Click here to go straight to the recipe This winter, I hoarded orange peels compulsively. I found so many uses for them: a looseleaf chai blend, candied citrus peels, frozen zest, fire starters too apparently although I didn’t have much luck with those—or perhaps I did seeing as I didn’t burn down my kitchen. I also […]
upcycling
5 Things I Do that Were Once Considered Normal
I cook, eat and live the way I do for several reasons: I reject single-use plastic packaging I like to eat food that tastes good I prefer to eat food that contains nutritional value I refuse to depend upon corporations to fulfill my every need and desire Consuming less makes my life simpler and more enjoyable […]
Looseleaf Chai
Click here to go straight to the recipe I drink vats of tea. I buy looseleaf tea in a glass jar I take to the store and once home, brew the tea in either my small pot with a built-in strainer or in my daughter’s TARDIS infuser. I toss the spent leaves into my compost bucket […]
How to Make Free Apple Scrap Vinegar
Updated 09/24/22 In my home, homemade vinegar has been the Holy Grail of scratch cooking. My daughter MK tried a few years ago and came very close, but flies invaded her apple scraps and ruined it. It sure smelled great though as I tossed it onto the compost. I have tried making vinegar a couple of […]
Feeding the 5000 Comes to the US
This past Saturday, I participated in Feeding the 5000, a campaign that exposes food waste by feeding thousands of people a free, delicious meal prepared with food that would otherwise go to waste. Feeding the 5000 began in Europe in 2009, but Saturday marked its debut in America. The event’s name invokes the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with a […]
DIY Lard
If this was truly DIY, I would also raise the pigs… This may sound like a contradiction, or merely a justification from a woman who really likes to eat lard, but I don’t actually eat much meat and I rarely eat pork.
Fried Potato Skins
Ideally, my daughter would eat mashed potatoes with the skins on. But as I have usually peeled the potatoes, I have personally trained her to expect mashed potatoes with the skins off. I hate to compost the skins and waste them. Fortunately, you can never go wrong with fat, salt and potatoes, even if just the […]
Repurposed-Cloth Produce and Bulk Bags
Jump to the bottom of this post for info on snagging some free bags I made from new cloth. In my quest to eliminate kitchen waste, my most successful strategies have been: Using cloth produce and bulk bags or containers for shopping Shopping at the farmer’s market Shopping at the bulk bins These three tips […]
Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles
Updated 07/14/18 Click here to go straight to the recipe. Why have I never made these until now? Crunchy, sour, fermented watermelon rind pickles: Are easy to make Taste delicious Contain good microbes, which improve your health Cost basically nothing (you bought the melon for the fruit after all) Reduce waste I feel like a […]