How to Save on Groceries in February

Stock up and save is a great mantra for fresh fruits and vegetables if you know what's in season each month. Just be careful not to buy more than your family can eat because, even in the freezer, nothing lasts forever. Use airtight wrapping and label and date everything you put up, because unidentified food is almost never eaten.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Plastic wrap (use the kind that you press and stick in place--it leaves no air pockets to freezer-burn food)
• Zipper plastic bags (put wrapped foods in small portions and then put several of them into a bag to save space).
• Freezer tape or bags with a space to write on them
• Markers

1. Buy apples this month--they are out in every variety from January until March. Freeze baked apples and put up homemade applesauce (it's cheap, delicious and has no preservatives). If you have a good juicer, make apple juice and homemade cider. Experiment with apple brown Betty, apple cake and coffee cakes. Apples are great cooked with pork roast or chops, too.
2. Buy all kinds of fish this month. It can be frozen fresh or cooked into meals and frozen for later use. Remember that fried foods don't do as well frozen. Baked stuffed fish portions and fish in cream or court bouillon or other sauces all freeze well. The secret is keeping air out of the wrapping. Don't freeze simple grilled fish as it cooks quickly and tastes better fresh.
3. Buy scallops and put them up in water. Don't cook these ahead--they cook in minutes. Oysters are also cheaper this month so stock up. Some people say oysters don't taste the same when frozen, so enjoy them fresh, fried or in stews, soups, gumbos. Try them as hors d' oeuvres in Oysters Rockefeller, Angels on Horseback and Bienville.
4. Chicken is a good buy and this freezes well cooked or fresh. Make up some meals for quick suppers later. Chicken and oyster gumbo is awesome in the cold winter months, but so are dishes like chicken stew, divan, marsala and various casseroles. Don't freeze soups or stews with pasta, rice or potatoes as they can get really mushy but you can freeze the soup without starch and add it later. Chicken can be cooked a thousand ways, so experiment this month.
5. Buy turnips and broccoli in February. Turnips cooked and mashed freeze well but don't freeze them raw. Broccoli also needs to be cooked before freezing. Try turnips mashed with carrots or in vegetable soups or stews. Broccoli cooked with rice and or cheese is great but don't forget to add broccoli to pasta and green salads. It's great raw with a little Ranch, Bleu Cheese or other dressing as well.
6. Buy oranges and rhubarb this month. Fresh juice is good but oranges are also great in green salads, Waldorf salads, and sliced into lemonades, punches and tropical drinks. Rhubarb is wonderful stewed (and great to freeze this way) and it makes delicious pies. You can pair it with strawberries for a change but it's delightful all by itself.
7. You can save a lot of money by bulk buying and planning your menus around the best deals. Be sure to watch the sale flyers and clip coupons for foods to complete you meals. Invest a few more cents in the best press-and-stick wrap and good freezer bags. Your food will not only keep longer but taste fresher as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Label and date everything. If you don't know what it is, chances are you won't ever use it.
• Rotate foods in your freezer by putting the oldest ones in the front and the newer purchases behind them.
• Plan your meals around what you have on hand, the best buys on meats and produce and what you have really good coupons for. Putting it all together saves you a great deal.
• Experiment with things. If you cook the same old recipes over and over you will soon hate buying in bulk. Try new recipes when things are cheap.
• Don't buy so much that you can't eat it all. It's easy to do that when things are cheap but keep in mind that wasted food is not going to save you money.
• Don't wrap things poorly or they'll freezer burn quickly.