Every week, I post a picture of the food that has gone bad over the last seven days. Why do I do this? Because in March of 2008, I finally got fed up with the amount of food I was wasting, and I thought that showing my waste to other people would motivate me to use up my food instead of wasting it. Because this often embarrassing practice was so helpful for me, I invited other bloggers to join me in posting their food waste photos, and Food Waste Friday was born. If you’re not a blogger but still want some food waste accountability, feel free to participate by leaving a comment.
This should be a significantly less controversial topic than yesterday’s, which is a very good thing. We can all agree that food waste is bad, right? 🙂
(and though I’ve said as much in the comments yesterday, I apologize for any offense I caused anyone with my words, and if there’s any particular part of that post that you’d like me to rethink or reconsider, feel free to email me and let me know. I’m certainly not infallible, and it’s quite possible that my attitude needs correcting.)
On to the topic at hand!
I actually have no waste to report, thanks in part to you guys. I used up a couple of sprouting potatoes last night by making skillet-roasted potatoes (thanks for the Facebook suggestions, everyone!).
In other food waste news, I bought a package of pears from Aldi last week, and they’re just not good. I’ve bought pears in the past and they’ve been delicious, but these ones are going straight from under-ripe to mushy/chalky, and I hate that. So, I’m probably going to cook them and puree them to make a pear version of applesauce, or I will slice and freeze them to use in smoothies.
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How did you do this week? If you blogged about your food waste, link us up by entering your info into the widget below. You’ll save money, reduce your trash output, and get a little publicity for your blog! And if you don’t blog, you can still share about your food waste by leaving a comment.
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Today’s 365 post: Oh, happy day! My canteen is here!
Joshua’s 365 post: Am I in Hawaii? No…
Danielle@ sixtasteschef.com
Friday 27th of May 2011
I bought one of those giant Costco bags of asparagus, and when I opened it the tips were rotten! :( I used up about half by cutting off the tips, then sauteing the stalks, but about half are going to the composter.
By the way, thanks Kristen for recommending Freecycle! I signed up for my local Freecycle group and just received a composter. It's actually our 2nd composter, which is good because our first one is full.
Frugal(er)
Friday 27th of May 2011
I thought I was going to make it through this week, but I just don't like parsnips enough to finish the bag. I'm still glad I tried them, but gah! horrid!
http://findmefrugal.blogspot.com/2011/05/food-waste-friday-i-do-not-like.html
EngineerMom
Friday 27th of May 2011
Suggestion on the pears: You could try making pear leather. That's what my sister did with a bunch of apricots and peaches that she got in her CSA last summer that weren't quite ready to be eaten raw. Basically, you make pear puree, then spread it on parchment paper in a low oven to dry for a while.
Our food waste this week is going to include some homemade coleslaw, unfortunately. I made a batch last Sunday to go with our hotdogs, then intended to eat it throughout the week with lunches or as a snack. Unfortunately, my pregnant tastebuds, which have loved coleslaw for weeks now, rejected this batch. I can't eat it, DH won't, and DS won't. Sigh.
pwrrkc6
Friday 27th of May 2011
You should try making a pear and caramalized onion pizza!! We don't use sauce, just some olive oil and garlic and then caramalize the onions and put the pears on top. It is really good!!!
And, just to clarify..There was nothing wrong with what you posted yesterday. It was the comments of others that I found mean spirited. I thought certain religious groups were targeted in an unkind way. Especially when nothing they are saying is related to money. They don't ask for donations. I appreciated another posters comments that generally speaking they are kind hearted people just trying to bring peace to others. A kind no thank you is usually enough!
Lucy
Friday 27th of May 2011
I guess that donation thing depends on the location, becasue they sure do here!
Jenny
Friday 27th of May 2011
Half a head of iceberg lettuce--someone left it here after a potluck and we just don't like it---too tasteless!
I had a frugal cooking morning yesterday and tried homemade yogurt. There is no Dannon yogurt sold in our town, and no Yoplait without Splenda and funky stuff, so I used Nancy's for the starter. With 2% milk, it hadn't solidified after 3 hours in the cooler at all, so I poured in more warm water and left it longer. It turned out to be a lovely thick consistency, partly because the whey separated out. I suspect we could mix it back in, but this morning I poured whey on the dog's food which made her quite happy! I made vanilla with 1/2 c. sugar and 1 T. vanilla and my husband loves it. I am thrilled that he likes a yogurt that doesn't have 6 t. of sugar in a serving! Thanks for posting that it gets easier with time, since this seemed very labor intensive to me and I'm not sure I would perseve without that encouragement!
I also cooked a pound of dry beans in the crockpot and turned them into spicy beans, which will be dinner tonight, over polenta most likely. The rest will go in the freezer.
And since I'm trying to clean all last years fruit out of the freezer I made cherry muffins, and rhubarb-cherry sauce (very nice with homemade yogurt and granola).