Discover how items we often discard—such as broccoli stems, citrus peels, and herb stems—can become the stars of our next meal. This can save money while reducing waste. From turning stale bread into creative croutons to transforming vegetable scraps into flavorful broths, the possibilities are endless. When we keep this awareness of what it takes for food to get to us in the front of our consciousness, we can more easily make mindful choices when buying our food and remember to use food well.

We need to be more mindful, or conscious, about using food well, creating little waste, and remembering that food is a finite resource. Being mindful means enjoying the food we prepare and serve, considering the miles the food has traveled. It means appreciating the personal effort spent nourishing ourselves, our family, and our friends. If we purchased a basket of strawberries, would we intentionally let it rot? Being mindful means using the food we buy to its highest purpose. Planning what to buy, storing the food for its longest shelf life, and using food to feed ourselves and family are ways of being mindful about and honoring our food.

We all have busy, full lives. How does one get started? Is it hard?

Smith suggests several approachable ways to reduce food waste:

 Be Practical--Start Small  

• Create meal plans: Consider the cycle of the food you buy for different opportunities to reduce food waste.
• Inventory existing supplies: Know what you have already and what needs to be consumed. Educate yourself about expiration and use-by dates and safe storage techniques.
• Shop with a list and eat before shopping (this helps avoid impulse buys).
• Buy the amount of food you need for the meals you plan to serve; this reduces leftovers.

Washingtonians place 1.2 million tons of food waste into landfills every year. About 35% of this food is edible. Of that edible food waste, 37% of it is generated by households. © Adobe Stock

Planned Leftovers
As you consider what to prepare for a meal, consider leftovers so you can plan to use all that you cook. Once a week, enjoy a Leftover Day (think Taco Tuesday followed by Waste-Free Wednesdays). Use visual reminders like the “Eat Me First” sign to gobble up those leftovers instead of tossing them.

Use Everything
Cook with vegetable scraps (like radish leaves and carrot tops). Save aquafaba (chickpea liquid) for baking, use corn cobs for stock, and repurpose celery ends and leaves. Freeze, can, or dry scraps for later. Feed livestock. Look for new creative ways to use leftovers and scraps.

Admittedly, a change in habits takes some effort. It has been very easy to throw food away in this country. Try considering why you prepare food the way you do. For example, take a rib of celery to put into soup. How much of either end of the rib do you cut off? Are those ends really inedible? Could they actually be used now or in another dish?

Check the websites in the references below for quick ideas on using dabs of leftovers, peelings, pits, and tidbits: freeze-drying, fruit leathers, baking, and soup stocks. We think you’ll be surprised and inspired. 

Other benefits of using food more mindfully include gathering food before it gets composted and distributing it to people in need as gleaners and food banks do.

If you are entrepreneurial, consider how to use a waste product and squeeze the last drop from the garbage. Here are examples of what is already being done.

• A juice company uses unwanted watermelon rinds to make flavored water.
• A pickle company in Denver reuses water that was used to make pickles. The water’s second act is in a Bloody Mary mix.
• A Danish distillery offers apple farmers a bottle of cider in exchange for their unwanted apples.
• In 2022, the local gleaners' group diverted 1.4 million pounds of food from entering the landfill

Every household, even people living alone, can make a difference.
After completing her studies, Smith wondered how much of a difference one person or even one household could make. She did a food inventory and waste audit and was surprised at the amount being wasted. This type of inventory and audit can teach anyone where to start. Taking charge of how we cook and eat is one way to generate hope for the planet. Use the example of The Butterfly Effect: This proverb illustrates that seemingly inconsequential events can set off a chain of unpredictable consequences. Tossing out just one slice of bread into the landfill might not change anything. Still, if every household tosses bread into the landfill, it contributes to climate warming and indirectly results in climate change. The reverse is also true. Eat the slice of bread.