How many people do you think could be fed with 133 billion pounds of food? A lot, right? Yet, that is the amount of food that is wasted each year in America. Obviously, there are some food scraps that need to be tossed out but that isn’t true with everything. It might be time to rethink your peels, stems and bones. Here’s how you can put your food waste to work:
Boost Muffins
Do you make fresh squeezed juice? It is the only way to insure what you’re drinking won’t have any additives. But there is always some pulp leftover in the juicer. The pulp is packed with fiber and would make a great addition to any muffin recipe. The ratio should be 1 cup of pulp per each 1 ½ cup of flour for your muffin recipe.
Use Stalks
Broccoli and cauliflower are already terrific veggies to add to any meal. It is their stalks that end up being chopped and tossed. Instead, you can slice the stalks into “chips” and use them for dipping. They can also be spiralized into noodles or shredded for slaw.
Stir in Melon Rinds
A lot of nutrients in fruits can be found on the outside in the skin and rinds. Those rinds are all edible and loaded with vitamin C. If you like to make stir fries, then consider shredding the rinds and stirring it into the mix.
Smoothie Fruit Scraps
Whenever cutting up fruit, there seems to be “scraps” leftover. They might not amount to much on their own but when saved in a freezer bag and combined with other fruit scraps they can become the basis for a fruit smoothie. Delicious.
Bake Before You Toss
Fresh fruit needs to be consumed fast or else it will spoil. Too often we don’t catch up with the fruit we buy and it starts to over ripen. Instead of tossing it out, try baking with it. Berries and citrus can add a nice zing to many baked goods. Of course, banana bread is perfect to those bananas that have turned brown on the outside.
Compost the Rest
When in doubt, you can always add your food waste to a compost pile. This is something you should have brewing in your backyard to make nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. Anything organic can go into the compost bin. The less food we waste, the better off we’ll all be!
