The Ultimate Guide For Reducing Food Waste

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If there’s one thing we can all agree on these days It’s that we should all be trying our best to reduce the amount of food waste and garbage we produce in our households. Food waste is a much larger problem than people may realize. In this post I will share with you some of the ways I reduce food waste in the kitchen and around the homestead.

Not only are these small changes for reducing food waste easy to make, they are also better for the environment and will even help you save money.

In The United States alone, an estimated 40% of food gets thrown away each year. Additionally, a family of two adults and two children tosses out about 1,160 pounds of food every year.

While one person can’t change the world, and most of the waste management process is out of our hands , there are many small changes we can all be making to reduce our amount of food waste and help keep our Earth clean and healthy.

Besides the obvious ways of reducing food waste i.e. compost piles and feeding scraps and leftovers to poultry or livestock, there are many surprising and creative ways we can limit the amount of food waste being thrown into the garbage, or at least better enabling us to use things to their full potential before being discarded to the livestock or compost.

Ways To Reduce Food Waste

bananas

Wait! Before you throw out those squishy, brown bananas… Bananas are actually their sweetest when they reach the brown, spotty stage. Despite being past their freshest days for packing with lunch, at this point they are perfect for baking.

I remember as a child I would intentionally not eat the bananas my parents would bring home. I would watch them get more and more spotted each day until the end of the week, knowing my mom would then have to turn them into her delicious banana bread.

Here’s a list of some recipes to try the next time you end up with some extra-ripe bananas on your hands.

• Classic banana bread. This one is my favorite!
• Banana chocolate chips muffins.
• Banana pudding.
• Strawberry and banana smoothie.
• Peanut butter and banana muffins.

Banana Peels

Yes! There are even things you can do with the peels. They can be used in a multitude of ways including: Cleaning, natural hair and skin care, and gardening. And they are also edible!

Studies have found antimicrobial and antioxidant properties in banana peels, as awell as anti-inflammotory proporties.

• Peels can be used to brighten skin and reduce wrinkles. Simply rub the peel over your skin and enjoy the benefits!
• They could whiten your teeth. Rub a peel over your teeth for 2 minutes everyday for a week and you might notice a whiter smile. Plus, the anti-bacterial properties could help with gingivitis and periodontisis.
• Relieve sunburn, poison ivy, and bug bites by rubbing a peel over the affected areas.
• Mix the peel with water to create a budget-friendly plant fertilizer.
• Place under rose bushes to help deter aphids.
• Add to smoothies.
• Rub a peel on shoes to help restore shine.

apples

There are so many recipes and uses out there for those overly-ripe, mushy apples I could write a whole book about it! Here are a few of my favorites.

Recipes:

• Apple bread.
• Apple muffins.
• Add to smoothies.
• Applesauce.
• Applecrisp.
• Baked apple chips.
• Baked apples with cinnamon and brown sugar.
• Applebutter.
• Additionaly, like to slice them up and add them to roasts and soups.

Apple Cores and Peels

Recipes:

• Boil peels to make apple tea. Chill and add ice for a delicious summer-time beverage. No additional sugar needed!
• Add to smoothies.
• Save up your cores and peels to make a homemade apple scrap vinegar. I do this one a lot!
• Make apple peel jelly.
• Turn them into hard cider.

Other Ideas:

• Mash up and mix with honey or yogurt to create an indulgent (and yummy) face mask.
• Add a small slice to a bag of hardened brown sugar.
• Simmer peels for 30 minutes and use to clean stains from aluminum cookware.
• Ring in the holidays with some apple and cinnamon scented potpourri.
• Apple infused martinis, anyone?

Lemons

When life gives you lemons It’s usually in a mesh bag with about 8-10 of the suckers and if you’re anything like me you use 2 and have no idea what to do with the rest.

Please, tell me I’m not the only one, but I have never been able to go through an entire bag of lemons before they start to go bad. I buy the bag with full intentions of using them daily in my water and for adding some extra flavor to my recipes, but I swear for each lemon I use, two more take its place and I can never use all of them up.

