[New shoot]

I was delving into the freezer and cupboards for stuff to cook with yesterday and it suddenly dawned on me I was using things I had only made to deal with crops or leftovers .

Roasted garlic puree - mine all started sprouting, so as well as preserving some chopped and fresh in oil, I cut the tops off the remaining bulbs, roasted them whole with some olive oil, then squeezed out the puree and froze on a tray in little lumps.  They are bagged now and a couple of lumps retrieved yesterday, defrosted and spread over a leg of lamb before roasting took it to a whole other level.  This is now on my 'must make every year' list 

Mixed citrus juice cubes - I make these in an ice cube tray whenever we have fruit going over and then bag them up.  I think I got a mix of lime and orange yesterday, but somehow the mix of flavours seems more intense than a straight juice and adds a real freshness.

Chilli oil - If I have fresh chillies going over, they get bunged in a jar and hot oil or vinegar is poured over them.  It has turned basic cheap sunflower oil into a brilliant flavoured oil that would probably cost a bomb to buy 

There must be more ideas people have tried that we can all share (and nick of course  ) 

[chrissie B]

Very clever think i will have a look around my cupboards at the weekend , i freeze lemons now because i was allways chucking them out , they are easier to grate and you can still juice them once defrosted .
specially like the garlic idea.
chrissie b