How to harvest your fridge and freezer

It’s the familiar 5 pm panic. You have an hour to get dinner on the table, with no idea what you’re going to cook and no energy to brave the supermarket.

That’s when it’s time to harvest your fridge. Gather up all those little odds and ends hiding on the shelves and turn them into a meal, no grocery shopping required!

Fridge harvesting isn’t just for winter stews and soups (though they’re perfect for it). It’s a year-round habit that saves time, money, and food. In summer, think salads, frittatas, or stir-fries; in spring, grain bowls or wraps. Build it into your weekly meal planning routine, get creative with what’s in season, and make the most of what you already have. Substitutions are the name of the game when it comes to fridge harvests – if you don’t have a certain ingredient, use something similar or leave it out.

Three steps to a successful fridge harvest:
1. Sweep your fridge and freezer for any food that needs to be used up or could be turned into a meal. Look for leftover meat and cooked or wilting vegetables.
2. Scour your pantry and see what other ingredients you have that could help turn it into a meal. Look for eggs, beans, lentils, pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes or chickpeas.
3. Raid the spice rack. Look for herbs, spices, sauces and other things you can use to add flavour to your meal.

Get cooking and be creative! If you are a cook who prefers to follow a recipe than going it alone, check out these helpful recipes for fridge harvest stew, frittata and crumble.

Harvesting your fridge means you won’t resort to putting those odds and ends in your freezer. But harvesting your freezer is also the best way of making sure you have room in your freezer for essential items like bread, and also means you won’t forget about items in your freezer.

Challenge yourself to make a meal out of what is already in your fridge.