The Alchemy of Scraps – Reusing Food Waste
I wish my concentrated efforts were eliminating food waste in my home, but it’s a work in progress. We are doing baby-led feeding with my little one, so a lot of meal times look like this:
But progress is being made.
While my fridge contained a lot of food waste, my freezer has been my hero. So much so, I’m seriously considering investing in a larger freezer (not a chest one though, I’m only 5’1’’ so will probably fall in).
Here is how I’ve been alchemizing food waste and scraps in my home:
How I’m Re-using Food Waste
Compost
I’ve started a compost (more about that next week), but the following items that I’m struggling to re-use up feed the compost.
If you would like a more comprehensive compostables guide, visit https://www.almanac.com/what-you-can-and-cant-compost for a great, educational post!
Making Broth/Stock
- I often buy rotisserie chicken as a quick lunch, and use the carcass to make broth. One small chicken will usually be around 4 cups worth.
- I’ve been saving veggie scraps in the freezer. When the bag is full, I’ll make some broth too.
Citrus Zest
- If I use fresh citrus juice, I save the peels! Some get zested and are sitting in the freezer, waiting to be baked into a cake.
- Also saving peels to make citrus vinegar. I had been planning on using 30% vinegar to clean which cleans like a dream, but boy is it potent. I’m back to using the 5% stuff for this (note: if you make vinegar in a mason jar, use a plastic lid, as the vinegar will eat through metal. I didn’t have a plastic lid, so I’m testing if parchment paper folded a couple of times will be enough of a barrier).
Rice
- I did not know you could freeze rice, was told by my (husband’s) aunt! I found defrosted rice is a touch mushy/soft, but that works really well for my baby, and works okay when served with daal.
Souper Cubes (technically not a food waste, but needs a shout out)
- These have been a Goddess-send. They save a lot of room and I can save things in portions.
- Though I’ve been trying not to buy new things, I felt this was going to save me money in the long run (I’ve been right so far), so it was a worthy investment.
Coffee Grounds
Usually end up in compost, but I’ve been experimenting with making body scrubs! Will report on my findings soon.
Apple Cores
Apple cores usually end up in the compost, but I found this recipe for DIY Apple Cider Vinegar, so I’m going to start saving my apple cores to give it a go!
Fruit
Since we’ve been pre-washing and then storing everything in clear containers, we’ve actually done pretty well with reducing our fruit waste! But on a couple of occasions, I’ve mashed up or cooked down fruits to add to oatmeal or make fruit sauce snacks (reducing our need to buy individual snack pouches).
Cooked vegetables and meat
We cook a lot of things simply, mostly because I don’t want to make multiple meals, and my kids are fussy eaters. If cooked meat and veggies are coming towards the end of their life, I will cook them in some broth, play around with seasonings, and make a quick soup for myself.
Herbs
I can’t usually get through a whole fresh herb bunch, so I chop up and freeze in some oil, though want to experiment with drying them out, and I don’t have a dehydrator.
Tomato paste
I rarely need to use the whole container in one go, so have been freezing in 1 tablespoon portions. That way I use just what I need without creating waste.
At a Glance
Invitation
I’m still stumped on a few things (like the best way to dry herbs without a dehydrator!). What is your #1 ‘Save’ in the kitchen? Is there a scrap you’ve managed to turn into alchemy?
Let me know in the comments below! I’m hoping to make a master list for this community, and it would be great to tap into our collective knowledge.
Until the next magical mess,
Amrita
