Could this be your rubbish?
Was your mother fond of reminding you, as she frowned at your non-empty plate, about the starving children in Bangladesh? Or was it Africa/India/some third world country you wished you had the address of so you could mail the remains of your dinner...? Today's mom doesn't do that, not because there aren't still children starving in Bangledish, but because she tosses so much food into the rubbish bin herself. She knows hypocrisy doesn't look good on her. (This goes for today's Dads, too, who share the buying/cooking/disposing chores in twenty-first century kitchens.)
Today food costs are a smaller percentage of our overall expenses than they were three decades ago. Consequently, we think nothing of throwing aging produce into our rubbish, as this photo illustrates. That bag of sweetcorn I noticed on my walk today would have cost around £2, or around $3.30. That's a lot of money to throw away.
What's more, those ears of corn will end up in the landfill (sadly, a fox or other probably won't get to it before the rubbish collectors come by). Every year, Britons throw away 25% of the produce they buy. I'm just as guilty. I empty my vegetable bins every Thursday morning in time to get my trash to the street, and almost always, this includes the sad remains of the produce that looked so appetizing at Waitrose the week before.
Last Monday, I determined to do something about it. But I had mixed success. I still ended up tossing mushrooms, peas, a bag of rocket and spinach, and an ear of corn. I could have done better, but with 2/3 of my family gone, I alone couldn't make up for the excess. I did, however, notice that when I put out the trash today, I only needed one bag rather than the two I normally use.
What's needed is a strategy, for dealing with and avoiding food wastage. Here are five tips:
1. Practice resistance in the produce section. This one's hard for me. I love the appealing shape of a lush aubergine, the sturdy plumpness of a butternut squash. I can't resist a new variety of potato, and bags of spinach, rocket, and watercress seem to jump into my shopping trolley. It's a question of just saying no, unless you know exactly where that aubergine or stalk of cucumber will go.
2. Make a plan. Another tactic that's difficult. I like to cook on the spur of the moment, and having an overflowing produce bin gives me more possibilities. But if you have lots of resources—cookbooks, Google, cooking magazines—you can usually find meal ideas and recipes using ingredients you already have. For those you don't have, make a list before heading to the supermarket or grocers, and stick with it when you shop. (See step number 1.)
3. Ratatouille. Seriously, there's a reason why they named a movie after it. You can put just about anything in a stew pot (or better, on a roasting pan) and mix it together with some tomato products, some smoked paprika, and call it ratatouille: Mushrooms, butternut squash, aubergine, peppers, courgette (zucchini), onions, green beans. Serve over pasta, and freeze leftovers for later.
4. Timing is key. Use up vegetables that are more likely to go bad early: spinach, courgette (zucchini), mushrooms, aubergine, while saving carrots and broccoli for later in the week.
5. If all else fails, freeze it. Did you know you can freeze aubergine (eggplant)? I didn't, but apparently you can. And a full freezer is more energy efficient, so if you've got space in your freezer, try freezing what you can't use. Here's a guide for freezing vegetables.
My bins are almost empty. I'm going to try again, armed with a plan with I shop tomorrow. Hopefully, my trash bags won't look like those I saw on my walk today, overflowing with the bounty of summer gone bad.
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