Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Chatting on the Plot => Topic started by: chrissie B on December 10, 2017, 12:44
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Watching the telly we are faced with programmes telling us how much food we are wasting , in my house there is very little waste and to prove it jan 1st im keeping a diary just tosee what our waste is in 1 year to satisfy myself im not adding to this mountain myself.
i also think there is alot of waste in the packaging of items specially this time of year companys need to rethink the packaging , every thing is made to look bigger and better only to lead to dissapointment even when we bought our bungalow and were looking around , they use special camera lenses lenses now we saw one with a lovley long drive and when we saw it very dissapointed with the sizes all exagerated
Chrissie b
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My OH is a trained chef and was brought up not to waste anything, so he is very good at making lovely meals out of left-overs but his experience has given him the knowledge of what's the best to keep food so you can use it later on for another meal. To do this, it's important to keep the fridge at the right temperature and know how to store items so they are safe to use later in the week. He makes stock from the bones of either a joint of meat or a chicken carcass that goes into making a casserole or a broth. Every week he plans what dinners we'll have and varies the menu as to what he has in the fridge, freezer, or maybe we'll just have eggs, beans and chips for a change. All the peelings go into a compost bin along with any uncooked items, veg leaves go to the geese and hens, and any remainders go on the fire.
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A friend once told me that she throws away such a lot of food at Christmas.
She lamented on throwing away a whole ham untouched.
I did not like to say that I thought this was barmy behaviour as she had had to work to get the money to buy that food.
Might just as well throw the money in the bin and save the extra work of buying stuff to throw away.
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I don't think I waste much but if you class the odd stale bun or crust that either the hens or dogs get..
or the odd tomato that goes in the compost...
I do think it is terrible a whole ham being thrown. lots of things can be frozen for use again or used for other recipes with a bit of imagination and time.
I suppose that is what a lot of us are short of.
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Ive got a nice book to start on jan 1st, i bake Christmas eve and have stuff in the freezer that can be used at the drop of a hat , i cook something every day but some times beans egg and chips just hits the spot specially at this time of year with all the stuff we get through
chrissie b
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Bacon and tomatoes is my thing just now.
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When OH and I were both working we did tend to muddle through day to day, often having a takeaway because we did not have food or were too tired to cook, so I do have some sympathy (not for a whole ham though).
OH still works occasionally but I have not worked for a year, so extra time and lack of cash have meant strict meal planning is the order of the day.
The only thing we regularly throw out is a green pepper - which we both hate - as its cheaper to buy a pack of 3 than 2 individual ones :lol: Daughter does the same, we can't find anyone that eats them!
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When OH and I were both working we did tend to muddle through day to day, often having a takeaway because we did not have food or were too tired to cook, so I do have some sympathy (not for a whole ham though).
OH still works occasionally but I have not worked for a year, so extra time and lack of cash have meant strict meal planning is the order of the day.
The only thing we regularly throw out is a green pepper - which we both hate - as its cheaper to buy a pack of 3 than 2 individual ones :lol: Daughter does the same, we can't find anyone that eats them!
Green pepper and apple chutney! Never waste a pepper :)
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Perhaps some people have never hit hard times and had to stretch a penny to do the work of 2.
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My OH is a trained chef and was brought up not to waste anything, so he is very good at making lovely meals out of left-overs but his experience has given him the knowledge of what's the best to keep food so you can use it later on for another meal. To do this, it's important to keep the fridge at the right temperature and know how to store items so they are safe to use later in the week. He makes stock from the bones of either a joint of meat or a chicken carcass that goes into making a casserole or a broth. Every week he plans what dinners we'll have and varies the menu as to what he has in the fridge, freezer, or maybe we'll just have eggs, beans and chips for a change. All the peelings go into a compost bin along with any uncooked items, veg leaves go to the geese and hens, and any remainders go on the fire.
We do the same. My wife makes a menu for the week, which mean we eat sensibly, and can plan our food shop. All uncooked veg waste goes to the compost, so only bones, skin etc go in the food recycling.
As to packaging, that's where most of our plastic waste comes from. Why do we buy things like bananas in plastic bags?
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Food is cheap in the UK. When something is cheap and abundant people don't value it, so think nothing of throwing excess away rather than simply not buying so much in the first place.
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When OH and I were both working we did tend to muddle through day to day, often having a takeaway because we did not have food or were too tired to cook, so I do have some sympathy (not for a whole ham though).
