Another hour later and I'd cleaned everything out, sent a load out to our city green bin, and sent hubs out to the backyard composter with two pails of rotting produce, then scrubbed out the crisper drawers.
In addition to my New Years resolution to eat clean and diet, I'd also tweeted after reading an article on slate about the amount of food Americans waste - that I was resolving to waste less food.
Here I am three months later trucking 3 loads out to various compost bins. What was in there, you ask?
- Two packages of silken tofu I'd bought to make some low fat chocolate mousse and then never did
- Two tubs of store bought hummus - both expired and one not even open!
- 4 slices of moldy caraway rye bread
- 2 individual yogurts
- a bagel
- rapini I had every intension to cook
- half a lemon - well at least I think it was a lemon
- a zucchini
- a bunch of parsley
- a cauliflower I bought that I was going to make aloo gobi out of and never did
- fresh ginger root I bought make a stir fry with and forgot about
- 2 chunks of cheese one of which was an expensive goat cheddar from Monforte Dairy
- 4 moldy tortillas
- about half a pound of spicy salami
I am hardly alone in this amount of waste. According to Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food, 40% of the food produced in America ends up in a landfill.
I am sitting here feeling sick about it, and have vowed yet again not to waste anything this week.
The Kitchn posted some helpful tips which I'll share here - they also asked readers share their tips there are some great ideas in the comments too:
- A magnetic whiteboard on the fridge When we buy produce, we write it down. As it gets used up, we erase it from the board. We're also writing down the leftovers in the fridge. A bonus is that this means when we're jonesing for a snack, we remember those healthy beans tucked at the back of the fridge, rather than just reaching for the chips.
- Making a list We're big impulse buyers, grabbing whatever looks good in the market. But this means that sometimes we buy those gorgeous spring onions without really knowing how we'll use them. Now we're trying our best to plan our meals and make shopping lists. But don't think this means we're buying asparagus that looks too unripe, just because our list dictates. Instead, we'll write "2 nights x green vegetables," which allows us some spontaneity at the store, without causing us to buy too much.
- Keeping a food waste diary. We got this idea from the UK campaign Love Food, Hate Waste which offers a free downloadable food waste diary. Every time you throw away food, whether it's a banana peel or 3/4 of a lasagna, you write down what it was and why you tossed it. The diary helps you be mindful - do I really need to toss this, or can I take it for lunch tomorrow? But also, after a while you can see what you're wasting the most and try to curb your shopping habits.
Now, I've been scared straight! We installed a chalkboard in the kitchen some time ago so I'm using that instead of a whiteboard, and I am starting keeping track of my fresh food starting today.
Do you waste food? Buy more than you need with great intentions and then throw it away a week later? What are some of your tips for keeping food waste under control? I'd love it if you'd share your tips in the comments.
