~patches~ wrote:
>
> Blair P. Houghton wrote:
>
> > I just pulled a piece of AJ's Sicilian rope sausage out of the freezer
> > (the fridgetop, not even the deep-freeze) that I'd bagged on
> > 2004-05-13, and it was fresh and fantastic in a little pomodoro with
> > trenne pasta. I think the pasta was about that old, too. The evoo,
> > finely minced clove of garlic, and Penzey's Italian herb mix didn't
> > hurt it, either.
> >
> > Those Tilia folks are geniuses.
> >
> > --Blair
> >
>
> I'd say 14 months. The reason for this is we rotate our freezers. We
> have 2 chest freezers and the freezer component of the fridge.
> Vegetables for the most part are home froze in quantities to get from
> that growing season to the next, approximately one year. Bulk cooking
> of meals, soups, etc. are froze then rotated until used and not
> replenished until we are out. The fish we catch goes from one fishing
> season to the next. Beef and pork for the most part is purchased in
> bulk once a year so we use it up before buying more. I'm a real
> stickler when it comes to rotating home froze or home canned foods. If
> something gets missed to where it is beyond the 14 month period, it gets
> tossed into the compost pile. Personally I wouldn't have eaten meat
> that old. I'm glad it was ok for you but that is just beyond my comfort
> level.

Patches...have you ever tried "glazing" your catch? We worked in the
fishing industry in the 60's and 70's and they preserved fish that way.
You take the frozen fish and dip them in cold water and (working
quickly) put them into the freezer. This leaves a skin of ice that
seals the surface. I don't know if this would be helpful or not, but
maybe worth trying on a small scale (no pun intended)....Sharon