Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 5, 2016 10:43:54 GMT -5
I didn't want to hijack the Organic thread...
But, I'm curious... do you pay attention to the amount of 'food' you throw away? Does it bother you when you wind up tossing out something you meant to use but didn't? How often does that happen?
If you are tossing out food -- what kind of 'uneaten' or 'it went bad' foods do you throw away on a daily, weekly basis?
If you AREN"T throwing away a lot of 'food' what are some tips or strategies you use for 'using up' stuff before it goes bad? ADDED: found some numbers:
www.today.com/money/americans-throw-away-least-640-food-each-year-t29026
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 10:49:27 GMT -5
We throw away very little.
We're careful about the quantity of perishables we buy; it helps that the gym I use daily is next to a grocery store so I can buy more if we run out. Leftovers go into stir-fries, soups or stews; we freeze them if we don't foresee needing them before they go bad. Same with pieces of leftover meat.
Dinner leftovers make good lunches.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 10:49:57 GMT -5
I am generally good about this exept for celery and avacados. Celery i always intend to use more than i actually use, and avacado has such a short 'i'm awesome to eat RIGHT NOW' period that i am known to miss it
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on May 5, 2016 10:54:12 GMT -5
Celery for sure, lettuce and carrots sometimes. Totally depends on my schedule. This week is rough. I try now to only stock up when I plan to cook dinners.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 5, 2016 10:56:31 GMT -5
Depends on the week. Some are better than others.
Milk is tricky. DS is our milk drinker. I use some in tea on the weekends. We usually go through 1/2 a gallon every 7-10 days but we screwed up and ended up dumping an unopened half gallon last week.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on May 5, 2016 11:01:18 GMT -5
Oh I forgot about milk. I don't even worry about that one lately. I usually some because we use more than a half gallon and a gallon is like 20 cents more at Wegman's.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on May 5, 2016 11:01:42 GMT -5
Almost zero. Occasional scraps from kid plates but they are good eaters so it doesn't happen often.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 5, 2016 11:04:35 GMT -5
It's more of a space issue on the fridge door, plus dh is dairy free and I need room for his milk plus the oj, my wine and the broth container.
God, you've reminded me that I'm going to have to make room for lemonade soon too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 11:05:03 GMT -5
Lettuce. Drives me nuts how much of that gets thrown. I avoid fresh fruits and veggies outside of things I know we'll eat because I hate throwing food. A lot of what we eat comes out of the freezer.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on May 5, 2016 11:05:45 GMT -5
Wine is always important. I cleared all the door shelves off a couple weeks ago. Lots of room now.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 5, 2016 11:07:03 GMT -5
Dh is really good about eating up veggies. Except for the stuff he's juicing. That goes in streaks.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 5, 2016 11:24:43 GMT -5
It bothers me a lot, so I really try to minimize it. For instance, I had some mushrooms that were starting to go earlier this week so they got thrown into the spaghetti sauce I made. Most times, I wind up tossing things that go bad faster than I expect.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 5, 2016 11:31:29 GMT -5
Not much these days. But, I also have a 12 year old boy at home that has entered the "I'm never full" stage.
The peanut also has caught up to her siblings in terms of size. Which also means she is now eating more.
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Happy prose
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Post by Happy prose on May 5, 2016 11:50:04 GMT -5
Very, very little. Sometimes dinner is what's ever left. Recently I had to throw away a bottle of salad dressing I had in the pantry. It made me sick.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on May 5, 2016 12:27:05 GMT -5
I throw away more than I should. What I am really guilty of is freezing it so it won't go bad & then never using it anyway so it just sits in the freezer taking up space.
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gregintenn
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Post by gregintenn on May 5, 2016 12:29:45 GMT -5
Way down my list of important stuff.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on May 5, 2016 13:52:24 GMT -5
I don't throw any food away. From old grapes to bread crusts....some critter will make a meal out of it.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 5, 2016 14:45:16 GMT -5
But, I'm curious... do you pay attention to the amount of 'food' you throw away? Yes Does it bother you when you wind up tossing out something you meant to use but didn't? Yes, a LOT. Call me a bleeding heart liberal, but it REALLY bothers me how much food we toss away when many of our fellow citizens - especially children - go hungry on a daily or weekly basis. How often does that happen? Very seldom, but it DOES occasionally happen. Unless your definition of "throwing away" includes sending spoiled food to compost. Then the answer is never, because real food will eventually compost so it is *technically* not wasted .
If you are tossing out food -- what kind of 'uneaten' or 'it went bad' foods do you throw away on a daily, weekly basis?
If you AREN"T throwing away a lot of 'food' what are some tips or strategies you use for 'using up' stuff before it goes bad? Pay attention. Sorry, but that's really the only trick. Conscientiously go through your frig every few days. Conscientiously go through your pantry every few weeks. Make meal plans to use it up, or put it in the freezer or send it to the compost bin. If you're putting it in the freezer, make sure it is in portion sizes (to help reduce waste). Be honest about whether or not you're going to cook or just go out to eat, and act accordingly. If you're going to eat out, don't spend $$ at the grocery store buying ingredients that will get shoved to the back of the frig and eventually spoil. If you're not going to eat leftovers, don't bring them home from the restaurant and/or don't put them in the freezer. Don't cook large amounts of things that don't freeze well or things that are not appetizing as leftovers (unless you are cooking for a large crowd and won't have leftovers).
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on May 5, 2016 14:49:07 GMT -5
I'm still adjusting to cooking without a man in the house to eat. My ex was a gym rat so he ate a LOT of food. He probably ate more than the kids and I put together. I lived with him for over 20 years and I seem to only know how to cook in large quantities.
