I Didn't Throw it Away!

It's the launch of the I Didn't Throw It Away Blog Train, and I am trying to unlock the reasons why we keep certain things yet readily throw away others. Is there a story behind every item that we keep? How do we form that special connection with them, and why does it last so long? Every day from today until January, one blogger will share with you the things that he/she has kept for over 20 years, the stories behind them and why it wasn't thrown away. 

To kick everything off, the blog train will start right here!  For all the posts in this blog train, please click here or on the icon at the top!

There are quite a few items in my household that are over 20 years old. In fact we still use them and I am really amazed that they have lasted so long. You have probably seen a few in my earlier blog posts  - the thin leather belt that my mum had worn when she was a young lady, and the stuffed toy that my grandma gave me when we first met. 

I've never threw these in the bin - the monkey is still on my bed as it reminds me of my gran, while the belt is still in good condition and I have worn it countless times. I think I didn't throw away the belt because it is unique and it's at least 40 years plus!  They don't make them like this any more!

Childhood Books

I didn't own that many books when I was a child. In fact, my dad encouraged us to use the library (something I still believe in) - he said it was a waste to buy books, read them once and then leave them on the bookshelf, plus we couldn't afford space for books in our small flat!  These are the three books that I owned as a child. If I remember correctly, these were birthday presents.

I loved reading the books and didn't want to part with them even when the family shifted homes and we needed to clear out some stuff . I think my attachment to the books is because of what my dad had said about knowledge (ie books) should not be thrown away, my dad gave me his books (all academic) from the 50s and 60s, so I have a little collection of his. I actually used one of the books (trigonometry) to help me in my A-level maths because it explained everything clearly compared with my school texts!  I'll definitely be passing them down to my son!

Vacuum Lunch Flask

When we lived overseas, we experienced cold winters. As our school tuck shop did not provide proper meals, I would take a lunch flask with my hot lunch to school. I remember mum waking up early in the morning to prepare our lunches and store them in this Aladdin vacuum flask.  Mum made a small pouch to go with it!  

Yes, I still have it, and yes, I actually used it when I started working! It still works and it is in tip top condition. I used it again when my son was on his first solids!  This is the only vacuum flask that I have used. 

It was made in Nashville, Tennessee. Apparently, the factory no longer exists but production has shifted to another part of the USA. 

Why Didn't I throw Them Away?

I definitely have a strong connection with the three books, and they bring back childhood memories. Whenever I read or show them to my son, it's my way of sharing with him my best childhood experiences. Even the vacuum flask conjures up images of my mum's creamy corn soup, and steaming hot soy sauce chicken with rice on a cold winter's day. 

Follow the Blog Train

This post is part of a blog train hosted by Green Issues by Agy on "I Didn't Throw It Away". We have become such a throw-away society, but there are some things in our households that we still keep. Why is that so? Perhaps this blog train can unlock the reasons behind it! Follow the daily posts on this blog train and read about the stories behind the things we have kept for many years and why we didn't throw them away.  

Tomorrow Joey from from JoeyCraftWorkz will share with us the stories behind the things she didn't throw away. Joey is a stay-at-home mum who loves to craft and sew, and lately she has taken up quilting. 


All posts will be shared on my social media platforms!

1 Dec  Green Issues by Agy  
2 Dec  JoeyCraftWorkz 
3 Dec  Gingerbread Mum
4 Dec  Mum in the Making 
5 Dec  Dominique's Desk 
6 Dec  Prayerfull Mum 
7 Dec  My Lil Bookworm 
8 Dec  Simply Me 
9 Dec  Mum Craft 
10 Dec Mad Psych Mum 
11 Dec Growing with the Tans 
12 Dec Mums the Word 
13 Dec The Kam Family  
14 Dec PeiPei.HaoHao
15 Dec Xavvy-licious  
16 Dec Adopt an Ami 
17 Dec Angel Hearts Crafts 
18 Dec Lapis William  
19 Dec Rhinestic's Knick Knacks 
20 Dec Hello, Mrs Tan

Christmas Break!!

