12 ways to use food waste

On average, Americans waste more than 20 pounds of food per person per month. Make the most of groceries, reduce trash and food waste, and save yourself money with these 12 simple ideas.

Vegetable trimmings

Add all inedible vegetable trimmings—carrot peels, zucchini stems, onion ends, celery root ends and more—to a large ziptop bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, add trimmings to a large stockpot, cover with water, and simmer for 4–6 hours to make rich vegetable stock.

[Use in a recipe: Bouillabaisse]

Chicken bones

Make stock by covering a pile of chicken bones with water in a large stockpot. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 3–4 hours or until reduced by half and golden brown.

[Use in a recipe: Organic Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables]

Apple peels

Toss with a bit of sugar and cinnamon. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400˚ for 10 minutes to make chips.

[Use leftover apple cores in a recipe: Apple Core Syrup]

Citrus peels

Peel the outer skin of citrus, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Dry in a 200˚ oven for 2–3 hours, and add to herbal teas. You can also infuse water by tossing peels in and letting them steep for a while.

[Use in a recipe: Lemon Ginger Tea]

Carrot tops

Substitute the leafy greens from a bunch of carrots for basil in a favorite pesto recipe, using pistachios as the nuts.

[Use in a recipe: Basil Pesto]

Darkening bananas

Of course you can always use past-their-prime bananas to make banana bread. But they’re also good in smoothies and milkshakes, or frozen slightly and blended into one-ingredient “ice cream” or whipped into a nutritious pudding with avocado and peanut butter.

[Use in a recipe: Banana Almond Smoothie]

Herb stems

Use parsley or basil stems right along with the leaves in a batch of pesto.

[Use in a recipe: Perfect Pesto]

Parmesan rinds

Add to a simmering pot of minestrone or chicken noodle soup to impart flavor.

[Use in a recipe: Soybean Minestrone]

Potato peels

Make chips by tossing potato peels with a drizzle of olive oil and salt. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet at 400˚ for about 10 minutes.

[Get more: DIY veggie chips]

Romaine lettuce

Chop the thick outer leaves into slivers; then sauté quickly in olive oil with a thinly sliced garlic clove, salt and pepper.

[Use in a recipe: Chicken Caesar Salad]

Stale bread

Toast, and crumble into bread crumbs to use in meatballs. Or cube, and toss with tomatoes, diced cucumber, chickpeas and vinaigrette for a quick panzanella-style salad. You can also toast and toss into a food processor. Use bread crumbs right away, or store in a ziptop bag in the freezer.

[Use in a recipe: Turkey-Chipotle Meatballs]

Vanilla beans

Cover scraped vanilla beans completely in sugar in an airtight container. Store for 1–2 weeks; then use vanilla-scented sugar in baked goods or stirred into tea.

[Use in a recipe: DIY Chai]