I've been wet aging prime rib roasts (bone-on) and NY roasts (boneless) for about 70 days in the spare fridge a few times a year (whenever there's a good sale we grab a few). Once they're ready to butcher, I open up the cryovac packaging and perform some minimal trimming then cut some up into PR roasts. The rest of the meat is cut into steaks, repackaged and froze. This aged beef is the most tender beef I've ever eaten. I've been doing this over 10 years since learning it from a retired Safeway butcher. After serving steaks to my rancher friend, he now buys his rib roasts or NY's at Safeway or Costco and wet-ages it as well...and he runs 400-pair yearly. He still raises a couple of steers for his family consumption; but he just keeps some burger, stew, and tenderloins for his own. The rib steaks, NY's, and the remaining balance go to the kids, sausage, etc.

We don't purchase much beef overall, only rib roasts and NY's all the way. All burger is home-ground wild game with 5 % of beef tallow added for binder (and I save the good prime rib trimmings to add also). Decent amount of venison for stew/crockpot/chili/pan-frying. Lots of fish in the freezer from summer (only 1 Ocean trip - coho, no white fish-that has to change!) Lake Chelan kings are very good though.

Nick, make a batch of venison chili or stew. Eat on it for a day or 2 then freeze the rest. In a couple of weeks bust it out for that first date with one of the future Mrs. Ex-NappyD!!

The garden was neglected, and the gardener fired! lol Easier to go to the farmers market it seemed. Not sure what we'll do this year, seeing as how the boy will be on "corona-sabatical" for 6 weeks, as high school is shut down...might be a good project for him to get it shaped up once the snow melts that showed up last night/today!!!!. (If we can keep the elk out of it, friggin pests have taken up residency recently) I purchased the 1st apple of my entire life this past fall, so growing up in Wenatchee both sides of my family had orchards. It's like buying fish...you just don't do it. Well, there's a new variety and it dam-good!! Cosmic Crisp is the name and I'm addicted! It stores in the fridge fantastic and is still "snappin" when you bite into it plus it has a sweet/tart flavor that I prefer. I've been buying them locally at one of the warehouse retail outlets where I can sort through and find the ones I prefer.

I like the pesto idea too! We did freeze a shait load of raspberries from our small patch, great frozen snacks after dinner. I didn't even think about freezing strawberries, etc.