The good thing about lemons is they are extremely versatile and can be used in many types of dishes. Additionaly, they are just as versatile around the homestead.

Here’s some recipes and hacks to help you use up those extra lemons and the overly-ripe guys.

Recipes:

• Lemon and ginger bars.
• Iced Lemon loaf.
• Lemon cake.
• Old-fashioned lemonade.
• Add some wedges to your fresh-caught fish and other seafood.
• Make lemon and cucumber infused water.
• Add wedges to your chicken dishes.

Other Ideas:

• Polish your copper cookware. Grab some coarse salt and half of a lemon. Use this to remove tarnish and bring life back to your copper cookware.
• Naturally whiten your whites. Cut up a few lemons and bring to a boil in a large pot. Remove from heat and allow your clothes to soak for an hour. Wash as normal.
• Naturally lightne your hair. Results may vary for this method. It certianly will not turn someone with black hair into a blonde, but it has worked for me on my medium-brown hair. Squeeze a lemon into a spray bottle filled with water. Spritz this mixture into your hair and sit in the sun for a couple hours and enjoy your new highlights.
• Remove spots and streaks on your faucets. Rub a lemon half on your faucets, then wash and dry as usual.
• Use them for cleaning glass stovetops, counters, tables and sinks. First, cut your lemon in half. After that, generously sprinkle baking soda on the surface of whatever it is you’re cleaning, then squeeze the lemon juice on top. Then, I use the lemon halves as a scrubber working in the mixture. Wash and dry as normal.
• Make a natural, all-purpose, citrus cleaner for your home. This is the method I use most often! I learned this from my mom. I watched her do it my whole childhood and have been making my own citrus cleaner ever since. Combine distilled white vinegar and other citrus peels in a glass jar. Allow to sit for at least 4 weeks. You can also add essential oils to help dilute the vinegar smell, but after all these years I think I am immune to it haha!

Tomatoes

Just the same as lemons, tomatoes are also very versatile in the kitchen. They are also great for canning and storing away for later use.

Recipes:

• Homemade tomato soup.
• Added to a salad or sandwich.
• Salsa.
• Add to a pasta dish.
• Make your own marinara sauce.
• Add a little salt and pepper for a delicious snack.
• Tomato juice.
• Make some sun dried tomatoes.
• Layer into lasagna.

Other Ideas:

• Use as a natural face cleanser. Mix with some aloe vera juice and use as your would any face cleanser. Rince with warm water and pat skin dry.
• Natural sun-burn relief. Gently rubbing a slice of tomato over your fresh sunburn can help with the redness.
• Preserve for later. Tomatoes can be preserved numerous ways including: canning, freezing, drying, and even pickled. Give one of these and try and learn a new skill in the process!

Oranges

Recipes:

• Make homemade orange juice.
• Bake an orange and chcolate cake.
• Chop up and use as a topping on vanilla ice cream.
• When in doubt, toss it into a smoothie!
• Make some pickled oranges.
• Whip up some candied oranges.
• Make some old-fashioned marmalade.

Other Ideas:

• Make herbal tea with the rinds.
• Dry and powder the rinds and turn them into a delicious fruit powder.
• Use orange halves to clean around the house. They leave everything smelling amazing!
• Get rid of odors and repel insects by placing a couple orange peels underneath the trash bag in your trash can.
• Make your own orange oil extract.
• Make some potpourri! Combine orange peels, a cinnamon stick, a couple whole cloves and water in a pot. Allow to simmer and enjoy the wonderful scent.
• Make a natural exfoliator for your body. Bake orange peels in the oven or allow to dry in the sun. Grind them up in a food processor and mix with sugar or coffee grinds.

Strawberries

Strawberries are another one of those fruits that go well on pretty much anything, so I don’t mind having some extras. Whether you’re topping pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, ice cream, salads, or infusing in water, strawberries are a great way to bring nutrients and flavor into your recipes.

