Stop Food Waste Month
Happy April! This month we are all about reducing food waste to help celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd and Stop Food Waste Day on April 24th. Decreasing food waste has a ton of benefits ranging from financial, to environmental, and nutritional benefits. Our Wellness Wednesday theme will focus on Root to Stem cooking. These recipes allow for creative and innovative recipes and challenge chefs to utilize produce more efficiently – therefore, reducing food costs, creating less waste, and reaping all of the nutritional benefits of that piece of produce.
Seasonality is also something to consider to stop food waste. Choosing foods that are in season will help ensure freshness, increased availability, and may lower food cost.
Did you know you can consume almost 100% of all of these fruits and vegetables? (Be sure to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly when the skin is left on – ex: carrots, beets, cucumbers, etc.)
- Broccoli and Cauliflower: 98%
- Tomatoes: 99%
- Honey Dew and Cantaloupe: 80%
- Onions: 95%
- Celery: 100%
- Cucumbers: 100%
- Mushrooms: 98%
- Beets: 100%
- Collard Greens: 100%
- Mustard Greens: 100%
Here are some tips to use produce to the fullest and take advantage of root to stem cooking:
- Stocks and broth: use stems, peels, stalks, and cobs to boil up your own stock or broth
- Pesto’s, sauces, and spreads: use fresh herbs, veggie tops, or stems to grind up a tasty pesto, sauce, or spread
- Slaws and salads: grate up and combine leftover veggies to create a delicious and fresh slaw or salad — top with your homemade pesto or sauce!
How will you become a Waste Warrior?