Across the world and this country, we’re throwing out too much food. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, close to one-third of global food production gets lost or wasted—nearly 1.4 billion tons! In America, we’re turfing or losing 133 billion pounds of food every year.
At home, we can reduce food waste by using up as much of the produce we buy as possible in our cooking. This means whipping up dishes that feature vegetable peels and stems and even fruit rinds. Most of us are accustomed to tossing these nutritious components. Instead, try these food waste-busting recipes!
Refreshing Watermelon Rind Gazpacho
Tomatoes, Eggs, and Beans with Creamy Kale Stem Pesto
The ‘Use It All’ Veggie Burger
Get scrappy
You don’t need to use fruit and veggie scraps immediately, but you should eventually! Drop unused edible peels into a large sealable tub as they accumulate from your cooking. Then pop the sealed tub into your freezer for the next time you’re in the kitchen. Fruit peels, for example, are ideal for fermented recipes such as ciders, delicious in fruit butters, and excellent whirled into smoothies or baked into muffins or breads.
