Using Food Scraps

[shyvas]

Smart Ways to Reuse Almond Meal from Milk Kale Stalks Other Kitchen Scraps | Care2 Healthy Living

 

[shyvas]

Ground coffee makes good compost. Celery leaves make good stock and add extra flavour to soups and stews. Radish leaves make an excellent soup. Leftover breadcrumbs add extra bulk to soya balls, soya loaf and burgers and can also thicken soups and dips. Don't throw away milk and cream - freeze and use for smoothies or desserts or as a binder for burgers.

Don't throw away bread crusts - either dry them in an oven or fry them and use them as croutons.

 

[shyvas]

I now collect my food scraps and feed them to the wildlife.

 

[silva]

I find having an Instant Pot has reduced my waste overall. I find it so much easier to cook things without having to watch, stir, time. I eat kale stems now because they cook tender. Root veggies are just set and forget, and I don't struggle to safely cut hard things like squash, pumpkin.
I now even save scraps and veg stock
Sure this is all possible without, but it's been a game changer for me

 

[Brian W]

Stir-frys and scrambles are a good way to use up leftover veggies. Maybe even pies and cottage pie.

 

[PTree15]

Ground coffee makes good compost. Celery leaves make good stock and add extra flavour to soups and stews. Radish leaves make an excellent soup. Leftover breadcrumbs add extra bulk to soya balls, soya loaf and burgers and can also thicken soups and dips. Don't throw away milk and cream - freeze and use for smoothies or desserts or as a binder for burgers.

Don't throw away bread crusts - either dry them in an oven or fry them and use them as croutons.

My good friend Chris (RIP), tossed his grounds in his compost bin daily. He had it right outside his kitchen window that was over the sink and he would open the window and toss them out.

 

[shyvas]

Ground coffee makes good compost. Celery leaves make good stock and add extra flavour to soups and stews. Radish leaves make an excellent soup. Leftover breadcrumbs add extra bulk to soya balls, soya loaf and burgers and can also thicken soups and dips. Don't throw away milk and cream - freeze and use for smoothies or desserts or as a binder for burgers.

Don't throw away bread crusts - either dry them in an oven or fry them and use them as croutons.

Oh don't forget to freeze (ice cube tray) any leftover wine. It adds depth when making sauces and stews.

 

[Bob Who]

Oh don't forget to freeze (ice cube tray) any leftover wine. It adds depth when making sauces and stews.

Leftover wine? Leftover wine ?! Your words are strange, what is this concept you speak of?

 

[KLS52]

I need to work on not wasting food.

 

[Brian W]

I need to work on not wasting food. ☹

You're not alone.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Oh don't forget to freeze (ice cube tray) any leftover wine. It adds depth when making sauces and stews.

Couldn't one just keep wine in a container suitable for the volume not used? I'm not a big fan of wine, although I do make it from my peaches and then after it's fermented and cleared, leave it in an open container for the vinegar fly to find and transform into vinegar. I haven't had to buy vinegar since I started doing this.

 

[shyvas]

Couldn't one just keep wine in a container suitable for the volume not used? I'm not a big fan of wine, although I do make it from my peaches and then after it's fermented and cleared, leave it in an open container for the vinegar fly to find and transform into vinegar. I haven't had to buy vinegar since I started doing this.

Not really as once it's opened, it will oxidize. To turn wine into vinegar a 'mother of vinegar' needs to be added. I think that if you just leave wine lying around once opened it will spoil.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Not really as once it's opened, it will oxidize. To turn wine into vinegar a 'mother of vinegar' needs to be added. I think that if you just leave wine lying around once opened it will spoil.

The mother of vinegar is produced by the vinegar fly, which will produce vinegar from wine if it is left out. Like I said, this is how I make peach vinegar. I make peach wine first then leave it in an open container for the vinegar fly to find.

 

[shyvas]

The mother of vinegar is produced by the vinegar fly, which will produce vinegar from wine if it is left out. Like I said, this is how I make peach vinegar. I make peach wine first then leave it in an open container for the vinegar fly to find.

Well, so that's fine.

 

[SapphireLightning]

Vinegar fly? Is that a euphemism for the bacteria that makes acetic acid? I'm confused.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Vinegar fly? Is that a euphemism for the bacteria that makes acetic acid? I'm confused.

No, it's an actual type of fly, which is strongly attracted to not only fruit, but fermented beverages made from fruit. It naturally turns fermented fruit drinks into vinegar over time. Oxidation is not enough the way I understand it. Wine held in an oxidated environment (but sealed), such as in a sealed bottle containing oxygen, will not turn to vinegar, unless either the 'mother' or the fly is introduced. If one is seeking vinegar from wine, all one needs to do is keep it in open container and wait. It took several months for my peach wine to turn to vinegar.

 

[MoreGreens]

No, it's an actual type of fly, which is strongly attracted to not only fruit, but fermented beverages made from fruit. It naturally turns fermented fruit drinks into vinegar over time. Oxidation is not enough the way I understand it. Wine held in an oxidated environment (but sealed), such as in a sealed bottle containing oxygen, will not turn to vinegar, unless either the 'mother' or the fly is introduced. If one is seeking vinegar from wine, all one needs to do is keep it in open container and wait. It took several months for my peach wine to turn to vinegar.

Is that technically vegan? What and how does the fly contribute?
I've known people who used vinegar to trap and kill fruit flies, which I assume is the same creature as vinegar flies, but I've never heard of people using flies to make the 'mother'. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or dismissive. I'd genuinely like more information or links to where you learned about this.

 

[Nekodaiden]

Is that technically vegan? What and how does the fly contribute?
I've known people who used vinegar to trap and kill fruit flies, which I assume is the same creature as vinegar flies, but I've never heard of people using flies to make the 'mother'. I'm not trying to be disrespectful or dismissive. I'd genuinely like more information or links to where you learned about this.

I honestly can't remember where I learned it (somewhere on the internet or from one of my old books). When I decided I wanted to make vinegar, I had some notion of the 'mother' that is used to turn wine to vinegar and also that I could probably purchase this somewhere. Then I thought that vinegar is an ancient substance going back thousands of years and it's unlikely it would be a secret craft dominated by special groups with lab materials and able to extract whatever bacteria/substances made to use it. Somewhere I came across info on the vinegar fly and just decided to try it with the peach wine I had made. I just left the large bottle open for several months (I didn't count months but the vinegar was not complete after 2 months, but was after around 6 months when I decided to test again). Somewhere along the line the vinegar fly found my wine and turned it into vinegar.

As for being vegan? I don't know. As far as I'm concerned this is the natural process set up by God/Nature/whatever one wants to call it and all I did was leave some wine out to make it happen.

 

[MoreGreens]

Thanks for sharing what you know. I'm not sure how I feel about vinegar flies, but I appreciate your willingness to discuss it.

Also, kudos to you for making peach wine! I didn't know that was a thing. My grandmother made muscadine and blackberry wine, but I guess we were too far north for peach wine to be a thing. I love learning new things!

 

[SapphireLightning]

If you keep "the mother" you can use that to make more vinegar. That gross looking blob is the bacteria that produces acetic acid. I'm guessing that the "vinegar fly" tends to collect spores of acetic acid bacteria on its body, much in the same way that grains like quinoa have lactic acid bacteria on them (rejuvalac anyone?)