Gardening Charlotte

Reduce Food Waste

More than 40 percent of food that is grown, processed, packaged and shipped ends up uneaten, and, in many cases, dumped in a landfill. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), that translates into $165 billion in wasted food per year in the US.

Here are six ways to reduce food waste that should save you money:

1. Start small – Save food and lose extra weight by reducing portion sizes. According to the NRDC, a significant contributor to food waste is super-sized servings that can be two to eight times larger than the standard recommendation for a healthy diet. This can be most noticeable at restaurants, where you may not know the portion sizes when ordering. Ask your server about sizes and consider sharing an entrée. If eating at a buffet, only take what you know you can eat.

2. Eat what you buy – Buy food that will be eaten, frozen or prepared before spoiling. People sometimes buy more food on sale than they can finish. Grow only what you can eat. Check dates printed on boxed or canned foods and use the foods with an earlier date first.A food item is past the expiration date doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe to eat. Often, some types of shelf-stable foods are safe to consume well past the date. Mike Wedel, director of acquisition at Harvesters, recommends consulting the Food Keeper, a program developed by the Food Marketing Institute and Cornell University Institute of Food Science, Cornell Cooperative Extension. This guide provides proper food storage information and recommendations for the shelf life of many food items, including frozen foods, fresh dairy and meat, canned vegetables, cereal, coffee, condiments and drinks.

3. Maximize shelf life – Get the most out of food by using proper storage. Store greens like lettuce, spinach and kale in the refrigerator crisper bins to prevent wilting. Keep prepared foods from drying out in the refrigerator by keeping them well covered. Use freezer bags to prevent freezer burn on self-frozen meats, vegetables and fruits. According to The Food Keeper, eggs should be stored in the original carton on a shelf and not in the refrigerator door. Monitor the temperature inside the refrigerator and freezer. Sometimes foods can freeze and thaw out in a fridge that is set at the wrong temperature, which can shorten shelf life. The The Food Keeper recommends keeping the refrigerator temperature at 40-degrees Fahrenheit or below, and the freezer at 0-degrees or below. The quality of frozen food deteriorates quickly above this temperature.

4. Repurpose leftovers – Take leftovers to work or school for lunch or finish them on a busy night when there is no time to cook dinner. After a big holiday meal, give friends and family leftovers to take home. Make leftover meals more exciting by using leftovers for ingredients in other recipes, like transforming last night’s roast chicken into chicken salad or tacos.

Freeze leftovers for use later. Frozen fruits like berries can be turned into smoothies or pie filling. Thawed vegetables can be turned into side dishes.

Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is a beekeeper, gardener and sometimes cook. Published by El Dorado Springs Sun once in print and online with author’s permission. Copyright 2017, all rights reserved. This column may not be reprinted, republished or otherwise distributed without author’s permission. Contact Charlotte at gardeningcharlotte at gmail dot com.