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Welcome to Our Supper Swap

~ A Frozen Meals Co-op ~

The Idea: Each member cooks just one recipe, but prepares it for every person in the group. Then the group gets together and each member receives one meal from every other member.

Co-op Specifics and Requirements

Instructions and Rules for members.

3 comments:

The Witness said...

Instructions and Requirements

Instructions & Rules:
1. Read and agree to follow all USDA guidelines as outlined at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/index.asp

2. Always prepare food safely in a clean kitchen with clean hands.

3. Each meal is required to have 6-8 servings.

4. Package each meal in a zippered freezer bag or vacuum-sealed freezer bag. Most meals should be double-bagged. (Note that some ingredients can be placed in storage bags as long as the storage bags are contained within a larger freezer bag.)

5. Clearly label food with
· Recipe Name
· Date Prepared
· Cooking Instructions
One way this can be achieved is to print out slips of paper to include in the meal package.

6. Cool food before freezing. Do not place hot meals into the freezer.

7. Meals will be exchanged the 3rd Wednesday of each month at Living Light Church. Bring all meals in a cooler with icepacks. Meals may be frozen or fresh (ready for the freezer). If a co-op member cannot be present at the swap, they must arrange for someone else to bring their food and make the swap on their behalf (unless other arrangements have been made to deliver meals to all swap members).

8. A 30-day notice is required for leaving the co-op.

As a Supper Swap member, I agree to follow the rules of the co-op

September 19, 2008 at 5:48 PM
The Witness said...

Supper Swap Update:

Thanks for being a part of the supper swap. There are a few details that will help keep supper swap running smoothly.

Please be sure that each meal is packaged in a zippered freezer bag or vacuum-sealed freezer bag. Most meals should be double-bagged. Storage bags are okay for some parts of meals as long as the storage bags are contained within a larger freezer bag in the end. If you choose to use a disposable aluminum pan, then be sure the pan is enclosed in a freezer bag (the 2 gallon size works great).

Each meal must be clearly labeled with
· Recipe Name
· Date Prepared
· Cooking Instructions
This can be achieved by printing the above info and including the paper slip inside the meal package. Alternately, clear packing tape works nicely to affix a label to the outside of the freezer bag as long as the taping is done prior to freezing the meal package. As a third option, simply write the info on the freezer bag with a black sharpie marker, but again do the writing prior to freezing (and prior to filling the bag works best). Loose paper should not be swapped with meals.

November 24, 2008 at 12:28 AM
Anonymous said...

From the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Website:

Refreezing:
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.

If food is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40°F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It's not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing.

They have changed these guidelines, so it is okay to thaw and then re-freeze ground beef, chicken, etc. as long as it has stayed cold.

USDA Website

February 18, 2009 at 3:26 PM

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