I like to share how I use our freezer to reduce food waste :)
* We freeze veggie scraps (onion skins, garlic skins, celery leaves, carrot peels, bits of herbs, green bean ends, etc.) in a glass bowl. When it's full, we make veggie broth by bringing the scraps to a boil in a pot of water, then simmering for an hour. Whatever we don't use immediately for soup, we freeze in an ice cub tray (found that freezing directly in jars, even with lots of space, led to broken jars :( )
* Whenever I burn toast (which happens more than I'd like to admit), I throw it into the blender and save the breadcrumbs in a jar in the freezer. Use to bind broccoli fritters and top mac n cheese
* Freeze fresh pesto (we usually have a basic plant) in ice cube trays! It's perfectly portioned for a bowl of pasta. I'll also freeze extra herbs (particularly thyme) in olive oil.
* We buy parmesan in blocks; I'll freeze the rinds and throw them in soups for a really nice flavor
* Whenever I make beans in the slow cooker, I'll double it and freeze the leftovers
* In late summer, I'll buy a lot of tomatoes, roast them, blend them and freeze them. They taste better than canned and help us avoid the sad winter tomatoes
* Overripe bananas! I don't really like banana bread, but they would be good for that. But personally, I blend them with a little peanut butter to make a summer treat for my dog
