Once a year, every summer, I learn just what I have stored in our big freezer. I have a pretty good idea since I am constantly rotating items, but when it comes time to defrost the freezer, I find everything that may be hiding. This summer the ice had built up quite a bit since my kids left the freezer open a couple of times after getting popsicles out. Thankfully, I do end up in my freezer a few times a day so it didn't go very long before being discovered.
The first big task requires turning the freezer off and then emptying it out.
We filled our coolers first, and then filled every laundry basket.
As the ice begins to soften, I've learned to scrape at it a bit with a spatula.
My kids love making snowballs in the summer and my neighbors get a kick out of watching their snowball fight in 90+ degree weather. (I've learned you have to make work fun!)
To speed up the process a bit, I pour hot water over the built up ice.
We are making good progress!
After clearing out all the ice, I dry it well with a towel.
Then we restock the shelves! Order has returned to our little part of the universe! From start to finish, it took us just over an hour. The other great thing is that I only had to throw 2 items away because they had gotten lost in the corners and were too old and freezer burned.
A full freezer allows me to sleep better at night because I know our family will be taken care of for quite a while. Hopefully, these pictures inspire you to stock up and count your freezer as part of your food storage. (We do have a generator and fuel to help us get through a longer power outage.)
Thanks for the reminder! I need to get cleaning/organizing my freezer too. What kind of generator did you get and what kind of fuel do you have stored for long term power outages and how/where do you store them? Do they expire, need rotation or maintenance while being stored?
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