08/07/2026
Effectively using food scraps involves turning kitchen waste into valuable items like vegetable broth, pestos, and garden compost. You can easily reduce kitchen waste by repurposing trimmings instead of throwing them away. [Zero-Waste Chef]
Cooking and Reusing Scraps
~ Vegetable Broth: Save onion skins, carrot peels, and celery ends in a bag in your freezer, then boil them in water with salt and herbs.
~ Green Sauces: Blend tough herb stems, carrot tops, or outer beet leaves into pestos, chimichurris, or green dips.
~ Crispy Snacks: Toss potato or root vegetable peels in oil and salt, then bake them until crispy.
~ Flavor Boosters: Drop old parmesan rinds into simmering soups, stews, or tomato sauces for extra richness. [Zero-Waste Chef]
Composting and Garden Use
~ Home Composting: Mix wet nitrogen scraps (fruit and veggie peels) with dry carbon scraps (leaves, cardboard, or shredded paper) in a bin.
~ Direct Soil Enrichment: Crush eggshells and bury them near plants like tomatoes to add calcium to the dirt.
~ Avoid Pests: Never put meat, dairy, or oily scraps into an outdoor compost pile because they attract pests and rodents. [US EPA]
Last week I rewatched Anthony Bourdain’s documentary Wasted! The Story of Food Waste in Berkeley on the big screen and spoke on a panel after the film. Anyone who eats should see it. (You can read my review of it here.) The chefs in the film came up with such creative dishes from food that […]