I cannot wait for strawberry season so I can give some of these a try!

Recipes:

• Strawberry oatmeal bars.
• Chop up and add to cereal or oatmeal.
• Strawberry cobbler.
• Almond and strawberry cookies.
• Strawberry crisp.
• Strawberry pound cake.
• Chop up and use as a topping on ice cream. I’m dreaming about a bowl of Neapolitan ice cream piled high with strawberries and bananas as I’m writing this…
• Make some homemade strawberry yogurt.
• Try a strawberry vinaigrette.
• One of my favorite summer drinks is water infused with strawberries, lemons and cucumbers. Change it up any way you’d like!
• Strawberry chocolate chip muffins.
• Strawberry cheesecake.

Other Ideas:

• Strawberry syrup.
• Strawberry jam.
• Naturally whiten teeth. Mash 1 strawberry with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Brush your teeth woth this mixture for several minutes. After that, allow the mixture to sit on your teeth for another 5 or so minutes then rinse off. Brush teeth again with toothpaste if desired. I used to use this method all the time and i have to say it really does make a difference!
• Dehydrate to enjoy strawberries year round. Do this in your oven set at a low temp or in a food dehydrator.
• Try making strawberry fruit leather. A much healtheir alternative to the products from the store.
• Enjoy a brightening face mask. Mash up 2 large strawberries and combine with 1 Tablespoon yogurt and 1 Tablespoon honey. Spread mask over face and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Them rinse face with warm water and pat dry.

Blackberries

Here in New Hampshire wild blackberries grow in abundance. In most people’s backyards, open fields, along the woodsline and alongside roads. One of my favorite things to do as a child was to walk around the woods collecting wild blackberries. And to this day I still look forward to those warm summer days when I can relive my favorite childhood memories.

Recipes:

• Blackberry crumble pie.
• Easy blackberry jam.
• Blackberry swirl ice cream
• Blackberry cheesecake.
• Use as a topping on yogurt.
• Blackberry glaze. This would go great on chicken for a delicous, summertime dish.
• Purée blackberries, combine with yogurt and freeze to create yummy probiotic ice pops.
• Brown sugar and blackberry coffee cake.
• Blackberry brownies
• Smooth and creamy Blackberry butter.

Other Ideas:

• Blackberry Whiskey. No need to splurge on the expensive stuff, a cheaper affordable buorbon/whiskey will taste just as good. Drop a handful of blackberries into a bottle of whiskey and allow to sit for 3-4 weeks. Strain out the blackberries and enjoy!
• Blackberry infused vinegar. I do this every summer when blackberries are abundant. Simply drop 1/4 cup blackberries into a jar of apple cider vinegar. Allow to sit in a cool dark place for up to two months, and shake daily to incorporate the infusion. Strain blackberries out. Use this infusion on salads and in pork recipes.
• Dehydrate and process in a food processor for a delicious fruit powder.
• try making some blackberry fruit leather.
• Make blackberry leaf tea. Add 2 teaspoons of blackberry leaves for every 1 cup of water. Boil for 10 minutes Blackberry tea is loaded with vitamin C and can help relieve sore throats and upset stomachs.
• Make a blackberry root tincture. Dig up a blackberry plant and harvest several pieces of the root. Next, wash well and chop into small pieces. In a glass jar, combine with 80 proof rum, vodka, or with apple cider vinegar to a 1:5 ratio. Finally, allow to sit in a cool dark place for 6-8 weeks. Throughout history this tincture has been used to cure an upset stomach, toothaches, and even relief from painful childbirth.

Peaches

Sadly I couldn’t find any other ways to use peaches around the house, but the versatility for different recipes definitely makes up for it. If you have any household uses for peaches let me know in the comments section!

