Food Waste

[pennywise]

I have been noticing that I end up throwing food out, perfectly good food that is too old and gone bad. This essentially is money being thrown out. I am looking for knowledge and ways to prevent this. A study was conducted stating 14% of food purchases are wasted with a toss out of $590/year in meats, fruits, veggies, and grains. I need that $590/year. They suggest careful purchasing with planning by devising menus and making lists, review the inventory before buying. My problem is on fresh food wasting. Tips, conversation, knowledge would be appreciated.

[34saving]

Most fresh food can be frozen if push comes to shove. I've frozen milk, cheese, most fruits and veggies (seems better if you cut them up . . .I haven't tried lettuce. I don't think that would work very well). If you want to you can even put a whole banana in the freezer -- just don't plan on using it for anything but bread!

[pennywise]

thanks. I didn't think of that. I went into the fridge and froze a broccoli and cauliflour that was at risk. Simple things sometimes just get overlooked. Great advice.

[robex]

We have friends who throw all the leftovers into an ice cream bucket in the freezer and use it once a week to make soup. I, personally, am picky about which foods go with other foods, so this would not go over well with my tastes.
I use up my leftovers once a week in a fried rice...this is especially good for wilting vegies, and little bits of meat.
I pack up leftovers in my dh's lunch, so we don't end up with too much being thrown out!

[Tree0164]

I incorporate leftovers in our meal planning. I hate when DH decides to cook he makes way too much of food. Usually that is when we have waste.

[PrincessPerky]

I tend to be pretty picky too, and I am at the hands of cravings right now .

But I manage to not lose much food cause I buy it almost all frozen, or really keepable. Like bread, pasta stuff that isn't likely to go bad. Also I decide what to cook first based on what is in there, er make that I decide what to feed the kids based on what is in there, I myself feed BBY3 whatever he asks for .

I keep the bread products (eng muffins, tortilla shells, ect) in the fridge so it lasts longer (hot humid house, even as fast as the kids eat it it still gets moldy)

[TBH]

I agree about freezing food--milk is a big one in our house, and cheese. We shop at a lot of different stores depending on where we can get things cheapest. For example, a good way to satisfy sweet cravings for me and also get our toddler to consume some protein and calcium is kefir (which is like liquid yogurt). We can only get it at the whole foods, and we only go there once a month or less. So I buy three or four bottles when it's on sale and freeze all except one. Same goes for cheese, which we can get super cheap at a co-op across town, but we only make it there periodically. So I buy several blocks of cheese and freeze some.

Some things shouldn't be frozen--lettuce, for example. Other things, the consistency changes, like tofu. And if you do freeze overripe bananas for banana bread, don't forget to peel them first!

[TBH]

Another idea--composting. This doesn't address the money wasted when food goes bad, but it does make me feel better to compost that nasty head of broccoli that got lost in the back of the fridge, rather than just throw it away. You can get pricey indoor composters for under your kitchen sink, but I do it in my miniscule back yard in a bin the city provided for free. This is my first year doing it. Hopefully next summer my container garden of tomatoes and herbs will be supercharged with all that compost.

[akaivyleaf]

I've learned to eat leftovers. It really was a conscious decision I've taught myself and it has been a very frugal, probably my best area of saving money. I also rotate my stock for two reasons. One I'm using up stuff before it gets wasted and secondly, it gives me variety in my diet.

Also when it comes to food, and to vary my diet, I tend to buy what is on sale, and I freeze a portion for later. But here is a question for someone more knowledgeable than I... Does food last longer frozen uncooked, or cooked? Would I be better off freezing a pan of lazagna rather than the hamberger?

[Fern]

I buy several quarters of blueberries when they're on sale, for arond .99 a pint or less if possible. (You could this with any kind of berry.)

Wash off the blueberries and let dry. Then spread them on a cookie tray and put in freezer for about a 1/2 hr. Then take them out and put the berries in plastic containers for long-term freezing. It's important to freeze the blueberries first on a flat tray; if you put them right into the plastic containers, they'll stick together into 1 big blob and it'll be hard to separate them.

