Reduce food waste

It’s understandable that there is food waste in any kitchen, whether it’s peels and cuts or unused extras. Wasted food means wasted money and, in the case of expired leftovers, a potential odor mess. Either way, wasted food is unfavorable.

The skins and seeds of fruits and vegetables are full of fiber and nutrients, so eliminating them from our diet is counterproductive. There are many dishes that require peeling the fruit or vegetable to get the desired texture, but in some cases you can avoid this. For example, when making tomato sauce, a quality immersion blender can blend the skins and seeds, creating a thick, smooth healthy sauce. When making jams and preserves where the fruit will be peeled, consider using a blender to process the fruit into a smooth paste and lock in those healthy nutrients.

We have a steam juicer to make wines, jellies or syrups and use that leftover pulp to make fruit leather. Our dogs love the apple berry pulp leather and we use it for training instead of expensive dog treats.

Juicing is another example where waste (in this case pulp) is produced. That leftover pulp is compostable or can be chicken feed; if you have these options definitely use them. Otherwise, the pulp can be dehydrated and mixed into a powder. Store it in a sealed jar in the cupboard as you would spices and herbs. The fruit powder can be used in smoothies or salad dressings.

Having a compact food dehydrator is also useful for processing garden crops. Actually, anyone with a kitchen could benefit from having one, as it’s very easy to dehydrate leftover cooked vegetables or fruits. Various vegetable powders can be combined to make flavorful additions to soups, stews, casseroles and more. Dried tomato or green pepper powders help thicken enchiladas and tomato sauces. Add it to homemade pasta and tortilla wraps or sprinkle a powdered fruit and vegetable mix on your dog’s food for extra nutrition. In the past, we dehydrated leftovers, soups, and even refried beans for backpackers.

Be creative; You never know when these powdered foods might come in handy. We recently made a batch of chicken lasagna, freezing multiple servings for later. On the first try of that recipe, we found that it was quite watery. So when we pulled out the next frozen chicken lasagna meal, we decided the solution was to layer the tomato powder in the bottom of the pan before spooning the still-frozen lasagna on top, resulting in a thick tomato sauce. base after it has been baked.

Check out the Brummets Cookbook: From One Small Garden, with over 300 delicious and nutritious recipes! Available in:
AMAZON US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T7YRHPN
AMAZON GOLD CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08T7YRHPN