I did something today that I really hate doing, and I don’t like myself for having to do it. I threw out what was once perfectly good food, because I let it sit in the fridge too long. It was a week old, it had to go, but I missed so many opportunities to save it, and that’s what I don’t like about myself.
So I am starting a Reduce food wastage challenge or “Refuse” for short, and I encourage you to join in. We can all check back in a week, and see if we managed to reduce the amount of food we waste. And take a moment to join in on the poll on my sidebar, it’s anonymous, no one is going to know who you are, so make your answers count.
Everywhere you look it’s all about being thrifty, saving money, doing without, reducing our impact on the environment, and cutting back on the amount of food that we throw away.
According to information on the internet, over 40% of food is thrown out daily, being of a frugal mindset, that is staggering. Forty percent daily, how much do you throw out? Be honest with yourself, be truthful. And please, don’t be sanctimonious about this, I am being as honest as possible, and I expect you to also. Not all of us have dogs, and chickens, or hogs to feed this food to. There is no way every last crumb is being eaten before it’s spoilt, in any household, anyone who is telling you that, isn’t telling the entire truth.
There are hundreds of blogs out there telling you how to use up that last bit of cereal in the box, or those wasted veggie peels that can be made into soup stock. But how many of us actually manage to do this? And how much time do they have to spend trying to accomplish this?
I follow the two days, two hour rule on food. Never keep leftovers for longer then two days without using them up, or freezing them, and never leave food out on the counter for longer then two hours.
Due to my severe allergies, I can’t eat any food that might contain mould spores, and old leftover food might be a culprit.
Sometimes food gets ignored, forgotten, and just plain, “I can’t face eating left overs any more.” That last slice of too salty pizza, those few spoonful's of soup that are left over, it’s not a lot of food, it’s just that it is food, and it’s getting thrown out.
So for those of us that don’t have dogs, or chickens to eat the leftovers, what do you do? How do you feel about having to throw out the food? If you have any ideas or tips on how to use up leftovers leave us a hints?
And if you are a food waster, will you take up the challenge, and try to limit your food wastage for a week? I am curious and wondering just how I will do. Let’s talk about it again in a week, say we meet here April the 5th. I will tell you how I did, and you can tell me.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
And just out of curiosity, did you notice that all the photos represent edible plants?
[But always check with a expert before ingesting any wild mushrooms, I don’t know if that one is edible or not.]
Oh, Jen....I know the HuMan in the house and I waste so much food. Ashamed! While it hurts, I thank you for making me aware of the number of wasters that we are among.
ReplyDeleteVery timely - I was just thinking about this issue the other day when looking into my fridge and resolving to waste less food! I need to organize my fridge so I know exactly what I have, and then I will be less likely to buy more. Count me in!
ReplyDeleteI am with you. HATE to waste food. I keep a container in the freezer and toss leftovers that could be made into what we call garbage can soup.
ReplyDeleteIt's a challenge! when I see that strawberries or blueberries are lasting more that a few days, I freeze them. They work well for smoothies. I guess you could do that with some fresh veggies, too and use them for soup! ♥
ReplyDeleteI have to say I am better at not wasting than my hubby who simply forgets things are in there to use. I came from a family of 6 whose parents both worked to barely make ends meet...we were trained to use up every morsel by my parents who went through the Depression. I compost my peels and bits. But I will try to see how we do with our refuse!
ReplyDeleteI get angry at myself for my food waste. Mostly for me it is fresh vegies and fruit. So I try not to buy them too much but that is just as bad. I'm trying to be better.
