Food Waste Prevention Week: 8 Creative Ways to Use Your Food Scraps!

It’s National Food Waste Prevention Week! Reducing food waste is important for many reasons: it preserves natural resources, can improve food security, reduce carbon emissions, and more. There are so many ways we can reduce food waste, right in our own homes. 

Celebrate this week by trying to incorporate one or a few of these methods into your routine to use your food scraps!

1. USE YOUR COFFEE GROUNDS AS FERTILIZER

Don’t throw out your coffee grounds! Instead, add them to plants. Coffee grounds add nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, and are especially good for plants that like acid. When added to soil, coffee grounds can also deter pests, such as snails and slugs.

2. MAKE BROTH

You can make broth with leftover vegetables or meat. Make a vegetable broth with any produce scraps you have, like onion skin, carrot peel, mushroom stems, or leaves. Alternatively, make bone broth with any leftover skin, bones, or meat you don’t want to waste. Use the broth as a soup base, add some flavor to your meals, or cook grains in it to add some nutrients. 

3. WHIP UP SOME SOUP WITH WILTED GREENS

Just because your greens are wilted doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed. Make a delicious, creamy soup with them by boiling them and then blending them up with whatever spices and flavorings you like. 

4. MAKE MARMALADE FROM CITRUS PEELS

Not sure what to do with leftover peels from oranges, lemons, or grapefruits? Freeze the peels, and when you have enough, you can have a big batch of sweet and tangy marmalade. Then, spread it on breakfast toast, make a marinade, or more!

5. CREATE PESTO WITH LEFTOVER GREENS & HERBS

Just like with soup, try blending any greens or herbs sitting in your fridge to make a quick and delicious pesto. Asparagus, broccoli stems, and carrot tops are just a few ideas. Don’t worry if you don’t have pinenuts; any type of nut can be used to make pesto. Use this recipe to start experimenting in your kitchen. 

6. USE EGGSHELLS AROUND THE HOUSE

Eggshells can be used in a wide variety of ways. For example, boil eggshells to make calcium-rich water, which you can then feed to your plants. Also, try using them to clean your pots and pans to make them shiny once more. 

Beets and onions can be used to make natural food dyes!

7. COOK LEAFY GREENS FROM ROOT VEGETABLES

Don’t be so quick to throw out the greens for root vegetables. They are full of nutrients and can easily be cooked. Whenever you’ve got carrots, beets, rutabaga, turnips (the list goes on!), keep the greens and try sautéeing them. Enjoy them with butter and salt or add them to dishes, like scrambled eggs, pastas, and more. 

8. TIE DYE AT HOME

You can make beautiful, vibrant dyes with leftovers in your kitchen. Try using red and yellow onion skin, avocado skin, or beet greens to reinvent napkins, clothes, and other linens. The possibilities are endless; find more items to make natural dyes with here!

By taking small steps to reduce your food waste, we can make a big difference in our community. You can also reduce food waste by bringing compost from your home every Saturday to the Market! Learn more about our compost program here. 

Let us know if you try any of these methods!