Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
With the relaxed pace of summer, it’s tempting to fall into the habit of only buying what you need each week. But doing so overlooks the great stock up buys available throughout June, July and August.To preserve consumable purchases, try your hand at canning or freezing. Freezing is by far the simplest method of preservation, and you can freeze almost anything. Many items are shelf-stable for months as well, making stocking up a breeze.Here's what you should be stocking up on over the summer months:
Beverages: Drink mixes, lemonade, Crystal Light, fruit punches, sodas, tea mixes, and even coffee.
Buns: Numerous types of buns will be offered. Frozen and thawed right, they can last a long time.
Condiments: Ketchup, mustard, pickles, salad dressings, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce, dipping sauces, relishes, hot sauces, salsas, and more.
Dairy products: Not all dairy is able to be frozen – but most cheeses can, for example.
Meats: All kinds of fresh meats, as well as packaged products like brats, hot dogs, sausages, and lunch meats.
Picnic / tableware supplies: Plates, plastic ware, cups and more will come up all summer. Stock up for parties, and even to store away for the holidays.
Salty snacks: Potato chips, tortilla chips, snack crackers, salty snack mixes, and nuts.
School / office supplies: Even if you don’t have anyone in school, you can replenish your stock of everything from pens to business envelopes at a fraction of regular prices.The big sales will start after July 4th. You read that right… three more weeks until the ‘back to school' signs start appearing.
Snack items: Think beyond picnics with packaged snacks, such as fruit snacks and individual ready-to-eat puddings, and stock pile for school lunches in the fall.
Last, but certainly not least, fruits and vegetables! Check online sites for help with preserving the bounty summer offers, and watch for…
Fruits: Apricots, Asian pears, bananas, Barbados cherries, black crowberries, black currents, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, breadfruit, cantaloupe, Casaba melon, Champagne grapes, cherries (sweet and sour), Crenshaw melon, durian, elderberries, figs, Galia melons, grapefruit, grapes, honeydew melon, jackfruit, key limes, kiwifruit, limes, Loganberries, longans, loquats, lychee, mulberries, nectarines, Olallieberries, passion fruit, peaches, Persian melon, plums, raspberries, Rose apples, sapodillas, sapotes, strawberries, sugar apples, tomatoes, and watermelon.
Vegetables and Herbs: Anaheim chiles, Armenian cucumbers, beets, bell peppers, butter lettuce, Chayote squash, Chinese long beans, corn, Crookneck squash, cucumbers, edamame (green soybeans), eggplant, endive, French beans, garlic, green beans, Hearts of Palm, jalapeno peppers, lettuces, lima beans, Manoa lettuce, mushrooms, okra, Ong Choy spinach, peas, radishes, shallots, sugar snap peas, summer squash, tomatillos, winged beans, Yukon Gold potatoes, and zucchini.