Recipes:

• Peach cobbler.
• Peach crumb bars.
• Baked peaches.
• Peach bread.
• Peach crumble bars.
• Homemade Peach pudding.
• Strawberry and peach smoothie.
• Canned peaches.
• Sauted peaches.
• Peach salsa.
• Peach lemonade.
• Add to a ham while cooking

Onions

Undoubtedly, onions are a staple on my homestead. Not only are they delicious, they’re versatile, store well and have numerous health benefits. Onions are one for the things I have no issues finding uses for. They go great on everything! Whether I’m adding them to soups and stews, pasta dishes, roasts, burgers, you name it. Additionally, there are many great uses for them around the house as well.

Recipes:

• Caramelized onions.
• Roasted onion gravy.
• Homemade onion powder.
• Blooming onion.
• Roasted onions.
• Chopped and added to omelets.
• French onion soup.
• Add to homemade bone broth for extra flavor and nutrients.
• Onion rings.
• Chopped and added to meat dishes.
• As a topping on homemade pizza.
• Pickled onions.

Other Ideas:

• Homemade onion powder.
• Use them to degrease your grill. First, heat up your grill. Then, cut an onion in half and stick a fork through it. After that, simply scrub down your grill and give a quick rinse to get out the onion flavor.
• Remove rust from scissors and tools. Cut an onion in half and rub it over the rusty spots. After that, scrub with soap and water and they’re good as new!
• Additionally, onions work great for removing tarnish from metal silverware. Finely chop up an onion and add water to make a paste. After that, use a rag to rub the mixture onto the tarnished areas. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then wash and dry as normal.
• Help ease a sore throat. Though it may not taste super yummy, onion tea made from onion skins has been known to help treat sore throats. To do this, boil some onion skins. After that, remove from heat and take out the peels. Drink as needed until you start to feel some relief.
• Clear up acne breakouts. Chop up some onion and add water to form a paste. Then, rub over the affected areas. Leave on for 10-15 minutes then wash off and gently pat dry.
• Keep bugs out of your garden. Bugs and other pests do not like the smell of onions, which make them a great, natural bug repellent. Chop up a few onions and scatter around your garden.
• Help stop hair loss. To try out this home remedy all you have to do it boil some chopped onions in water. Once the onion water has cooled, pour the mixture throughout your hair. Allow the mixture to sit in your hair for a few minutes. Wash with shampoo as normal.

Cabbage

Recipes:

• Sautéed cabbage.
• Fried cabbage.
• Homemade sauerkraut.
• Parmesan garlic cabbage.
• Sausage and cabbage.
• Buttered cabbage.
• Use in a stir fry.
• Cabbage soup.
• Homemade slaw.

Bones

Bones are like gold on my homestead. However, there aren’t too many common uses for them besides using them for bone broth.

Bone broth is made by simmering bones and connective tissues in water for several hours. Homemade bone broth can be made from chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, beef, rabbit, venison and even fish bones.

Bone broth contains several essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Including amino acids, gelatin, and omega-3 and omega-6, to name a few. These nutrients have been known to support bone and joint health, promotes a healthy digestive system, fight inflammation, and may even improve sleep and brain function.

How to make bone broth:

I like to store my bones in the freezer and wait until I’ve got enough to make a couple gallons at a time.

First, add bones to a large stock pot. Secondly, add enough water to generously cover the bones. After that add about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The acidity in the vinegar will help break down the collagen in the bones, making it more abundant in the broth. Additionally, you can add vegetables such as carrots, onions, and celery for added flavor and nutrients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow it to simmer for 10-12 hours.

Eggs

Once your flock of chickens start to lay it’s easy to have an overabundance of fresh eggs. Or maybe you have some extra store bought eggs and you don’t want to have scrambles eggs for the 5th time this week. The good thing is eggs store pretty well and there are several different ways of preserving them. Along with preserving, there are also many ways to incorporate them into your cooking.

Recipes:

• Cheesy bakes eggs.
• Country style scrambles eggs.
• Quiche
• Deviled eggs.
• Eggs benedict
• Use them in French toast.
• Hard boiled eggs.
• Egg salad.
• Make some cookies or brownies!
• Ham and cheddar breakfast casserole.

