book: Free: Adventures on the Margins of Society

 

It's frightening to think about how much food is being wasted by markets and restaurants. That cafe you go to for your mid-afternoon snack always overestimates how much it will sell for that day "just in case." Often, the sandwiches and muffins that don't sell will be thrown in the trash. That over-use and over-make mentality can also be applied to our own tiny households. How many times have you found yourself with a fridge full of food but spent the whole week eating out instead? Or maybe you got a little over-zealous at the farmer's market and now all those Jerusalem sunchokes are just staring back at you from the depths of the vegetable crisper?
 
Katherine Hibbert's Free: Adventures on the Margins of Society addresses these issues with personal stories of her own life squatting in abandoned buildings around London and dumpster-diving food from cafes, supermarkets, and green grocers. While her specific experiences may not be too relatable to a large part of the population, her attempt to live without spending money is something most of us understand. To save lots of money on produce, she says, she'd visit the wholesalers' market, where produce was perfect if eaten that same day or next. It was "No good for retailers," she writes, "but fine for us. I feasted on melons and mangoes, blueberries and raspberries, cherries and ripe avocados."
 
 
I like to think that I do really well in managing the food that comes into our house. I grocery shop a few days a week, buying only what I can carry home in my bike panniers or stuff into my grocery tote. Every week I also manage the produce that arrives from our CSA share and I often try to use up the most perishable items first, while reserving the heartier items like beets, potatoes, and carrots for later. If I find a spot of mold on my block of cheddar, I just slice it off and no one's the wiser. If my apples have gone mealy and no longer have that crunch, I make applesauce. Soft and bruised fruit is fine as a morning smoothie. All this said, this week I ended up throwing out three tomatoes that had gone mushy and fuzzy while sitting on the counter and out went two containers of forgotten leftovers discovered at the back of the fridge. 
 
my pantry
 
Throwing out food makes me feel guilty and the thing is, it's completely unnecessary. Here's eleven simple tips to help curb your own food waste:
 
  1. Go through your fridge and cupboards on a regular basis and shop only for what you need. 
  2. Meal plan by looking for recipes that utilize ingredients that you already have on hand. Have some mushrooms and zucchini that has to be used up stat? Look for the right recipe! 
  3. If you can manage it, shop on a daily basis in local markets and buy only what you need for the next couple of meals. 
  4. Take stock of perishables and eat them first. 
  5. Prep your farmer's market purchases once you get home. Store fresh herbs in a glass of water to prolong their life. Wash and dry lettuces throughly to help prolong their stay in the fridge. This also can help to cut down on your weeknight prep when you're tired and cranky.
  6. Freeze or can your vegetables and fruits. Shred raw zucchini and pack it into freezer bags. Oven dry tomatoes and then store in the freezer for later use. 
  7. Leftovers shouldn't sit in your fridge longer than three days. If you haven't eaten things up by then, put them into a freezable container and label the contents. This makes brown-bagging your lunch a cinch – just grab a frozen serving-sized container and you're good to go. 
  8. Eat reasonable sized portions so you can easily eat everything on your plate. 
  9. Save your vegetable scraps in the freezer and when you've got enough, make some homemade "compost" stock.
  10. Compost your vegetable scraps. If you don't have a household worm bin or your city doesn't offer curb-side composting, drop off your household compostables at a local community garden compost bin.
  11. Check to make sure your fridge temperatures are properly set between 35 and 38 degrees F (1.7 to 3.3 degrees C). You don't want food freezing at the back or letting food spoil too quickly out front. And because it's colder at the back of the fridge, keep dairy products at the back. 
 
wasted food
 
Everyone has their own unique ideas on how to reduce kitchen waste. What are yours?

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