I just sprinkle a handful on my cereal each morning. They dethaw pretty quickly.

[Fern]

Oh, I meant to say quarts, not quarters! Stilli thinking of that post on using loose change to pay for stuff!

Others may not like to do this, but i have often used certain vegetables, such as potatos or carrots, that have started to go a bit soft, in a soup. Since they're soft after cooking in a soup anyway, you don't notice any difference.

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by akaivyleaf

But here is a question for someone more knowledgeable than I... Does food last longer frozen uncooked, or cooked? Would I be better off freezing a pan of lazagna rather than the hamberger?

I have no idea on that specifically, but I would freeze just the meat, cause meat hardly changes when frozen, noodles on the other hand start to break down in the freezing/thawing process. The pans you buy prefrozen have some extra additives that I don't want here, so I always cook noodles fresh. (same for rice, and other stuff, bread is ok it just gets stale faster, so eat the day you thaw)

[moester]

Originally Posted by akaivyleaf

But here is a question for someone more knowledgeable than I... Does food last longer frozen uncooked, or cooked? Would I be better off freezing a pan of lazagna rather than the hamberger?

I don't think cooking affects how long you can freeze something. You may want to prep (blanch or parboil) some fruits and veges because of enzyme action that you want to stop before you freeze things . A great, exhaustive, and fairly cheap book on the subject is "Putting Food By." At the library? or here is a link for more info: http://www.simpleliving.net/ecolivin...e.asp?sku=EPFB

In terms of being better off with lasagne vs hamb, well, a cooked lasagne in the freezer is never a bad thing!! I often make double batches of casseroles and freeze most of it in single servings. Pull something out in the morning and you have good, homemade food for dinner. Or bring frozen to the office and nuke it there.

Most things stay just fine for up to a year if frozen in freezer bags (can wash to reuse unless for meat) or freezer containers. A little dab of butter on something that isn't as fresh tasting as you'd like will go a long way!

[Bluezy]

Food waste makes my blood boil! Especailly when it cannot be helped. People will take your life over food scraps in South Africa, and with food hard to get at times because of high cost you eat as much as possible and save the rest.

Foods can be preserved in substances like Crisco or lard (don't laugh folks, you use it when you have no other alternative). Air cannot possibly pass through the animal fat. However, since most people are not in remote locations and have deep freezers, this method is not used often.

[flash]

Question, really. I'm pretty good keeping up with leftover things, especially fresh produce, like making quiches and stir fries and stuff.

But does anyone know what to do with leftover lettuce, or how to extend it's shelf life? Baby greens, ice berg, etc. Spinach, sure, make a quiche or spinach divan, cabbage, fry with sugar and raisins, but lettuce. Catches me short every time!

Anyone else deal with this?

Thanks.

MJ

[TBH]

I find lettuce lasts longer if I wrap a damp paper towell around it and put it back in the bag and then put it in the fridge. Then I change the paper towell or moisten it again every time I use a few leaves off of the head. Also, some lettuce lasts longer. Romaine lasts longer than green leaf or red leaf, I find.

[TBH]

Question--I have a quart of yellow lentil dahl that's been in my freezer for almost two years. Do you think it's still good? How do I tell? I guess I could just thaw it and taste it.

[flash]

Sorry, but anything with much moisture has a max shelf life at 4C (normal freezer) of 12 months.

[Most health advisories give you 3-6 months max, but there are many factors. If it's in a large chest freezer, things have a longer life because it tend to stay colder. The way they are stored, how tightly the freezer is packed...]

[flash]

Originally Posted by claire

I find lettuce lasts longer if I wrap a damp paper towell around it and put it back in the bag and then put it in the fridge. Then I change the paper towell or moisten it again every time I use a few leaves off of the had. Also, some lettuce lasts longer. Romaine lasts longer than green leaf or red leaf, I find.

Thanks, hadn't thought of that, but you're right, that's how crispers work...

[TBH]

Originally Posted by MJC

Sorry, but anything with much moisture has a max shelf life at 4C (normal freezer) of 12 months.

Thanks. I was afraid of that. Oh, well. My compost will be happy.