2 Jan  Rude Record 
3 Jan  Refab Diaries  
4 Jan  Creating My Way to Success 
5 Jan  Recycled Fashion  
6 Jan A Vintage Crafty Adventure   
7 Jan Cucicucicoo     
8 Jan Sum of Their Stories    
9 Jan Fafafoom     
10 Jan Vicky Myers Creations
11 Jan Little Did You Know 
12 Jan Mountainsno
13 Jan Penelope Cake Fashion
14 Jan The Little Treasures
15 Jan Swoodson Says
16 Jan Notes to Ginny
17 Jan Purfylle  and  Feather's Flight

How to Freeze Your Vegetables

Last week, we had friends from overseas stay with us, and being in Singapore, we always take our visitors on a food feast - roti prata, chow kwai teow, fish soup, laksa, bak ku teh, chilli crab, fish head curry ..... and the list goes on.  Our visitors will never go hungry!  On this occasion I forgot my friends were coming over and bought too many groceries for the week ie. BAD PLANNING. So, the meat and fish went into the freezer, but with the vegetables ... did you know you can actually freeze them instead of throwing them into the bin?  

DIY Frozen Vegetables

Before you put your vegetables into the freezer, they need be pre-cooked, but how long do you cook them for? I had no idea until I came across this extremely useful document on the web. It is a home guide from CPMA (Canadian Produce Marketing Association) on how to freeze fresh vegetables.

I tried to follow it as closely as I could. Here's what I got.

Getting Started

• Vegetables I had: cauliflower, zucchini and Chinese cabbage
• Large pot of boiling water (have this ready only when you have finished prepping the vegetables
• Ladle - a metal one is best
• Ice bath in large pot (have this ready only after the prep work)
• Strainer
• Clean towels [the guide recommends a salad spinner, but I don't have one]
• Containers for storage

Prepping

I shredded the cabbage, cut the cauliflower into 1inch pieces and cubed the zucchini.

Blanching

When the water was bubbling like hot lava, I put the vegetables into the pot and started the timer according to the guide. 

Shredded cabbage - 1min

Cauliflower - 3 min

Zucchini  - 2 min

Remember you are blanching them quickly but not for too long that the vegetables are thoroughly or overcooked.  The point of blanching is to destroy the vegetables' enzymes which are capable of altering the colour, texture and flavour of the vegetables. 

Note: A metal ladle will be very good in weighing down your vegetables in the pot once they are in the boiling water. It helps to blanch them all evenly.

Chilling

Once time was up, the vegetables were plunged into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

I left the vegetables there for about 2 min before putting them in a strainer, and even used a clean kitchen towel to shake off excess water! 

Freezing

The chilled vegetables were placed into containers before freezing. I actually turned the containers upside down with the lid slightly open so I could get rid of any excess water that I had missed.  If the vegetables are too wet, freezing will cause them to stick together and this can be a problem if you want only a small portion to cook with.   I suggest separating the vegetables into portions before freezing. 

Cooking with Your Frozen Vegetables
So far, I have used the zucchini in my tomato spaghetti sauce, and cauliflower in a chickpea curry. No defrosting was needed, and because they were blanched, the cooking time was significantly reduced vis-a-vis using fresh vegetables.  Hubby has given the thumbs up too. Phew!

Have you tried freezing your own vegetables? What tips do you have?

Red Packets for Chinese New Year 2

We have the tradition of giving money in red packets (aka lai see or ang bao) to children for Chinese New Year. So, instead of presents, the kids get money.  Only married folk who are older than the kids can give away the red packets. Last time, I blogged about keeping the old red packets given to your kids and reusing them for the next new year (with the money taken out of course! Hee).  But I think we should also stop getting the freebie red packets that are given everytime you visit the bank or make a purchase at the shops just before Chinese New Year.  I was offered free red packets at a restaurant yesterday and I politely declined. So, make your preparations for Chinese New Year a little bit greener by declining to get the red packet freebies!