Zero Waste Kitchen Hacks| Food Scraps
By | Alyssa Hossler
When it comes to implementing zero waste in the kitchen, ideas of reusable bags, buying unwrapped produce, or byo container for bulk spice refills come to mind. But what about the actual food waste? All the nubs, odds, ends and greens that go to the compost pile? What if they could be repurposed? Here are some Zero Waste Kitchen Hacks to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle food scraps!
I LOVE using a variety of fresh herbs when I cook, it raises the frequency and freshens the dish. Having several herbs to choose from just a few steps outside the kitchen has enhanced my personal meals 10 fold. There is something special about using homegrown ingredients that adds to the yumminess factor. AND half of my herbs I got for FREE with this super handy trick!
Did you know you can trade trimmings of various herb plants with friends and grow a full new plant from a healthy, leafy stem?
This magic is called ‘Propagation’ and will do wonders for getting that garden underway for free!
How Propagation Works
In the case of propagating a pineapple, as shown above, take the crown of the pineapple, remove the little leaves from the base (so they do not rot) and place the crown in a small dish of water. Plant when roots look healthy and strong! (about 2-3 weeks) In regards to propagating herbs, take a freshly snipped sprig, remove the leaves that will be below the water line, and cut the sprig on a diagonal just below where it starts to branch off.
In regards to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, popagation is a great way to Recycle our scraps, but what about Reducing and Reusing? Here are some other great tips for maintaining a low waste kitchen!
Reusing Waste: Make vegetable stock out of your fresh veggie odds and ends you collect after meal prep. Boil them in water and set broth aside and freeze to use in future soups! If you don’t have enough to make a stock, store the scraps in the freezer so they are fresh for when you are ready!
Reducing Waste: Did you know that the greens that come on beets and carrots are edible? Put them in soups, salads, wraps…. or, pop the beet greens in the oven to make a great ‘kale chip’!
Wishing you the perfect balance of rain, sun, and smiles for this fun kitchen science experiment!
If you try out propagating or have any zero waste kitchen hacks, please share pictures on the More Pleaze Facebook Page! We would love to see your progress and hear your tips!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyssa Hossler is a Yoga Alliance RYT200 Certified Instructor, writer, and the More Pleaze Social Media Fairy & Administrative Assistant since 2018. Her love for plant medicine, plant-based cuisine, traveling, and dedication to the yogic path consistantly inspire her exploration of conscious kitchen practices!
