Yes, average global temperatures are rising steadily, as we all know - there is no scientific disagreement about that. But what is going on underneath the obvious is that there is a lot more energy in the climate system. That means that the weather is wilder and more unpredictable than before - and getting more so every year. It was a good decade or more ago that the IPCC warned us that one result of climate change was that extreme weather events would become as likely as smaller ones. More energy means more instability and unpredictability.

>>See also: What to Learn from Bad Weather

The strength of hurricanes, the length of droughts, the temperature of heatwaves, the frequency of floods: these are all going up. The insurance business noticed it first (of more or less any industry), and they were warning us at the UNFCCC meetings from early on (along with AOSIS members concerned about sea-level rise). But what is less well-recognised is that it is just as likely that we’ll have extreme blizzard or low temperatures because of changing weather patterns due to climate change.

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In one of his first moves upon taking office, President Obama has ordered a freeze on all new or pending regulations from the Bush administration. The bold action could delay, and possibly even prevent, the removal of gray wolves from endangered species lists in more than a dozen states.

In a memorandum released by Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Obama has informed all department and agency heads that “…no proposed or final regulation should be sent to the Office of Federal Register for publication unless and until it has been reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2009.”

According to Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, the hiatus will give President Obama and new Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar the chance to reconsider the Bush administration’s plans to remove wolves from the endangered species list.

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Make more. Set aside one day a week and cook up one big dish (my favorites are chili and lasagna). Or instead of cooking for four, cook for eight and freeze the rest. Baked goods also do well frozen, such as breads, cookies, muffins and
pies. Next time you bake make a double batch and freeze the rest. Pancakes and waffles make for a quick breakfast snack when pulled from
the freezer and popped in the toaster.

Portion out the left overs in individual sized containers. This way you can easily pull out just what you need for reheating. It’s always a good idea to label and put food in (reusable) containers designed for the freezer to avoid the icky taste of freezer burn.

Stock up on local produce when it is abundant in the summer and make jams or sauces, such as tomato sauce or applesauce, to enjoy throughout the winter months. (Care2 Greenliving has some tips on how to freeze fruits and veggies.)

Of course the big challenge with this tip is time. When you barely have
enough time to set the table for nightly meals, finding time to make
and freeze food can be tough. However, with a little planning you’ll
actually wind up saving yourself some time by having healthy meals
on hand ready for reheating.

Amy says: I prefer to make the easy stuff in big batches, such as lentil soup or a lasagna, and store portions in freezer bags (that I wash and reuse.) On days I don’t have time to cook I take a bag out of the freezer, dump it on a plate, and while it’s reheating I’ll whip up a quick salad to round out the meal.

Be sure to check out GO’s weekly Weekend Grub feature for recipes and tips for green cooking.

More related articles from GO:

Weekly DIY: Make Your Own Southwestern Condiments

Kicking the Habit: Dehydrating Produce

Healthy & Green Lunches For Back-To-School

Reduce, Reuse, Respect the Brew: Beer-Making for Environmentalists

Kicking the Habit: Buying Food in Bulk

First of all, you'll want to make sure that you work under sanitary conditions and use wraps or containers that will prevent air & moisture contact or loss from the food. Always thaw items in the refrigerator and not at room temperature.

Your freezer should be at 0 degrees F or lower. Freezers are actually more efficient when they are packed with frozen food. However, you won't want to load up your freezer with lots of room temperature food at once. When freezing, allow your items to have some space around them - they will cool faster. Once frozen, pack items close together.

VEGETABLES

You'll need to blanch veggies before you freeze them. This would involve quickly boiling or steaming them, plunging them into ice water, and then draining them completely before freezing. Learn more, including appropriate blanching times for each vegetable.

Fruits & veggies can be frozen for 6-12 months.

MEATS

A big trick here is that you should never re-freeze a meat that has been thawed. If you bought meat at the grocery and then decided to freeze it. Later thawed it and still didn't get around to cooking it, you should not re-freeze. Cook it, then freeze it, if necessary. Meats can be frozen for 6-12 months. Cured meats should be used within a month or two.

FISH

Wrap tightly. Store up to 3 months. Defrost in refrigerator.

WHAT NOT TO FREEZE

There are some things you just shouldn't freeze because it's not going to turn out well:

Potatoes, sour cream, cream cheese, fried foods, cooked pasta/no sauce, lettuce, parsley, celery, radishes, cream/custard fillings, mayonnaise, cheese or crumb casserole toppings, cooked egg whites.

Also, you'll never want to put a can in the freezer. Or an egg in the shell for that matter. We're talking explosion and a very messy situation here!

Rebecca says: There are really a lot of great resources out there (listed below), and I recommend that you browse through them. They provide many more details than I can do today. I didn't even touch on freezing prepared food like breads, cakes, cookies, soups, casseroles and more. It can be done, however, and could prove to be a great time saver for you and your family. Plus, it's a great way to make sure the food doesn't go to waste!

Resources:

National Center for Food Preservation: How Do I Freeze?

About.com: Freezing Tips

SFGate.com: The Chill Factor

FoodSafety.gov: Chill