By Susan Wineland
Orange Recycling Committee
The USDA Economic Research Service estimates that 30 to 40 percent of all food in the US gets thrown away. Wasted food isn’t just a social or humanitarian concern – it’s an environmental one as well. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane, a primary contributor to the formation of ground-level ozone, a hazardous air pollutant.
So how to avoid so much food waste? Check your pantry, refrigerator and freezer before shopping and buy only what you need. Cut up only as much of large items like melons and cabbage as you will use soon. Chopping increases the surface area that gets exposed to the air and lessens shelf life.
Note that “use by” and “best by” dates don’t mean you have to throw items away. They simply show when the product will be at its peak of freshness. Many food items have a much longer shelf or refrigerator life. Hard cheese with a bit of mold is fine to eat as long as you cut away about an inch around the spot. The same goes for firmer veggies like cabbage or bell peppers with small mold spots. Roasting wrinkled veggies like bell peppers and tomatoes is fine. Perk up wilted greens like lettuce by soaking them in ice water.
Repurpose foods whenever possible. Keep a bag of veggie leaves, stalks and stems of beets, carrots or celery in the freezer for broth and soup making. Shrimp shells and broth of cooked shellfish make delicious seafood stock. All these foods that might get tossed out can be easily and effectively repurposed.
Because berries can spoil quickly, store them in a covered dish with a layer of paper towel on the bottom. Don’t wash berries before storing them in the fridge because the added moisture can encourage mold.
For those who want to have foods at the ready for weekday lunches and dinners, Melissa Clark, a columnist at New York Times Cooking and cookbook author, recommends spending time on weekends prepping food for healthy and easier weeknight meals. First wash all the salad and other greens (spinach, kale, chard), spin dry, roll them into clean dish towels and store them (with the towel) in plastic or mesh produce bags in the fridge. They’ll last at least a week, so you can turn them into salads with dressings. Wash and cut any fruits and vegetables for the coming week. Washing them not only helps remove dirt, bacteria and stubborn garden pests, but it also helps remove residual pesticides.
For quick cooking during the week, Clark recommends washing, cutting and storing any sturdy vegetables (asparagus, carrots, squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, radishes, turnips). Even alliums like scallions, leeks and onions will last in the fridge, sliced or diced, for three or four days. Just avoid pre-chopping avocados, potatoes, eggplant or tomatoes as they don’t hold up as well. These prepped vegetables will be ready for simple dishes. Stock up on cooked rice, home cooked or canned beans, sauces, marinades, and salad dressings.
To clean fruits and vegetables, put two or more cups of cold water in a large bowl. Add a teaspoon of baking soda for every two cups of cold water. Place fragile berries like raspberries and blackberries in a mesh strainer and then lower them into the bowl. Any other produce goes directly into the bowl. Swish the produce around in the water or push it down to make sure all sides are cleaned. Leave berries and veggies in the bowl for 20 minutes. Then empty the water and rinse. For firmer produce, you can scrub the surface with a soft-bristled brush.
If you still find that you have leftovers, consider a home compost pile or bin where all the veggies, fruits and berries can go. Or take any food scraps, including seafood, dairy products, shells and more to the Orange Transfer Station. Green compost bins are located at the top of the hill between the Goodwill trailer and the Bay State clothing and textiles collection bin.
No matter how you do it, compost. It’s the best for all those food waste products that can be so beneficial to soil. It keeps waste out of landfills as well as reducing the tonnage of municipal solid waste, which taxpayers foot the bill for. Recycle and compost and you’ll absolutely notice how much lighter your weekly trash will be.
Susan Wineland is a member of the Orange Recycling Committee.