Late Winter Pantry (and freezer)

Last week we finally had a taste of winter, with snow, slush, flurries and chilly temperatures. As usual in early March, this week's weather feels completely different. Yesterday the sun was genuinely warm, the air smelled of spring and the sidewalks were flooded with puddles and patches of mud. Today is still warm, but rainy. I've never lived anywhere that the weather was consistent and could be counted on to behave as expected, but this late winter early spring can be especially full of surprises.

The days are getting longer, birds are chirping in the morning and it seems like spring is slowly arriving. It will still be months before anything green and edible comes out of the muddy ground here. Luckily we are still eating the food that stored up last summer and fall. The freezer is no longer stuffed full, but I am glad that we still have frozen fruit and some frozen vegetables left. I was a little nervous about freezing so much broccoli but I've discovered that this frozen broccoli tastes just as good roasted and fresh broccoli does.

Our pantry shelves are emptier, but we still have lots of jars of tomatoes, dilly beans and enough salsa that we don't have to worry about buying any for a while. I am sure that my investments of time, energy and food this summer have paid off throughout this winter and we have relied on these stores for delicious meals as much as possible.

(not a pretty picture, but there's lots of good stuff in here!)

Did you eat from food you stored this winter? Are you looking forward to preserving in the coming seasons?