I also feel like I should skip the middle man and just toss fresh produce right into the trash...I normally end up tossing about 1/4 of the milk each week. But if I buy a smaller milk we seem to run out (my oldest loves milk).
And I hate that I waste so much food.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 5, 2016 14:52:18 GMT -5
I'm still adjusting to cooking without a man in the house to eat. My ex was a gym rat so he ate a LOT of food. He probably ate more than the kids and I put together. I lived with him for over 20 years and I seem to only know how to cook in large quantities.
I also feel like I should skip the middle man and just toss fresh produce right into the trash...I normally end up tossing about 1/4 of the milk each week. But if I buy a smaller milk we seem to run out (my oldest loves milk).
And I hate that I waste so much food. Milk freezes. Freeze it in kid-sized portions. When you need it, just pull it out, toss it in a blender and you're good-to-go.
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on May 5, 2016 14:53:19 GMT -5
But, I'm curious... do you pay attention to the amount of 'food' you throw away? Yes Does it bother you when you wind up tossing out something you meant to use but didn't? Yes, a LOT. Call me a bleeding heart liberal, but it REALLY bothers me how much food we toss away when many of our fellow citizens - especially children - go hungry on a daily or weekly basis. How often does that happen? Very seldom, but it DOES occasionally happen. Unless your definition of "throwing away" includes sending spoiled food to compost. Then the answer is never, because real food will eventually compost so it is *technically* not wasted .
If you are tossing out food -- what kind of 'uneaten' or 'it went bad' foods do you throw away on a daily, weekly basis?
If you AREN"T throwing away a lot of 'food' what are some tips or strategies you use for 'using up' stuff before it goes bad? Pay attention. Sorry, but that's really the only trick. Conscientiously go through your frig every few days. Conscientiously go through your pantry every few weeks. Make meal plans to use it up, or put it in the freezer or send it to the compost bin. If you're putting it in the freezer, make sure it is in portion sizes (to help reduce waste). Be honest about whether or not you're going to cook or just go out to eat, and act accordingly. If you're going to eat out, don't spend $$ at the grocery store buying ingredients that will get shoved to the back of the frig and eventually spoil. If you're not going to eat leftovers, don't bring them home from the restaurant and/or don't put them in the freezer. Don't cook large amounts of things that don't freeze well or things that are not appetizing as leftovers (unless you are cooking for a large crowd and won't have leftovers).
I'm pretty sure no one would ever call me a bleeding heart liberal, but I am very bothered by how much food I throw out each week.
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Miss Tequila
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Post by Miss Tequila on May 5, 2016 14:54:22 GMT -5
I'm still adjusting to cooking without a man in the house to eat. My ex was a gym rat so he ate a LOT of food. He probably ate more than the kids and I put together. I lived with him for over 20 years and I seem to only know how to cook in large quantities.
I also feel like I should skip the middle man and just toss fresh produce right into the trash...I normally end up tossing about 1/4 of the milk each week. But if I buy a smaller milk we seem to run out (my oldest loves milk).
And I hate that I waste so much food. Milk freezes. Freeze it in kid-sized portions. When you need it, just pull it out, toss it in a blender and you're good-to-go. does it look "weird"? I have teens and they are pains-in-the-asses if food doesn't look right even if it tastes fine. But that's a great idea and one I wouldn't have considered (or thought of).
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on May 5, 2016 14:56:00 GMT -5
Or you can use the frozen milk for cooking, if the kids won't drink it.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 5, 2016 14:56:58 GMT -5
Milk freezes. Freeze it in kid-sized portions. When you need it, just pull it out, toss it in a blender and you're good-to-go. does it look "weird"? I have teens and they are pains-in-the-asses if food doesn't look right even if it tastes fine. But that's a great idea and one I wouldn't have considered (or thought of). It doesn't look weird if you let it sit for a few minutes after you blend it. The bubbles (from all the air you incorporated from blending) will burst slowly and the foam will die down. Then it will look "normal."
You can also just freeze and use small amounts of "leftover" milk for cooking: smoothies, scrambled eggs, recipes, etc.
ETA: I see Wisconsin Beth beat me to it
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on May 5, 2016 15:00:10 GMT -5
Like everything else in this life, preventing waste takes effort. All of us have to decide for ourselves how much effort we're willing to put into it, and act accordingly.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on May 5, 2016 15:26:50 GMT -5
Milk never gets wasted, I drink a lot of milk, go through at least a gallon a week. Hubby only has it on cereal.
I throw out more then I should, but what the dog doesn't eat some stray cat or varmit will eat so it doesn't get wasted.
Lettuce is one and sometimes carrots. I sometimes forget a package of meat, that bothers me, but I try to eat or use it in something.
We do throw out some leftovers though. Sometimes I come across a package of meat with freezer burn. I cook it up with some herbs and salt (critters love salt) and put it outside. It never goes to waste. I have raccoons and cats and skunks that I feed. Sometimes, there's some growling between the cats and raccoons, but NOBODY messes with the skunks. Everyone backs off and lets them eat.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on May 5, 2016 15:28:56 GMT -5
I send my leftovers to the starving children in Africa.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on May 5, 2016 15:30:48 GMT -5
I don't drink milk but sometimes need it for cooking so I buy the shelf stable milk in individual sized one cup boxes.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on May 5, 2016 15:35:30 GMT -5
I love milk so it never gets wasted. I know it isn't very YM but I stopped buying lettuce and just buy a salad somewhere if I want one. Lettuce was going bad faster than I could eat it and I hate throwing away food.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 5, 2016 16:12:36 GMT -5
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