Grow them ....

The only problem with buying fresh is that we tend to buy to much and it all "gets tired very quickly" and thrown out.

I do not buy fresh on Mondays either :)

We have found the frozen Aussie Grown Veges. from Coles fantastic. Just take out the amount you need and reseal. We buy peas and beans and mixed veg. and brocoli and often on special.

If you have a Ninja you can use up all your fruit and veg. and freeze it for soups and deserts. We bought The Ultimate Blender which has 900 watts and really good :) Not sure if you can buy this one everywhere.

All the best.

Worth looking under Food and Recipes on here, Sandi has put in some great recipes including how to keep Strawberries fresher for longer by soaking in Water/Vinegar solution.

These strawberries are delicious the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar cancel each other out on the sweet and sour scale so the berries are left with a really delicious sauce. You can serve them over ice-cream with crumbled meringue for a great dessert. 

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Make sure that all the brown sugar has dissolved.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes.

Serve over ice-cream.

You can also put vanilla /vanilla bean seeds in the vinegar mix and put freshy ground black pepper on the top when serving.

HOW TO STOP STRAWBERRIES GOING OFF.

If you've paid $6 for a punnett of fresh berries, it's really annoying to look in the fridge the next day and find fuzzy mould growing on them. Here’s a tip worth sharing on how to keep them fresh: 

Wash them with vinegar.    
 
When you get your berries home, 

prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best)and ten parts water.  (1/10) 

Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. 

Drain, rinse if you want (mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge.  

The vinegar kills any mould spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila!  

Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting mouldy and soft.  

I think it was Sandi who also suggested washing the fridge vegetable bin out with a vinegar solution to keep mould at bay. I haven't tried this yet but sounds like a good idea. My best tip is to only buy small amounts at a time of fruit and veges that are in season and grow your own herbs.

The most important part is not to waste anything that you buy.  Anything left over can always be put in the freezer to use some other time.  Actually meals that are made from odds and sods are often tastier than others.

I always boil the left over chicken bones to use for stock for soup. If I have some vegetables left over I cut them up and freeze and put in my soup when I make it.

If I have caulifower Broccolli to cook I cut the stems off and dice them up and freeze, you can do this with lots of vegetables and then you have vegetables for soup.

A bit of left over stew can make pies.  Left over rice can be frozen and used in something else.  When I get enough I make fried rice.

I buy fruit in season and freeze when cheap for making desserts or pies later on in the winter.

To save on your gas/electricity cook more than one meal at a time and freeze one for use later.

The important thing is to only buy what you need and don't waste it. Buy in season.

Coles sell frozen vegetables that ARE AUSTRALIAN.

I buy Tomatoes (or grow my own) and freeze or preserve  them in summer for use in cooking in the winter.  Potatoes are easy to grow your own.  You can just put the peelings in the ground and you can grow these in a big pot.

It's time to put garlic in now.  Just plant some cloves and harvest in summer when the leaves start to die off.

Kaye, it might be nice to mention this forum to her and she can come in and ask us questions about things.

We're always willing to help and give recipes.  Sometimes people are not sure about what they can freeze and how to do it.

I find Coles brand the best for food savings. And their frozen veggies as Phyl said are excellent and Australian . I buy all mine frozen as only 2 of us and can use green beans, peas, cauli, carrots, brussel sprouts and broccolli and put in a serve of each so we get all needs met. And they are easy to keep just need pegs for the top of them.Saves on having to prepare and discard some too.

But can also buy fresh and then not used - put into my Bullitt blender and have as juice. We have a farmers market locally. But still find cheaper convenient to buy frozen veggies.

Most of the Coles range are Aussie and top sellers in the market so if butter say usually one of those made in your state as they try to buy from close to main warehouse in each state to lower transport costs and that allow them to keep the prices down.  Meat too is local.

Also I have been buying Coles strawberries, rasberries, blackberries for last few years "Produce of Chile."  Always found them good (only ones in Nanna's pies from Chile were blueberries and these were contaminated in China mixing up with their own I reckon. )

Coles brand is their top seller and mostly Aussie. Cheaper too, so savings.

And Coles 500g mince is free of bones pieces too and good quality and plus savings to be made.Lamb $6, Pork $5 or Beef 500g $3 or $5 for 1kg  pack.

Can do it up with either rice or pasta (coles rice and pasta good) and then keeps for a day or two after in fridge to make up to 4 good sized meals.

Plus they do good frozen fish, hoki and others watch for specials and save as all individually wrapped fillets so can save in freezer for several meals.

Coles eggs are chilled too and free range are $4 for 600g or $4.50 for 700g.

Bacon too cheaper but good quality is Coles Aussie short cuts etc. Look as they do both imported as well as Aussie. I buy Aussie wherever I can.

Lillydale chicken is good too free range and thighs can cook them and will be good for meal tonight to 2 say and then keep in fridge for another nights meal. Along with frozen veggies and potato. No bones in these either so not paying for  them. Same with Coles own brand of chicken . No bones in thighs.  And RSPCA approved cheaper too but I prefer free range. But tried Coles and excellent quality too.

Campbells Soups often on special and for $2 a can. So a meal for one for $2 if buy on special and good quality Aussie grown veggies and meat in these too.

Also savings here too - I get my groceries delivered these days from Coles and their brands mainly saves me heaps on weekly bill. Plus no cost for delivery if use Coles Master Card spend $100 min or Wednesday free transport anyway and get flybuy points too in Coles and for all other purchases. 

I have just spent $552 flybuy dollars accumilated over last few months shopping with Coles card. Have to spend in Flybuy stores but enough of them to do it.

Or can use them in Coles of course,  in store. And then use savings elsewhere. Also saved over $450 on car insurance with them as well as another $200 or so on House and contents insurance and flybuy points.

Yep I am a happy Coles customer - and see from ACA recently in the middle on cost with Aldi cheapest and Woolies more expensive on top "house brands" but no Aldi  down here anyway.

So those are my tips on savings I make.

I have local woolworths too and do buy a few milk and bread  from them on weeks when not needing a full delivery from Coles, but Coles is cheaper and always $1 or more a Kg on meat and their quality is 1st grade of 1st grade too. Most comes in already cut these days but back when on the hoof could see from markings. 

It was you put us onto the frozen veg. from Coles Val.

Lots of good information for the lady asking also, and everyone,

Morgan Davey bought these grapes from Coles at Stockland Rockhampton. The redback was free. Source

Sh*t, that reminds me to look closer when I am picking my grapes.  Heaps of redbacks in SA.

We picked the last bucket full of grapes at the weekend.  Neighbours loved them.  We have had enough and I dried enough last year to last me this year as well.

Concentrated on peaches and apricots this year for making chutney.

Strange, neighbours have decent sized back yards and only 3 of us have fruit trees and vegetable gardens.