ReplyDeleteThis is always a challenge with just two of us in the house. I try to eat the leftovers, but sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances I end up throwing out something that should have been eaten. I grew up in a home where nothing was wasted and where there was a compost heap in the backyard. Coffee grounds helped the plants as did crushed eggshells. I am not as diligent as my parents. My little dogs are limited in amount they eat. It's an area I definitely need to work on. I think if I froze leftovers instead of sticking them in the fridge, then they would be used eventually and hopefully still have taste. Ann
ReplyDeleteAhhhh....you cut me to the quick. We are HORRIBLE, SHAMEFUL, wasters here. I'm diligent about storing the leftovers away in the frig - and sometimes, I even package them up into the freezer when I know they won't get used - only to chip them out a year later and throw them away then. My mother would be mortified...She used ever last bit of EVERYTHING - and the clever ways she "remade" things - (Let's face it, leftover mashed potatoes are never as good as when they're first made, but put some sour cream and cheese in them and bake them, and they're better the second time around....) It's not I haven't thought about or fretted about this issue, but perhaps your little challenge is what I need to do something about it....I'm not thinking miracles here (after all, there are two others in this house with me), but every little bit will help, right? Count me in - and you're on.....Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin
ReplyDeleteVery clever shots of edible plants.
ReplyDeleteThe schools over here are very aware of food wastage and work a lot to reduce this in the school cafeterias. I give some leftovers to the dog, but sometimes stuff has to get thrown away.
The secret is to put small portions on the plate as half-eaten food has to be thrown.
Sometimes, when we've just done a week's food shopping I'm ruthless. Out into the compost heap it goes. No point in eating tired fruit, while the fresh set gets tired in turn. Bottom of the yoghurt gets spooned out for happy cats. Since we are just 2 I usually manage to cook the 2 portions we will eat and enjoy. Seldom have 'leftovers'.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I'm up for the challenge, as I too am guilty of throwing things out after two days. And like you, I do follow the two-day rule. There's 3 of us and my hubby is willing to eat left overs, which helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteI waste very little food..all veggie peels and any thing raw goes in the compost pile..we have just started a 3rd pile. I freeze a lot. On my last shopping trip I bought a sirloin roast and I cut it in half...so I cooked half this week and it was just enough for that meal and one more. I put a piece of wax paper between the two before I froze them so I could separate them easily later.
ReplyDeleteI have a very simple strategy for reducing food waste - I eat it. *grin*
ReplyDeleteIt really bugs me when I'm forced to through something out because I didn't use it and it spoiled.
I try very hard not to waste but we do, we are guilty of this.Now its just the two of us its taken years to ajust to small cooking and I still struggle.I find we tire of eating leftovers and freezer food is not always as good, some things freeze well but some aren't.The answer I have come up with is, we shop often, and cook less, now this works for us because of our situation, we are retired and live by the shops, and its just two of us.I will take the challenge, I really will. This is something we all need to do.I enjoy reading the frugal blogs when they show all they have thrown out all week, I envy some of their skills tahts for sure.I like the sound of Elaines soup , but we don't have our big freezer any longer just the one in the fridge and its not great for long term
ReplyDeletePart of my problem is learning to cook for two instead of four to eight. Cleaning and inventorying the kitchen cabinets/freezer/fridge prior to the Holidays was an eye opener.
ReplyDeleteWe now carry lunches daily - making them before we fix our dinner plate. I also had our beef cut differently this year; smaller roasts, more hamburger and thinner steaks. And the number one thing that is helping is clear containers only in the refrigerator. (no more surprises in what I thought was the butter bowl).
Mr. T will only eat something two meals in a row so I have to prepare smaller quantities and that's what is working for us.
This is a great challenge, Jen. I try very hard not to waste food, but it does happen. There is always that "something" that gets shoved to the back of the fridge. I keep saying I am going to start a little compost and haven't. I will definitely take the challenge and watch what I do this week.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Laura
We try to have leftover nights..no one has to cook that night! Yeah! When we cook we usually cook for two nights..Roast Beef becomes Roast Beef Sandwiches for a couple of lunches or Hash for another supper. WE try to plan ahead. The worst thing we waste is Lettuce..I wash it and put it in a plastic bag but sometimes it still goes all brown and yucky:(
ReplyDeleteWe're pretty good at keeping tabs on our food however the odd time it can get out of control when more than one person does the shopping (we end up with duplicates or new fruit/veg before the old has been used) or when we don't eat together. Then there tends to be odd leftovers that the other person may not know about. Having a regular grocery day done by the same person and planned meals makes a big difference to us.
ReplyDelete