March 25, 2022
If you have a freezer you probably have something lurking way in the back or bottom that you aren’t quite sure what it is…let alone how long it has been there. Don’t get me wrong, the freezer can keep things for a long time, but sometimes it’s dicey when we can’t even identify said item.
That is a fantastic question. And one luckily, I can answer give the intricate spreadsheets we keep to organize our inventory that sometimes takes up five freezers on the farm. But what is in the freezer in the house…that is anyone’s guess. There is nothing more disappointing then defrosting a container that you think is your favorite chicken wild rice soup only to find out it is mediocre broccoli cheese soup. Or getting ready to throw brats on the grill only to realize they are frozen bananas! Talk about major disappointment there! And yes, we’re talking from real life experiences here…
I understand most people don’t need the intense Excel spreadsheets we have to inventory our freezer contents on the farm, but a simple list could be quite helpful. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but something that you can glance at and see what you have on hand when planning meals for the week. This can also help keep meals new and exciting by trying to work through different cuts of meat rather than falling back on the same old rotation of tacos and spaghetti.
A simple inventory sheet can not only simplify meal planning, but can save you trips to the store, save you time digging through the freezer, and save you money by helping you utilize those items that are way at the bottom and would turn into mystery meat by being forgotten. Keeping inventory can also help you plan ahead to schedule your bulk buying when you are ready for it. There is nothing worse than running out of ground beef, only to realize you have a bunch of beef liver and cheeks left in your freezer (this may have happened here also).
Click on the Beef Freezer Inventory, Pork Freezer Inventory, or Blank Freezer Inventory sheet below to download. You can download and print the respective pages. If you want to get really fancy you can laminate them or slide them in a page protector so you can use a dry erase marker to check off items. The easiest way to inventory your freezer is to do it when you bring your quarter of beef or half of a hog home. As you are placing them in the freezer in an organized fashion you can check off what you have. We try to keep like items together to make it easier to find. For example; all the steaks in one spot, roasts together, ground beef in one spot.
If you already have a freezer full the best bet would be to empty the freezer. This is a great time to wipe all the crumbs out and toss anything that is past it’s prime. Then you can start putting everything back in an orderly fashion. You can purchase clear freezer organizing bins; however I find small cardboard boxes also work well. Then I write the contents on the side of the box I can easily see.
Once your inventory is done, hang your inventory sheet somewhere convenient. I keep ours by where I keep my shopping list. When I sit down to meal plan I can pull out my inventory list along with the shopping list and plan out the week. We hope these handy freezer inventory sheets are helpful and even if they save one thing from ending up mystery meat at the bottom of the freezer it will be a success!