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I just came across this article online and thought a few of the ideas were innovative, easy and indeed help cut waste, so I wanted to pass it along. I particularly like the idea of having scallions resprout for future use in a glass of water and using excess milk to make homemade cottage cheese.
Be sure to follow the links in the slideshow. One tells you how to make vanilla extract. I want to try that idea, too.
I didn't see the one about the vanilla, but we've made it before by buying the best vanilla beans we can find online, splitting the beans and putting them into a jar of vodka for a month.
Another is to keep a bag of bones and a bag of scraps in the freezer. When I hit a critical mass, I make a TON of chicken stock. Delicious. You can even toss onion skins in there - it's part of what gives chicken stock the nice golden color.
#5: Bananas can do into the freezer as is. When you thaw them, they'll be all mushy to go into baked goods. They do tend to dehydrate in the freezer, so use them within three or four months.
#9: Stale bread is great for French toast. The staler, the better, actually.
#11: Why would anyone throw away rice that's been in the cupboard for a few months? I bought a huge sack of basmati rice 10 years ago, and it's still tasting just as good as it did when I bought it.
For years, I have practiced four of the tips in the article: #1 (Regrow Veggies), #9 (Rethink Yesterday Loaf), #13 (Celery Care), and #15 (Oiled Eggs). Some of the rest either do not make much sense or do not apply to my needs, especially, as Ohiogirl-who-does-not-live-in-Ohio stated, no one in the right mind would throw away rice after a few months.
The reusing stale bread is a common practice that I learned during the years living in Italy. With so many recipes that use stale bread, there was never a morsel of old bread being thrown out from an Italian kitchen.
I now have a little bunch of scallion ends, ready to regrow them. Very excited!
A big money waster for me is salad. I prepare a nice salad and it goes soggy before I can eat it and I can only really make one portion at a time rather than one big salad for the week. Until I discovered kale salad, that is. A pound of kale sells for $1 around me and provides a week worth of salad - not to mention that it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available and it's more filling than most salad greens. Kale needs to "marinade" in a combination of oil and acid to break down the cell walls and make it tender - but it never gets soggy, even after a week of picking at a kale salad already dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. It also means that I can chop up other veggies to go in the salad in one go, rather than hope I get back to that half of a tomato in the fridge before it goes bad.
I didn't see the one about the vanilla, but we've made it before by buying the best vanilla beans we can find online, splitting the beans and putting them into a jar of vodka for a month.
It's in one of the links. I never even thought to make it before. Vanilla beans are pricey, so I love the idea of using the bean and putting it back into the jar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00
I love these ideas!
Another is to keep a bag of bones and a bag of scraps in the freezer. When I hit a critical mass, I make a TON of chicken stock. Delicious. You can even toss onion skins in there - it's part of what gives chicken stock the nice golden color.
I make broth all the time from the bones. (I can't remember the last time I bought pre-packaged.) I never thought to toss onion skins in there. Thanks for the tip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81
#5: Bananas can do into the freezer as is. When you thaw them, they'll be all mushy to go into baked goods. They do tend to dehydrate in the freezer, so use them within three or four months.
#9: Stale bread is great for French toast. The staler, the better, actually.
#11: Why would anyone throw away rice that's been in the cupboard for a few months? I bought a huge sack of basmati rice 10 years ago, and it's still tasting just as good as it did when I bought it.
I cut bananas in half and freeze them, because there are always too many (even in a small bunch) for me to use. Frozen bananas are also great for smoothies. I toss the frozen banana halves right into the blender, (without defrosting), and seldom need to add ice.
I freeze excess bread, so I rarely have stale bread around.
I didn't understand why anyone would throw rice away either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ol' Wanderer
For years, I have practiced four of the tips in the article: #1 (Regrow Veggies), #9 (Rethink Yesterday Loaf), #13 (Celery Care), and #15 (Oiled Eggs). Some of the rest either do not make much sense or do not apply to my needs, especially, as Ohiogirl-who-does-not-live-in-Ohio stated, no one in the right mind would throw away rice after a few months.
The reusing stale bread is a common practice that I learned during the years living in Italy. With so many recipes that use stale bread, there was never a morsel of old bread being thrown out from an Italian kitchen.
I never heard of oiling eggs before, but I will definitely try it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charolastra00
I now have a little bunch of scallion ends, ready to regrow them. Very excited!
A big money waster for me is salad. I prepare a nice salad and it goes soggy before I can eat it and I can only really make one portion at a time rather than one big salad for the week. Until I discovered kale salad, that is. A pound of kale sells for $1 around me and provides a week worth of salad - not to mention that it is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available and it's more filling than most salad greens. Kale needs to "marinade" in a combination of oil and acid to break down the cell walls and make it tender - but it never gets soggy, even after a week of picking at a kale salad already dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. It also means that I can chop up other veggies to go in the salad in one go, rather than hope I get back to that half of a tomato in the fridge before it goes bad.
Wednesday is my usual grocery day. Scallions are at the top of my list. I'm really looking forward to tryng to regrow them too.
I've been on a smoothie kick lately and have been tossing most of my leftover salad fixings right into them, before they go bad. To be honest, the end result is often a very unappetizing color, but if you can get beyond the color it always tastes much better than it looks. It's healthy, there's no waste then, and you generally don't even taste the vegetables in them because the fruit flavors overpower them. I don't have a particular recipe to share, since it varies depending upon what I have on hand and what I want to use up. I often incorporate a frozen banana, yogurt and frozen berries of one type or another, (which I buy when they're in season and fresh). I've even been tossing some tops (greens) in there lately, such as mustard greens and carrot tops. (The rest of the carrot tops I use when I make broth.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dayton Sux
The one about getting juice from a lemon was pretty good!
I liked that one too, but I already get a lot of play out of a lemon. I shave the skin first and freeze the peel shavings to use for various recipes. I put the juice into an ice cube tray (and once frozen, put the lemon cubes all together into freezer bags), and use the leftover, drained pulp either for cleaning or placed into hot water as potpourri.
i throw out very little stuff. id say that one thing i do is prioritize what im going to eat in the upcoming week based on what will go bad if it sits longer. the other thing is to freeze anything that freezes well so that i have time to get to it when im ready. i also dont buy a lot of fresh produce but when i do, that gets worked into the priority eating list.
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