Trending: Cooking With Seemingly Inedible Food Scraps
Edited by Michelle Ho
Global food waste is a negative influence on the environment because it’s a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and wasted natural resources. Each year, more than 30% of food is lost or wasted, creating social justice problems as well as being inefficient. Reducing food waste could assist to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, establish food security, and promote healthy food systems.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2013 that 1.3 gigatons of consumable food were wasted annually, resulting in the release of 3.3 gigatons of CO2 equivalent. Although food waste is a biodegradable chemical that could seem harmless. Without proper care, when it rots, it emits methane into the sky.
With that being said, there are lots of chefs/ influencers including people such as April Bloomfield, Roy Choi, and Carleigh Bodrug. All of which promotes/ consolidates the idea of locally sourced and sustainable foods, as well as strategically making use of all parts of any ingredient to tackle the issue of food waste.
Recently, there has been a trend circulating online, across various social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube of a food content creator’s (Carleigh Bodrug) series of “scrappy cooking” featuring different ways to make use of common food scraps. Such as turning banana peels into vegan bacon, pulled pork, and even incorporating them into muffins; date seeds into a caffeine-free beverage reminiscent of coffee; and more.
Here is a list of ways for you to start making use of food scraps to take part in reducing your carbon footprint!
When chopping lettuce or celery, reserve the bottom part (around 2 inches) and use it to regrow into new lettuce or celery by putting a stick through it and pacing it over a glass of water so just the bottom touches it.
Don't throw out fruit peels after you’re done eating them. Instead, you can try baking/ dehydrating them for anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes then blending it into a fine powder to be used for fruit teas, or even as an exfoliator or moisturizer for your skin (this can be done with lemons, limes, oranges, pomegranate, grapefruit, etc).
Repurpose food scraps such as cucumber peels, egg shells and banana peels to serve as a nutrient-dense plant fertilizer.
Reserve, then boil vegetable scraps (such as kale and broccoli stalks; carrot and potato peel/skin) to be used to add to a homemade stock or broth.
Coffee grounds are a great organic fertilizer for plants because they contribute organic matter to the soil, which promotes growth. They enhance your garden's drainage and water retention while also luring earthworms.
Make DIY air fresheners with citrus peels, because they are great at absorbing scents.
It is worth noting the importance of correct food storage, and learning to preserve foods (for example, by pickling, drying, curing, etc) to prolong the shelf life of different foods, thus reducing food waste.
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