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General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: non geordie beth on October 20, 2013, 03:22:42 PM

Title: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: non geordie beth on October 20, 2013, 03:22:42 PM
Lots of kinda similar topics, but I don't think anyone has set up this challenge yet: to reduce food waste in your house to zero!

Our food waste in this house is pretty low already but the parts left will be hard to tackle: When DS asks for breakfast cereal then doesn't eat it (not much you can do with it once it's been sitting in milk and gone soggy... OR IS THERE?!). Bits of veg get left in the drawer and shrivel up without me noticing. The other day I got some 'ripen at home' nectarines and they ended up going mouldy while still not ripe enough to eat - I was quite annoyed! - so stuff like that will be hard to avoid and it might just mean 'don't buy fruit to ripen at home'.

So. Anyone with me?
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: amicableskeptic on October 20, 2013, 04:59:22 PM
Sounds interesting.  Does composting count?  What about the packaging that food comes in?
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: Melody on October 20, 2013, 05:04:33 PM
I'm in. I try really hard with this anyway, but it's crept up a bit lately. Bread seems to be one of the main culprits. Homemade bread does not freeze well :(

With fruit and veg,I had success with the mantra - start with the soft stuff. Soft fruits and veggies go off way faster than hard ones, so I try and eat all of the soft ones at the start of the week. Also bulk cooking and freezing if plans change and unlikely to have time to eat something before it goes off.

I also found UHT milk takes way longer to go rank than normal milk, and as an added bonus is cheaper and locally made, unlike the "basic" real milk which is trucked over from the east coast (OMG - this is like the equivalent of trucking milk from new york to LA... why???). We can buy local fresh milk but it costs more than double what the east cost ones cost.
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: daverobev on October 20, 2013, 07:25:51 PM
We have a compost bin, so I think we're doing it!

Love our bin. I need to harvest some stuff though as it's full!
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: cats on October 20, 2013, 07:57:51 PM
We also compost, so if that counts, I think we are at <1%.  I'm pretty good about freezing stuff if we aren't going to eat it in time.  But, I have been getting slack about cleaning up the odds and ends at the end of the week, with the result that I had to toss a couple of small things this week.  So, this challenge is timely for me!  I need to get back in the habit of making Saturday "leftovers day", where we just eat all the bits and pieces for lunch :)


I have also been burned by "ripen" at home peaches and nectarines.  A tip someone gave me that I have been using is to smell the fruit before buying.  If it doesn't smell of peach or nectarine, skip it--it probably won't ripen well.  If it's firm, but has a strong fruit scent, buy and enjoy in a day or two!

As for soggy cereal, I got nothing.  Though if it's a regular problem, start with a smaller portion?
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: swick on October 20, 2013, 08:14:48 PM
The only possible use I can think of for soggy cereal is to blend it up in a smoothie.
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: Lina on October 21, 2013, 01:36:07 PM
One of the best ways to reduce food waste is to plan your meals and shop according to your meal plan. My food waste is a result of buying stuff without a plan. I also freeze a lot of stuff that I cook but I'am not able to eat within time. Bread you can freeze and stock only a two-three days use of bread outside the freezer.
Title: Re: Reduce food waste to ZERO
Post by: Tami1982 on October 21, 2013, 02:42:41 PM
The only possible use I can think of for soggy cereal is to blend it up in a smoothie.

I think that's a great tip!  Throw in some berries and ice, maybe protein powder, BAM food rescue!

I'm also really good about this and toss almost nothing away.  Kills me when I do!  I make meals and pretty much freeze half of it every time so that I don't have it lingering in the fridge.  So that's my tip, always freeze half the food.  If you still want it four days from now, nuke it:) 

I just did that with mexican chicken soup I had made.  The avocados were taking forever to ripen so I froze the soup, waited three days until the avocado was ready and defrosted it:)  I like to use mason jars for easy reheating and transport.