Thought it might be fun to share tips/tricks on reducing kitchen waste.
I recently read a great tip for taking your juiced lemon, lime or orange halves and freezing them. The idea is that you can pull one out of the bag and zest it for "fresh" rind as needed in recipes.
I've tried freezing the zested rind before and it always seems to dry out/not be the same?
I also keep a couple of plastic ice cube trays around for freezing small amounts of left over items. I most frequently use them to freeze leftover lemon or lime juice, 1 T in each little cube compartment - then once frozen I pop the cubes in a bag that stays in freezer until needed.
You can do that with leftover wine (hahahaha) or other sauces. Even broth if you have recipes that only call for small amounts of broth.
I also have a couple of silicone muffin cup trays and I'll use that to freeze larger amounts of sauces, broths, 1/2 cup fulls at a time.
If I use only part of a can of green chiles for a recipe, I freeze the rest (usually flat in a small ziplock) for another day.
What do others do to reduce food waste using either canning, drying or freezing? And how do you keep track of those odds and ends you then have around?
ClaireSky
True Blue Farmgirl
1792 Posts
Julie
Arcadia
WI
USA
1792 Posts
Posted - Oct 28 2015 : 10:30:07 AM
My Mother made jelly out of the homemade wine my nephew made that didn't get drank up. Boy, was it good!
Julie Farmgirl #399 May 2010 Farmgirl of the Month
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog ... Charles F. Doran
I make sure we have a weekly plan so I can use up things we have and don't forget what's in the fridge or what we are going to be eating. Instead of making a big pot of soup or any large meal and leaving it in the fridge to use for lunches & maybe/maybe not get eaten. I put it in individual containers to eat and then immediately freeze the leftovers. All of these small containers stay in the upstairs freezer. I keep only small portions or snack food in the upstairs freezer. All other food like meats etc. are in the other freezer.
Red Tractor Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
6815 Posts
Winnie
Gainesville
Fl
USA
6815 Posts
Posted - Oct 28 2015 : 4:11:44 PM
These are all great ideas and I think we can always learn something new from another person or be reminded of something we know but forgot! Thanks for sharing!!
Winnie #3109 Red Tractor Girl Farm Sister of the Year 2014-2015
churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3986 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3986 Posts
Posted - Oct 29 2015 : 08:23:06 AM
I pour liquids from canned vegetables or steamed vegetables or from glass jars of pickles and olives into a jar in the refrigerator. I use these "juices" to make sauces and broths. These are a treasure trove. They could be frozen but mine never stay around long enough.
Marie, Sister #5142 Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice.
ClaireSky
True Blue Farmgirl
1792 Posts
Julie
Arcadia
WI
USA
1792 Posts
Posted - Oct 29 2015 : 12:15:15 PM
The water from boiling potatoes.. I use to make my homemade bread.
Julie Farmgirl #399 May 2010 Farmgirl of the Month
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog ... Charles F. Doran
ClaireSky
True Blue Farmgirl
1792 Posts
Julie
Arcadia
WI
USA
1792 Posts
Posted - Oct 29 2015 : 12:18:41 PM
These are great ideas that I haven't thought of before. Marie, I will be doing the liquids from the canned vegetables from now on.
Julie Farmgirl #399 May 2010 Farmgirl of the Month
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog ... Charles F. Doran
All the frugal bits and pieces...
Posted - Oct 28 2015 : 09:15:53 AM
