Keep garbage day light with a few tips and tricks to minimize food waste.
- Have you been tossing your broccoli stems? Tsk tsk. They’re great for soups or as a pesto.
- Egg shells and coffee grounds make excellent fertilizers for the garden. Coffee grounds can also be used as a body exfoliant when mixed with coconut oil.
- Sometimes it’s more cost effective to buy in bulk, but only buying what you need really reduces waste.
- Freeze, ferment or pickle extras, or incorporate them into soups, smoothies and baking (nothing makes better banana bread than an overripe, frozen banana).
- Search for local food banks that accept fresh food donations.
- If it’s ready to be tossed, try to compost it instead.
- Organize your fridge so that the foods with the shortest shelf lives are front and center. That way, they won’t get forgotten.
- Don’t be a produce snob. Just because fruits or veggies don’t look perfect on the outside doesn’t mean that they’re not perfect on the inside.
- Got some cheese crumbles left from your charcuterie board or the tail end of a brick of cheese? Mix them into a simple cheese sauce for some homemade mac and cheese.
- Cook ahead in batches and keep pre-made meals in the freezer. Bonus, this is also a huge time saver.
- After a Thanksgiving feast, use the turkey carcass for soup. Not ready to use right away? No problem. Put it in the freezer until you’re ready.