Comments on: Monday Mission: Throw Away Less Food

By: Sarah H

Sarah H — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:57:37 +0000

The bread heels thing is funny to me, since I consider that the best part of the loaf! Except when I started making my own in the breadmaker, the end is really just hard and blech by the time we get to it. However, I only use bread crumbs about once a year! Maybe I’ll have to see if my kids will do garlicky croutons.

By: Tina

Tina — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:20:13 +0000

I save up bread crusts and dried out bread to make dressing. Mix the bread with celery and onion sauted in butter, add water or chicken broth and poultry seasoning. Line a pan with the dressing and top with browned pork chops for an easy meal.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:50:16 +0000

That’s great – our Indiana soil isn’t naturally acidic enough, and I love all those plants! Blueberries, too . . .

Cool idea about freezing coffee – hadn’t thought about doing that, but I’ll have to try it! Thanks!!!

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:36:50 +0000

Very nice! Did you know coffee grounds are really healthy for acid-loving plants, like holly, rhododendron, azalea? You can also freeze coffee in ice cube trays to add to any recipe including chocolate – brings out the choc flavor, especially if the coffee is concentrated a bit. Katie

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Oh, and I almost forgot . . . if you grow your own broccoli or get some with the greens still attached, be sure to use the greens too! They’re wonderful – if you’ve never tried them, they taste like broccoli except milder, and they have a nice texture. They can be frozen too. I use them as substitutes for spinach or other greens in recipes. They’re so tasty, I honestly don’t know why they don’t carry them in stores (at least, not that I’ve been able to find around these parts)!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:48:04 +0000

You’re very welcome – I love all the ideas here!

I thought of a few more things that I do a lot:

First, when I make coffee, I usually wind up with a little bit left in the pot. I used to just dump it, but now I add some sugar to taste and put it in a container in the fridge. Even if it’s a small amount that might not seem worth saving, it adds up in a couple of days and can be used to make iced coffee by adding milk and maybe some flavored syrup. It’s really good, and sometimes I find myself making extra coffee just to make sure I’ll have enough!

(As for the used coffee grounds . . . those go in the compost heap, of course!)

Second, I eat a lot of tortilla chips and salsa, but since there’s no way to scoop salsa up with the crumbs at the bottom of the bag and I don’t like them plain, I used to just toss them. Well, I’ve figured out some cool ways to use them, as well as any that might have gone a little stale. If you give them a whirl in a food processor or blender until they’re finely crushed, you can use them to make a savory pie crust (same method as making a graham cracker crust) for quiche or Mexican pie or whatever. I’ve also figured out how to make cornbread with it too by replacing the cornmeal with the crushed chips.

Third, when I have extra hot dog or hamburger buns that have gone stale, I make garlic toast with them. Just mix up some softened margarine or butter and garlic salt, slather it on top, add some shredded Parmesan if you like, and then either bake them or freeze them to bake later. Yum!

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:19:26 +0000

Jennifer – I LOVE ways to cook with garbage. I even have a post in my draft folder titled that, to which these ideas are being added immediately! Thank you! Katie

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:41:55 +0000

If you are making homemade applesauce, don’t throw away the cores! Put them in a separate, smaller pot on the stove with a little water, cook until soft, and then press through a fine-mesh strainer. You’ll be surprised at how much apple you can get out of it that way!

Another thing that you can do anytime you are making something that requires peeled apples is to save the peels. Squeeze out as much juice as possible (adding the juice back into the recipe, of course!), and then lay the peels out on a cookie sheet. Put them in a warm oven (about 175 degrees), checking frequently, until the peels have dried. Then you can chop them up by hand or use a food processor to get them into small pieces. Store in an airtight container and add some to your oatmeal cookie dough for extra nutrition, fiber and flavor!

By: Soup bag… « Taking Thyme

Soup bag… « Taking Thyme — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:23:01 +0000

[...] I would not have thought about this without reading kitchen stewardship! [...]

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:11:57 +0000

I have a very small compost maker it’s made by Nature Mill. It holds 5 pounds of scraps the size for a family of 5. It sit’s in the corner of my kitchen. That’s what I wanted for my birthday last year. My husband and sons always tell me that I ask for strange gifts. But I want something I can really use. Back to the composter you just put your scraps in add 2 Cups of sawdust and 2 tablespoons of baking soda. That gives it the right mixture. I get my sawdust FREE from Lowe’s. If you don’t have a Lowe’s you can check with Home Depot or your local lumber yard most places are glad to get rid of it. They sell sawdust pellet’s but no since in buying them when you can get sawduct for FREE. I’ve never bought pellets. You get a small pack of pellets when you buy the composter.It’s very loud the first 2 week (break in period) after that it’s fine. No smell to it. It kicks on every 4 hours for a total of 4 minutes. Takes about 5 cents a day to run it. Cost can very from $200 to $300. I bought mine at http://www.naturemill.com but Target.com sells them as well. Hope this helps someone