog buns the next time you make them. I prefer the New England style which are ridiculously expensive (unless I can make it to Hannaford which is a half hour drive – too far away to justify for hot dog buns) so I’m curious to see how easy (or difficult) doing it myself would be.
Of course I’d be using the expensive deli-style natural casing franks.
By the way, you wash your Ziplock bags?
Not fair! You tantalized us with those great looking hot dog buns, then didn’t give us the recipe! Could you please post it sometime so we can all bake them too?
I’d never thought of freezing diced celery to reuse. I usually freeze my old celery, dead carrots, and onion tops, as well as chicken carcasses, turkey bones, beef scraps, and whatever other bits of unused/old stuff is kicking around, then when I have a pot full, I make up a huge batch of broth. I then freeze the broth in 2-cup freezer boxes for when I want to make soup. It’s like free broth!
I’ve always frozen celery, bell peppers. This year I chopped the parsley and put it in the ice cube trays with water to use for soups. I’ll parboil greens and freeze them. I’ve accidentally frozen carrots in the bottom of the fridge and used them for soup. The only thing I won’t try again is freezing white onions because I personally don’t like the taste, but during the summer I’ll pick the leaves on the green onions and chop and freeze those.
I looked for the hot dog bun recipe too. Looking forward to trying that one.
I also recently came across your blog and really enjoy reading it, thank you for taking the time to blog! I learned a tip a few years ago with celery that prolongs it’s life a couple of weeks. When you bring it home from the grocery store, remove it from it’s plastic sleeve and wrap it completely in tin/aluminum foil (without washing). Simply take what you need, recover, and refridgerate each time you use it. I don’t know why it works, but it does. Try it, you’ll be surprised.
Yay, someone else who washes ziplock bags!
Another tip that helps celery last longer is that when you see it go droopy, chop the bottom off the bunch and put it in a jug full of water – they’ll perk up and still be useable for about 3 days in salads and things and a bit longer if you’re going to cook with them.
I had to laugh about the washed out ziplock bags. When I first met my husband’s family I noticed his mom had a drawer full of used (clean) ziplock bags. My husband saw me looking in the drawer and told me how he and his siblings used to make fun of their mom (in a nice way) for washing and reusing the bags. At the time I thought it was an amusing tale. We were doing well with great jobs.
Fast forward ten years, two kids later and jobs that are commission-based instead of salaried and now we’re washing out ziplock bags.
That will teach me!
Last year I even made a blog post about it.
We from the League for the Suppression of Celery encourage you to break free from your celery enslavement.
Contact your local LSC chapter and ask if there is a support group near you.
Save yourself, save the world.
Battra-um, yes, I wash my ziplocs(it’s more about not throwing away plastic than it is about saving money). Don’t tell me there’s something unhealthy about washing them!
To those of you that inquired about the hot dog recipe…it’s the same dough as my hamburger bun recipe.
No, I just thought my grandmother was the only one who did that. She lived through the depression and was the cheapest person I ever met. She would literally wash them out and hang them to dry with clothespin.
I freeze celery as well, especially the leafy tops! Homegrown/organic celery from the farmer’s market have very leafy, full tops because the vendors don’t trim them the way conventional produce is trimmed for the supermarket. I wash it up and freeze the leaves in a ziploc bag. These are great for the stock pot during the winter. You can kind of bash the bag against the counter and the leaves break up. Easy to scoop out just the amount you want to cook with.
I also wash out bags and am mostly motivated by a desire to not waste more plastic. I have a plant hook, kind of like an arm, above the kitchen sink that no longer has a plant and I clip them to the plant support. It’s like a small, retractable drying rack for the bags. I think my teen’s friends think it is very strange, but other people can relate…
Love your site, but sometimes get behind on reading, so here’s a late reply: I too, love to have a wide variety of sale-purchased decaf teas in my pantry. Recently, I discovered that a single teabag will make a 4-cup pot of tea if the water is boiled (not microwaved) and allowed to steep for about five minutes. I drink my fill when it’s hot and then pour the rest into a half gallon container which stays in the refridgerator. (I mix the flavors together.) This way, I always have plenty of flavorful decaf iced tea on hand and no yucky half-used teabags on the stove top. I can compost the teabag after “one” use, knowing it has given its all.