Sure, our mothers raised us to not waste food.
But 40 percent of the food in the U.S. doesn’t get eaten, and lots of it — wilted lettuce, moldy leftovers, chicken we didn’t have time to cook — gets tossed in the trash.
About 21 percent of all waste in landfills is food, which turns into greenhouse gas.
Statistics like this shocked Dana Gunders when she began researching food waste on her job as a scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I thought, ‘This can’t be true,'” she said in a phone interview. “If it were, everyone would know about it.”
But it was true, and then she discovered that consumers were responsible for wasting more food than farmers, restaurants, grocery stores or any other part of the food-supply chain.
“That’s real money going straight into garbage instead of paying off your credit card bills or adding to your savings account,” she said in her new book,”Waste Free Kitchen Handbook,” a practical guide packed with resources that she wrote to help home cooks.
Americans throw away an average of $120 of uneaten food each month, per household of four.
Her book comes at a time of heightened awareness about food waste.
In September, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in America by 50 percent in 15 years. A week later, countries of the United Nations adopted their first shared goal for cutting per-capita food waste worldwide — also by 50 percent in 15 years.
And this month in Denver, an event called Just Eat It Denver will focus on reducing food waste with the Denver premiere of the award-winning documentary “Just Eat It, A Food Waste Story.” Part of a fundraiser for the food-rescue organization , its speakers will include Judy Elliot of Denver Urban Gardens, who will cover such topics as .
While composting is part of the national conversation on recycling, reducing waste at the front end of the cycle — shopping and meal-planning — is often overlooked.
“It’s a challenge,” said Marisa Bunning, associate professor and extension specialist of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University. “Sometimes you have great intentions at the grocery store of making meals all week, and then life takes a different direction. And there you are.”
Her office receives many questions from consumers about food waste, said Bunning, who shares lots of advice.
“We’re big fans of freezing here,” she said. “It’s an easy method. Most things freeze well.”
Most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing — boiled for a few minutes first — to help preserve nutrients.
Portion size is also key.
“Serve smaller amounts of food,” she said. “When you’re plating food for the family, it’s better to err on the small side and let them know they can have more.”
That way, uneaten food from serving dishes can be frozen for leftovers instead of scraped off plates into the trash.
And right now, she’s figuring out how to deal with her enthusiasm for Colorado apples.
“I love going to the farmers market, and I probably bought more apples than I should have,” she said. “But they store well in the refrigerator, and they also freeze well. Even if they’re bruised, they make great applesauce.”
Eugenia Bone, a food writer with a home in Colorado’s North Fork Valley, is the author of “The Kitchen Ecosystem,” which focuses on using ingredients in three ways: eating some fresh, preserving some, and using food scraps — which she calls “the edible waste stream” — to boost the flavors of other dishes, like soup stock.
She, too, favors the less-is-more philosophy, where small is big.
“When I say it’s OK to make one pint of stock, that always blows people away,” she said. “I say, ‘Nonsense.’ When you’re making something with shiitake mushrooms, the stems are kind of woody. Two pounds of mushroom stems will make a pint of stock that you can process or freeze.”
She loves nanobatches.
“If you’re going to preserve something, the way to do it in the 21st century is very small batches, which saves time — she buys an extra pound of tomatoes when she’s using a recipe with tomatoes, and processes just a few jars for her winter pantry.
Her secret to reducing kitchen waste is a fundamental understanding of yourself and your kitchen — knowing your own personal food vernacular.
“I believe you have to be moderate in your food purchasing, and stick to stuff you eat frequently,” she said.
In other words, avoid wishful thinking — what Gunders describes as the common desire of living the culinary dream by stocking up on fresh ingredients and “cooking healthy meals from scratch every night.”
“If we were more realistic at the grocery store about the constraints on our time,” she writes, “we would probably be more modest in our food purchases.”
Her suggestions start with menu planning before going to the store, beginning with a look in the refrigerator to see what needs to be used up.
She also advocates leaning on frozen vegetables — which have as many nutrients as fresh — so you don’t end up with too much wilting broccoli and chard.
And get to know your refrigerator. Its target temperature is 40 degrees, so things don’t spoil. The bottom shelves — the coldest place — are best for meat, poultry and fish, which have a higher safety risk. The refrigerator door, the warmest place, isn’t good for anything perishable.
