Yes, we all know that to recycle is divine! Glass, plastic, cardboard, etc. should be recycled. Household items, toys and clothing in good condition should be donated. I get that. What I don’t get is needless, everyday waste. I’m not going to tell you to shop smarter, share a bath, start foraging or use your own bags. What I have a hard time dealing with is food being thrown in the trash (argh!) – daily. There are some simple ways to actually USE the food you already buy and it will save you money! With grocery prices tripling, isn’t that enough incentive? 

There are 4 key things you should consider doing:

1. GARDEN

It doesn’t have to be huge. Flowers, herbs, vegetables – whatever suits you. Just plant things, then collect the seeds for next year. You’ll be amazed at how much you save collecting seeds vs. buying at the nursery.

Used coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Instead of throwing them in the trash, add them to your flower beds (azaleas love it!) and used egg shells are great for preventing slug and snail damage and are high in calcium and other nutrients good for your soil.

2. COMPOST

Again, it doesn’t have to be huge. You can make compost in a pail, directly in your bed, have a compost maker, or a pile behind the garage. Make compost and add it to your soil.  Your garden will benefit, and as a result, so will you.

3. PRESERVE

Whether you freeze, dehydrate or can, you will utilize what you have, it will be BETTER than store bought, and you will save!

When I was working, most people brought in home grown tomatoes from their garden. I was usually the last person to leave at night, and any tomatoes that weren’t claimed, went home with me. I canned them. Tomatoes are one of the easiest things to can and I use it for homemade tomato soup all winter long.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, just hang herbs to dry – but move them frequently while drying. You can also dry them in an oven.

Rose hips (great for tea) and herbs can easily be dehydrated, and vegetables can be frozen or canned.

4. USE as much as you possibly can. Here’s some easy tips on making the most of what you have:

Bones are usually thrown away, but are great for making stocks and soups. See our previous posts “Save Your Thanksgiving Bones! (How to make soup: the basics)” and “Fishbones (Quick Ways to Save Money)”.

When you peel vegetables, don’t throw the peels in the trash. You can add them to the compost pile, or better yet, you can use many for making soups and stocks.

Stale bread should be made into croutons or breadcrumbs or, at the very least, thrown out to the birds. You should NEVER throw bread in the trash.

Did you ever buy a cabbage to make coleslaw, and half of it just rotted away in the fridge? Just shred it and salt it and make sauer kraut. See our post “2 Ingredient Miracle! (How To Make Sauerkraut)”.

If milk is slightly sour (NOT spoiled!) add it to batter. Pancakes, biscuits and muffins actually taste better with slightly sour milk added.

Fruit should never be wasted! Apples that are slightly soft can become applesauce, bananas can be dehydrated into chips or turned into banana bread or pudding, berries of every kind can be dried, or turned into jams, jellies and butters. All fruit can become a delicious pie! See our post “EASY AS PIE (A Beginner’s Guide to Delicious Pies in 3 Easy Steps)”.

Cucumbers can be easily pickled (see our posts “Pickle Hack: Make Delicious, Homemade Pickles in 3 Minutes” and “Mom’s Easy refrigerator Pickles”).

Citrus fruit (lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges) have peels that are usually ignored. Besides dehydrating whole citrus slices for beverages, you can zest and dry the peels for later baking, or you can make a wonderful household cleaner by putting them in a glass jar and filling it with distilled vinegar. In a month, it will be ready to clean everything in your house!

Bacon grease can be strained and saved (feel free to refrigerate) for frying eggs, potatoes, lots of things. Everything tastes better fried in bacon grease!

One tip that surprises most people is re-growing. Whenever we buy basil at the grocery, we put it in a glass of water when we get home. We can pluck basil leaves whenever we need them – and they root! After it has rooted, we plant the bunch in the garden and get an entire basil plant all summer! The same is true for celery, green onions and lettuce. When you cut the ends off, you can put the ends in a dish of shallow water, and they will regrow. Potatoes getting old? Cut them up so there is an eye in each piece and put them in the ground. Soon, you’ll be able to harvest freshly grown potatoes.

Leftover meat? Make sausage. It’s easier then you think – and delicious!

Then, there is Halloween. It drives me crazy to see all of the pumpkins that get tossed in the trash the day after Halloween. The seeds are great for eating and the flesh can be boiled and mashed. Mashed pumpkin can be used for a variety of things, including delicious muffins. Just get boxed cake mix and follow the instructions but replace the water with mashed pumpkin. 

When Stuart was young, Irene told him that if he ate his Jack-O’-Lantern, it would always be with him. So, she started the tradition of making pumpkin bread the day after Halloween. We all started keeping our Jack-O’-Lanterns with us forever. This year, you should give it a try.

IRENE’S PUMPKIN BREAD

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp table salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 c oil (olive, vegetable, etc. your choice)

3 1/2 cup flour (again, your choice of type)

2 cups fresh, boiled, mashed pumpkin

Mix all ingredients, in order, one at a time. Grease and flour 3 “meatloaf” pans. Bake at 350 F for one hour.

Makes 3 loaves and they eat wonderfully and freeze great!