OH still works occasionally but I have not worked for a year, so extra time and lack of cash have meant strict meal planning is the order of the day.
The only thing we regularly throw out is a green pepper - which we both hate - as its cheaper to buy a pack of 3 than 2 individual ones :lol: Daughter does the same, we can't find anyone that eats them!
Green pepper and apple chutney! Never waste a pepper :)
I too don’t really like the green pepper & delight when you can get red,yellow & orange as the three, but I do use it, usually in a stew or casserole, or I chop it up & freeze it for later on for those type dishes but I’d be interested in that recipe if you’re prepared to share it please
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its impossible to believe how much food is wasted daily its criminal when we see children in parts of the world dying of starvation how did we get to such a food wasting nation when around 70 years ago we where still struggling with ration books we seem nowadays to be a nation of ready meals and takeaways maybe it the lifestyle we lead these days
there's very little food waste in our house the council food waste bin is hardly ever used only bones and what's the point of growing fresh to put it in the waste bin that's why we freeze all our surplus veg like I suspect most of our friends do on this site and all the veg trimmings go into the compost bins
not forgetting years ago mother never had the money to spend on food like we do today and had to make a meal for there growing family out of cheep cuts of meat to keep there bellies full no food waste in there house always clean plates pies made form preserves collected from the garden
as for the packaging there where no pre packed food in those days much less packaging to throw away and no poly plastics threatening the sea life
I just wonder how many schools have food on there curriculum to teach the new generation how to cook and prepare food and tell students where and how food is grown ask the question where dose you potatoes come from student Tesco of cause
I must say I don't know the answer to wasting food perhaps people need educating on this subject :unsure:
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I try not to waste anything, and if our council bin was only emptied once every two months, it would still be half empty. Bones only go in it after they have been boiled for stock. Leftover mash is frozen to make fish cakes, or potato cakes. Any veg that is unlikely to keep for much longer is made into soups. Not one scrap of meat or chicken is ever wasted because, although I don't eat meat my husband does, so I cook it for him. The only thing I ever insist on is that no meat is ever left on a plate, and every scrap remaining is frozen to use in pies or casseroles. An animal died to provide that meat, and the very least we can do is respect that and never throw any away. Leftover over greens make lovely bubble and squeak, and stale bread is either made into breadcrumbs or used for bread and butter pudding. Often the meals made from 'leftovers' are nicer than the meals they came from.
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I don't think food is cheap.
a big part of my wages goes on grocery's for the family.
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I agree I don’t think good quality food is cheap, I think some shops do sell food cheap but it is usually inferior over processed foods. Here all cooked veg that is left over gets frozen to be used up in soups, bread is frozen not long after being baked & sliced to be taken out daily for fresh bread or toasted. Any that is left over gets baked until very dry then made into breadcrumbs for stuffings or coating chicken etc. All peelings get composted & mostly any leftovers get made into another meal. There are times when there is a bit of waste that goes into my sealed compost bin, it can take bones but at the time when they were reinterring Richard 3rd I was emptying the sealed compost bin & had to sieve out all the bones, I was putting them back in until my late mum pointed out I could be still seeing them in 500 years time lol😂😂, so now I don’t add them, after being stocked they go in the bin
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my daughter complained about too much meat in her pork and apple burger, she isn't a big meat eater, her big bro finished it. (burgers from the local butcher)
Hardly any food waste as I cook small portions. If chicken friendly the the girls love it, the dog eats raw meat only.
Christmas dinner comes as a slightly bigger choice, but leftover meat does for cold salads for several days afterwards.
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After spending my working life if fresh food retail management i know that zero waste in unachievable. But it can be reduced by good management practices.
Shops, market stalls and supermarkets have to contend with customers who are often unpredictable in what the buy and when they want it.
I used to give damaged apples and carrots away to customers with horses, other damaged veg went to either my own compost or other gardeners.
Now retired, i have almost zero kitchen waste as all scraps and peelings go into the compost bin.
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Spot-on! Good management practice whether it be in the home or how the supplier keeps it is one of the best ways to reduce food waste. Another thing is to educate people to avoid buying veg on their last legs because they are cheap as they won't last more than two days; how to cook cheaper but just as good cuts of meat, the best way to store food and left-overs safely as it's surprising how long they can last if kept correctly, that buying funny-shaped veg and fruit only means a little bit more use of the knife or peeler, and to use their creative side with left-overs.