Saving Money on Fall Produce

I am really enjoying experimenting with all of the fresh Fall produce.  With pumpkins, I’ve made pumpkin muffins, pumpkin yogurt and for dessert, pumpkin custard.  For squashes, I have been making mashed acorn squash and roasted butternut squash.  I have yet to try spaghetti squash, but that is next on my list.  With such abundance, these seasonal items are also a great way to save money.  Here are some tips to take advantage of low cost seasonal produce:

–Buy unprocessed squashes — The price is a lot higher for convenience when it comes to squashes.  I have seen pre-cut and peeled butternut squash from 2 times to 5 times more expensive than the raw, whole squashes.  To make the squashes easier to cut, I microwave them for a bit to soften (prick them first) and then cut them.

–Freeze mashed cooked squash or pumpkin for future recipes — I still remember the pumpkin shortage when stores were all out of canned pumpkin for months.   To avoid the same thing, I will be putting away some ziploc bags of cooked squash and pumpkin to use several months from now when they may not be so abundant.

–Compare the cost of per pound and per unit — depending on the pricing structure, a fixed price per squash or pumpkin might be less than a cost per pound.

–Stick with seasonal foods — no need to try to buy asparagus or strawberries right now. Not only are they very expensive, they are probably shipped a long way and won’t be at their peak season ripeness.   Sticking with seasonal produce is a great way to lower food budgets.

–Reduce waste – I will add leftover mashed squash to soups and stews. It doesn’t really change the flavor, but makes broths thicker.  I also save bits of cooked cooked vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, onions and pumpkin in a bag in the freezer and will make a clean the fridge soup about once a month.

shared at Frugal Friday and Food Renegade