How to Stop Wasting Produce

When you plan meals around vegetables and produce it can be difficult to keep enough produce on hand without letting any go bad. There a few tricks I have learned to use in order to stop wasting produce in my plant focused kitchen.

One struggle of having a plant focused kitchen is that fresh vegetables and produce have a very limited shelf life. This requires a cook to stay on top of all the fresh ingredients on hand to make sure they get used before they go bad.

How to Stop Wasting Produce at Home

• Store vegetables properly
• Plan meals from your fridge first
• Blend excess vegetables into sauces
• Freeze extras
• Use vegetable scraps to make flavorful broth

Proper Storage

The first tip I have for preventing produce waste is to store vegetables properly. This is something that I am still learning to do, but I have learned a few tricks. Make sure vegetables are dry and have air flow to prevent molding. This may mean taking them out of plastic bags or adding a paper towel to suck up moisture.

Some vegetables are best stored in the fridge while others are okay when kept at room temperature. One way to know where to keep your produce is by thinking where you found it in the store. Apples, bananas, and onions are kept in open displays while broccoli and carrots are kept refrigerated.

Some fruits and vegetables will ripen faster on the counter, and slow down in the refrigerator. Some examples are peaches and avocados. By knowing this you can try to plan ahead for when you will be eating specific produce.

I know some people do large produce washing and preparation days in order to keep veggies fresh throughout the week. I find this difficult with little kids. It is easier to prep my vegetables throughout the week. If it works with your schedule, washing and prepping vegetables might be a good option for you. When washing vegetables always make sure to dry them completely before storing to prevent mold.

Use What is in your Fridge First

I find that most of the vegetables I buy stay fresh in refrigerator for just over a week. This works well with my weekly shopping schedule. Before going shopping each new week I make sure I have plans for all the vegetables I purchased the last week that still need to be used up. If we have lettuce, salads are in our future. If I have mushrooms, I can make them into “meatballs“.

Blend Up or Freeze Extras

In order to stop wasting produce, when I have extra vegetables that will not fit into a recipe or maybe I am just not in the mood for, I can cut up and preserve these vegetables and use them later. Some of my favorite ways to do this are by freezing vegetables like spinach, green beans and broccoli. I also often make home made applesauce that I can use in recipes or freeze.

I have also made sauces to freeze with extra vegetables. One of my favorites is to use extra tomatoes and peppers to make spaghetti sauce or curry. But you don’t need to freeze these sauces. Making and serving them fresh can also be a great use of extra vegetables. Other great sauces to use up extra vegetables are my sweet potato macaroni, and this zucchini alfredo recipe I found several years ago.

Recipes to Avoid Vegetable Waste

My favorite recipes are those that can be modified to use what you have on hand. These types of recipes allow me to throw together a dinner using whichever vegetables I have that might have otherwise gone to waste.

Other good recipes to use up vegetables include soups, salads, and stir fries. Any of these meals can easily be modified to include the ingredients you have on hand. Some of my other favorites are oatmeal, nachos, and pizza, because they can be topped with a variety of fruits and vegetables and be made into a delicious dinner.

What To Do With Vegetable Scraps

One of the best things you can do with vegetable scraps is to compost them. But if you, like me, live in a place where composting isn’t an option there might be other ways the scraps can be used. My favorite way to use peels from onions and carrots (some of the most used veggies in my home) is to boil them with bones to make a delicious and nutritious bone broth.

Other scraps I often have with toddlers are half eaten fruits. When my boys eat a couple bites of an apple and say they are done I will cut out the bit part and use the rest in a recipe such as my apple banana muffins, or even chopped up to top oatmeal for breakfast.

Having a more plant focused kitchen can come with challenges, but using these tips can prevent rotten produce from being one of them. Using them can help you to stop wasting produce in your kitchen.