Most of us are guilty of taking a bit too much at dinner and tossing the remaining bites,or letting produce go bad in the back of the fridge and having to throw it in the garbage. Food waste is a major problem. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, approximately one-third of food (about 1.3 billion tons) produced for humans is wasted every year, while more than 820 million people lack access to proper nutrition around the globe. If you want to help fight the food waste problem, follow these tips below.
Eat the ugly food
Ever search through a bin of apples just to find the few perfect ones to take home? Most of the time, a few bumps and bruises don’t impact the flavor or texture of your produce, but many people avoid them anyways. Instead of tossing these aside, grab some of the uglier produce and save it from rotting and being wasted.
Bulk shop for grains and baking supplies
If you’re making a recipe that calls for an ingredient you won’t use often, try getting it from the bulk section at your grocery store rather than buying a few pounds of it. Some stores even have measuring cups in their bulk bins so you can be sure to get the exact amount you need rather than having to store bags upon bags of specialty flour or grains. Bringing your own reusable containers helps save the environment, too.
… But don’t bulk shop for produce
Instead of getting a bulk bag of carrots or onions once a week, try going grocery shopping for produce 2-3 times a week. This way, you can use up what you’ve already bought before it goes bad so you don’t end up with a graveyard in your produce drawer. Try going on your way home from work or school so you don’t have to waste gas.
Learn how to store fruits and vegetables
Do some research into your produce. Some fruits and vegetables are best stored on the counter, in the fridge, in the freezer, in a dark place, etc. to help keep them fresh longer. Additionally, some foods shouldn’t be stored together because one will make the other ripen quicker.
Can, blend, dry, cook and bake
If you realize you’re stuck with a lot of food that’s going bad or you just had to save a few bucks on a big bulk bag, consider canning, blending, drying, cooking or baking it before it’s able to rot. Look up some pickling recipes to keep vegetables longer or making jams and preserved fruits. Blending up produce into smoothies or drying them can help when the texture might be getting a bit undesirable but the flavor is still alright. Lastly, try cooking wilting vegetables into a stir fry or soup, and baking fruits into pies or crumbles.
Keep an inventory
Consider placing a whiteboard on your fridge or somewhere in your kitchen, and writing down the food you have in your stock. Seeing it written might help you remember to use it, or remind you not to get more of it when you’re going to the store. Try picking a few items you already have and looking up recipes that use them all up instead of centering a meal around just one ingredient.
Photo Source: J. Sessler
