I am a person who can not throw anything away. I blame my father, the packrat extraordinaire, for this habit. This comes in handy in the workshop, where notches I cut out of stair stringers years ago become finally useful for some new carpentry project. In the fridge though, where I just couldn't bring myself to toss that half-cup of couscous I knew I'd never eat, it can turn into a smelly mess. I've never been a big fan of leftovers. I save them with the best of intentions, but they end up languishing above the crisper drawer until unrecognizable.
Last week, Lisa and I instituted a rule: No buying new groceries. We roast a ham on Monday. For the rest of the week we integrate the leftover ham and whatever we have in the house into a new dinner meal. Here's how it turned out...
Day 1, Monday, Roasted ham with Cheesy Potatoes and Cabbage/Candied Pecan Salad:
Ham was about $12 - we got it when hams were on special for $1.69/lb and tossed it in the freezer. Potatoes we got a 5 lb bag of for $0.48, and the Cheddar was $2.49 for a large brick. Cabbage cost around a dollar, with free pecans from my parents (they live next to an orchard), and the dressing we just threw together from staples we had in the cupboard. Total cost, $16.
Good enough for ham day. But we had just roasted a seven pound ham! What to do with the rest? Tuesday, day two, was a bit of an improvisation, as we didn't have much for bread.
We had asparagus though - it was on sale for $1.50 a couple days before. We ended up sautéing the asparagus and using a $1.00 tube of Pop'n'Fresh dough and more of the cheddar brick, along with about $2.00 worth of scallions and eggs to come up with mini quiches. They were delicious, and there were two left over for my breakfast the next day. Total Cost, $4.50.
Day three, Wednesday, was easy. We had bowtie pasta and frozen peas that were both a dollar a piece, and a cup tub of Parmesan we'd picked up for about $2.50, each of which we only used half of to make a ham pasta served with a side of Greek salad. The Romaine lettuce was $1.50, the Feta was $2.50, the Tomatoes were $2.00, and the Kalamata olives were $2.00. We used half of each. Total cost: $6.25.
Day four (Thursday, pictured below) we splurged on, but it sounded too good to pass up. You be the judge: Cauliflower we bought for $.89, and used half. The double-corn polenta we used a dollar frozen corn bag for, along with corn meal from the cupboard, the remaining Parmesan, herbs from the spice rack, and cream from the fridge. Ham loaf was made with ham, onions ($2.00/3 lb - we used one onion), $.25 worth of egg, and a $.75 half-pound of ground pork. The glaze was a couple tablespoons of brown sugar from the cupboard mixed with pan juices and $.50 worth of ginger. Total cost: $4.00.
This is Friday, day five: Tuscan bean and ham soup. The beans we got for $.50. The chicken stock we made ourselves months ago. The bread I made from cupboard staples, and I'll allow $.50 for the yeast, since most people don't have it readily available. Artisanal honey we got at the farmers' market last fall for $.50. Total cost: $1.50. By far the most delicious meal of the week.
Saturday, day six, was something of a surprise. I wasn't sure what we'd come up with, but we had picked up a bell pepper for $.50, so we did ham, $.25 of egg, and soy fried rice (both staples in the cupboard). Pork fried rice... Total cost: $.75. Cheapest meal of the week.
Day seven happened to be Superbowl Sunday. We had friends over (long story), but one of the sides we made by putting the pork in a food processor, and adding $.25 of cream cheese, $.25 of horseradish, pepper and tarragon, both from the spice rack. Total price was fifty cents, but it wasn't a main dish so I didn't count it as cheapest meal.
Overall though, two of us ate for a full week with one ham and what we had in the house for a grand total of $33.50. Ham week success, and we've still got a bone and some meat in the freezer to make soup out of with the bag of split peas in our cupboard (
see my earlier post). With the Easter season coming up, I wish you well in your ham endeavors.
My only problem was what to do about the fence. The fourth wall of this bin was treated for outdoor use, yes, but wasn't exactly designed to have a hundred or so pounds of rotting organic matter resting on it. I painted a couple wide panels with the same outdoor latex paint, and screwed them into the fence as a buffer between compost and fence (fig. IV). 