Other Ideas:

• Make edible paint! Mix 1 egg yolk with ½ teaspoon of water. Then, add a few drops of food coloring. Paint the mixture onto your pastries before baking.
• Make a DIY hair mask. Mix up an egg with olive oil and apply to hair. Leave in for an hour or longer. Wash out with COOL water, if the water is too hot you will end up with literal scrambled eggs in your hair. Ask me how I know this…
• In addition, eggs can also be used as a face mask. Mix up an egg with honey, cinnamon, yogurt, or anything else you can think of. Apply to face for up to 15 minutes, then wash and pat dry.
• Help your dog get a shiny coat. Add a raw or cooked scrambled egg to your dogs food once a week.

Egg Shells

The shells are very useful in and of themselves. From cleaning purposes to calcium supplements for dogs and chickens, and even for making coffee less bitter.

• Allow shells to dry on the counter (or speed up the process by baking in the oven for a few minutes. Then, by using either a rolling pin or food processor grind the shells into a fine powder. This can be used to scrub pans or other dishes with stuck on food.
• In addition, shells crushed into a fine powder can be used for cleaning bottles and jars you may not be able to reach your hand into. Add a tablespoon or two of the ground shells, some soap and water, and shake, shake, shake!
• Eggshells to deter pests like snails and slugs. Coarsely grind or crush the shells and sprinkle around the garden. Additionally, this will bring added calcium to your soil.
• Allow shells to dry, or bake in the oven at a low temperature. Crush the shells with a rolling pin or food processor and add to your dogs food for added calcium. You can do the same for your chickens as well!

Pickle Juice

If you are anything like me then you know there is nothing worse than eating that last pickle and then dumping all the juice down the drain, while the song My Heart Will Go On plays in the back of your head. Rest assured, I’m here to tell you everything you know is about to change and you will never have to waste another drop of that precious pickle juice again.

• Re-use it! Left-over pickle juice can be used as a brine for hard-boiled eggs, garlic, onions, or any other soft veggies.
• Add to mashed potatoes for a new and fun flavor. For a lighter flavor, add to the boiling water while the potatoes are cooking.
• Pickle juice as a meat tenderizer. Mix with your favorite spices and use as a marinade for steak or pork chops.
• Make your copper cookware sparkle by washing them with some pickle juice.
• Add a splash to your deviled eggs for extra flavor.
• Additionally, mix into your egg salad, chicken salad or pasta salad.
• Use in place of vinegar in your recipes, for dressings, and sauces.
• Drink it! Sipping on pickle juice is a great way to cure a hangover or help relieve muscle cramps due to the electrolytes and sodium.

Bread

I go through a lot of my homemade bread on my homestead. That being said, I end up with a lot of bread heels. Sometimes when I’m in the mood for a more crusty piece of bread I’ll snack on one, but most of the time they sit in the dark abyss of my bread box alone and afraid.

While I used to just feed them to my chickens or goats as a treat, I started thinking to myself that there has to be a use for these things. After all, I took the time and used my resources to make the whole loaf of bread so I wanted to use the whole loaf of bread.

To my surprise these bread heels that I once thought were only good for keeping the rest of my bread moist are actually very useful!

• Make homemade croutons. Cut into 1″ pieces and drizzle with butter/olive oil and your favorite herbs. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until lightly brown.
• Make breadcrumbs. Leave them out until they start to harden then run them through a food processor. Store the bread crumbs in a sealed container.
• Save up your bread heels in the freezer until you have enough to make bread pudding.
• Make homemade stuffing. I did this for this past Thanksgiving and it was amazing. I followed Lisa’s recipe from Farmhouse on Boone but I used white bread instead of sourdough.
• Use them for garlic bread. Once the heels are covered with garlic, butter, herbs and baked to perfection nobody seems to mind that they were once the unloved bread butts.

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Do you have any creative ways for reducing food waste? Share below in the comments or send me an email. I might even add it to the lists!