Posted:
Wednesday - March 8, 2023
3:23 pm
Food Waste Action Week “Win Don’t Bin”: FareShare Midlands’ Top Tips
This week is Food Action Waste Week!
FareShare Midlands is committed to tackling food waste, by redistributing good-quality, surplus food to over 500 charities and community groups across the Midlands. By doing so, we turn an environmental problem into a social solution.However, food waste does not just exist within the supply chain. In fact, 4.5 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year by UK households - costing us a staggering £3.5 billion.
That’s why this week we are sharing ways you can reduce your food waste - and become more innovative in using up food that might otherwise have been destined for the bin.
Check out some of these great ways you can use up those nobbly ends and spare veggies - and support Food Waste Action Week’s “Win Don’t Bin” initiative!
Mash it
We often leave mashing to potatoes; occasionally swede when we are feeling adventurous. However, there are so many vegetables we can mash serving as great alternatives to the standard potato variety. Here is a list of vegetables that are perfect for mashing. Plus, they taste great too:- Cauliflower - Cauliflower is naturally high in fibre and is a great source of B vitamins.
- Butternut squash - Butternut squash is packed with powerful antioxidants vitamin C, and vitamin E which are great for immune health.
- Peas - Peas are a great source of plant-based protein, and they bring great colour to a dish. Think of it as a dressed-up take on the family favourite mushy peas!
- Parsnips - Parsnips are high in potassium, while boasting anti inflammatory and anti-fungal properties.
- Carrots - Carrots are a great source of Beta Carotene as well as vitamin K, which helps build bones.
- Celeriac - Celeriac is packed with phosphorus (strong teeth and bones), magnesium (energy) and potassium.
- Approach “mash it” by boiling whichever veg you choose until fork tender. Simply mash, add a knob of butter and enjoy.
Fry it
Pan frying is a great way of quickly cooking all sorts of veg and carbs from the fridge. It takes no time and allows you to get the most flavour out of your off-cuts - using a hob also uses significantly less energy than conventional ovens.Here are a couple of great recipes utilising this method:
Chip it
This method piggybacks on a traditional ‘chip’ and takes it to a whole new level. Capitalising on veg’s natural sugars, when we roast we caramelise these sugars - unlocking complex flavours and great textures. This recipe is a great way to use broccoli stalks which are often thrown away.Curried Broccoli chips
Ingredients
- 2 broccoli stalks
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon oil
- Salt and pepper
- Bunch of fresh corriander - optional
- Top and tail the broccoli stalks
- Trim the rough and bumpy outer layer of the broccoli resulting in two cylindrical tubes
- Chop the broccoli into bite sized chunks
- Place the broccoli on a baking tray and oil and the curry powder, toss till evenly distributed
- Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes until crispy and tender
- Season with salt and pepper and garnish with coriander
- Serve with mint yoghurt and enjoy!
Freeze it
There is no better way of preserving than to freeze. Freezing food allows us to save money on food shops, as well as preventing throwing away perfectly good food. We can freeze food in the raw form or as cooked meals.Freezer bags, or even better - reusable tupperware - are great for sealing food, keeping it fresher for longer. Batch-making dishes like curries and stews are a great way of saving time and electricity in the kitchen, plus they freeze very well.
We hope these tips help you find new ways to make use of leftover food, and reduce unnecessary food waste.
Written by Will Naisbitt, Communications Volunteer at FareShare Midlands.
Would you like more recipes for surplus food? https://faresharemidlands.org.uk/recipes/
Interested in volunteering? We have lots of opportunities across the Midlands
Donate to FareShare Midlands today! Just £1 provides 4 meals.
