Would you like to be more “green” or eco-friendly? What if it saves you money and has to do with food? Over at Planet Green, there was a recent article about “50 Ways to Never Waste Food Again.” There is a great list of different ways to help with this and I would just like to highlight a few of these easy and fantastic ways to achieve a more eco-friendly and money saving kitchen!
Using leftover foods from previous meals is one great way to save on food by making new meals, but what about saving extra pieces of vegetables (onions, carrots, peppers, etc) that normally are thrown away, freezing them and then making a homemade vegetable broth that then can be frozen into ice cubes and stored for later use.
Squash seeds should be saved! Rinse and roast them in a 350F(176C) degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle some salt on top and you have a healthy tasty snack for later.
Tomatoes can be dried in the oven and then stored in the refrigerator (if used within a week) or freezer for later use.
Pickling or canning is a great way to also preserve veggies or fruits.
Have watermelon? Don’t throw out the rinds, as pickled ones are pretty tasty!
Freeze leftover bread. This can be made into croutons, bread crumbs, or some fancy dishes like bread pudding or Strata. This includes bread crusts that some kids (and adults!) just don’t like on their sandwiches.
Don’t toss chicken bones, beef, or pork (basically anything with bones) after eating. Instead boil them to make stock that can be turned into ice cubes and frozen for later use.
Did you know eggs can be frozen? Break them, mix the yolks and whites together, and pore into an ice cube tray.
A little bit of wine left, but not enough for a glass? Use it for cooking, giving flavor and using it to de-glaze a pan.
Any other ideas are more than welcome and remember to go over to Planet Green to check out more ways to save food and use it more efficiently!
Photo by Sifu Renka.
4. February 2010 at 5:17 am
Very helpful, thank you!!
4. February 2010 at 5:18 am
Love it when it’s green!!!
5. February 2010 at 3:40 pm
Eco friendly and money saving too!
5. February 2010 at 3:40 pm
I’m glad you find it helpful!
18. February 2010 at 4:57 am
This is really a beneficial post. I will need to include you to my RSS list.
19. February 2010 at 3:39 pm
Love your post. This is great information, and I’m really glad I found it. Keep up the good work.