I did something today that I really hate doing, and I don’t like myself for having to do it. I threw out what was once perfectly good food, because I let it sit in the fridge too long. It was a week old, it had to go, but I missed so many opportunities to save it, and that’s what I don’t like about myself.
So I am starting a Reduce food wastage challenge or “Refuse” for short, and I encourage you to join in. We can all check back in a week, and see if we managed to reduce the amount of food we waste. And take a moment to join in on the poll on my sidebar, it’s anonymous, no one is going to know who you are, so make your answers count.
Everywhere you look it’s all about being thrifty, saving money, doing without, reducing our impact on the environment, and cutting back on the amount of food that we throw away.
According to information on the internet, over 40% of food is thrown out daily, being of a frugal mindset, that is staggering. Forty percent daily, how much do you throw out? Be honest with yourself, be truthful. And please, don’t be sanctimonious about this, I am being as honest as possible, and I expect you to also. Not all of us have dogs, and chickens, or hogs to feed this food to. There is no way every last crumb is being eaten before it’s spoilt, in any household, anyone who is telling you that, isn’t telling the entire truth.
There are hundreds of blogs out there telling you how to use up that last bit of cereal in the box, or those wasted veggie peels that can be made into soup stock. But how many of us actually manage to do this? And how much time do they have to spend trying to accomplish this?
I follow the two days, two hour rule on food. Never keep leftovers for longer then two days without using them up, or freezing them, and never leave food out on the counter for longer then two hours.
Due to my severe allergies, I can’t eat any food that might contain mould spores, and old leftover food might be a culprit.
Sometimes food gets ignored, forgotten, and just plain, “I can’t face eating left overs any more.” That last slice of too salty pizza, those few spoonful's of soup that are left over, it’s not a lot of food, it’s just that it is food, and it’s getting thrown out.
So for those of us that don’t have dogs, or chickens to eat the leftovers, what do you do? How do you feel about having to throw out the food? If you have any ideas or tips on how to use up leftovers leave us a hints?
And if you are a food waster, will you take up the challenge, and try to limit your food wastage for a week? I am curious and wondering just how I will do. Let’s talk about it again in a week, say we meet here April the 5th. I will tell you how I did, and you can tell me. And just out of curiosity, did you notice that all the photos represent edible plants? [But always check with a expert before ingesting any wild mushrooms, I don’t know if that one is edible or not.]