She compares her collection of tips for avoiding food waste as signposts on a journey.
“It’s not very hard, and it’s very actionable,” she said. “It will make a difference, because consumers are a big part of the problem. And it saves money, so why not?”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083, coconnor@denverpost.com or @coconnordp
Asian Pasta Salad
This recipe from “Waste Free Kitchen Handbook” uses up such leftovers as cooked pasta, chicken, shrimp and raw vegetables. Ginger, cilantro and peanut oil give this salad an Asian kick. But if you don’t have these on hand, you can use your favorite dressing. Serves 4.
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons peanut oil or dark sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons agave nectar or maple syrup
1 thumb-size knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt (optional)
FOR THE SALAD
4 cups cooked pasta
2 or 3 green onions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken or shrimp (optional)
1 cup sliced, shredded or grated raw vegetables (such as green or red bell peppers, carrot or cabbage) or shelled and cooked edamame (optional)
Salt (optional)
Chopped roasted peanuts, almonds or cashews for garnish (optional)
Directions
To make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, peanut oil, olive oil, agave nectar, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Season with salt (if needed). Set aside.
Add the pasta, green onions, basil, cilantro, chicken and vegetables (if using) to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to absorb flavor. This is particularly important if the pasta you’re using is a few days old, as it will help soften it as well. Taste the salad and season with salt, if needed (pasta absorbs a lot).
Serve at room temperature, garnished with chopped nuts, if desired.
Free-For-All Frittata
Need to use up some eggs, cheese and vegetables? This recipe from “Waste Free Kitchen Handbook” for a frittata works vegetables into the breakfast meal, and a slice is also good for lunch and dinner, too. Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
8 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (the smaller amount for the stronger herbs) such as parsley, cilantro, thyme or tarragon (optional)
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more if needed
½ large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (optional)
2 cups (300 grams raw or 600 grams cooked) chopped vegetables: leafy greens, beets, sweet potatoes, green peas, corn kernels, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus or whatever else you have that needs to be used
1 small boiled or baked potato, diced (optional)
½ cup shredded semisoft cheese (Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack); 1/2 cup shredded or grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, pecorino); or 3 to 5 tablespoons crumbled pungent soft cheese (goat cheese, feta, blue cheese)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs together. Beat in a pinch of salt and pepper and the herbs (if using).
Coat the sides of an oven-safe medium (10-inch) skillet with the butter. Add the olive oil to the bottom of the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic (if using). Sprinkle with a little salt and cook over medium to medium-low heat until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add any raw vegetables (except for tender greens) and cook until firm-tender (timing will vary with the vegetable). If the pan seems dry, add a splash more oil. If using tender greens, add them to the pan and cook very briefly, just to wilt. Add any cooked vegetables to the pan, including the potato (if using), season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine everything.
Sprinkle or dot the cheese over the vegetables in the skillet. Pour the eggs evenly over everything. Cook gently on the stovetop over medium heat until the sides are just beginning to set, about 3 minutes.
Transfer to the oven and bake until the top seems to inflate and browns slightly and the eggs are firm and set, 15 to 20 minutes. (Test to see if it’s cooked all the way through by pressing the center with your index finger or by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the center—it should register 160 degrees.)
Serve warm, cut into wedges.
Sour Milk Pancakes
This recipes from “Waste Free Kitchen Handbook” uses milk that is beginning to sour.
Next time you’re on the fence about it, the author says, use it as you would buttermilk in pancakes, waffles and other baked goods. Makes about 8 pancakes.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour (or use ½ cup of each)
2 teaspoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil, such as light olive, grapeseed, or canola oil
Butter or oil for the pan
Optional toppings
Maple syrup
Raspberries, blueberries, sliced strawberries
Sliced banana
Peanut butter or almond butter
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well combined. In a medium bowl, beat together the milk, eggs and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and blend in the milk mixture until the batter is smooth.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and coat with a little butter.
Ladle ¼ cup batter onto the pan to make 4- to 5-inch pancakes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until bubbles appear and “dry out,” then flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the second side. Repeat with the remaining batter, using more butter for the pan as needed.
Serve warm with the toppings of your choice.
If you go
“Just Eat It Denver” will be held Oct. 20 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Exdo Center, 1399 35th St. Denver. It includes the movie, food, music, and a Q&A panel of experts. General admission tickets, $15, at justeatitdenver.com
