Save the Produce: Part 1

Did you know that American's throw out, on average, 25% of all their food.  It comes out to an average of $2,200/family wasted!  Shocking huh?  Shocking that we are wasting $2,200 each year? Yes.  Shocking that while in other countries people are literally dying for food and we are simply tossing it in the trash because we didn't have a chance to get around to muching on it. 

We all know I'm a self proclaimed coupon queen.  However, there usually aren't coupons for produce.  BUMMER!  It used to be every week I'd buy carrots, onions, celery, chives, corn, whatever.  A bag of potatoes every couple weeks.  Berries.  Oh, and don't forget containers of fresh thyme, basil and whatever seasoning I needed.  And I'll admit.  I wasted at least 75% of it.  At least.  I'd need 1/2 of something for a recipe.  Or worse.  2 tablespoons of fresh herbs.  And the rest of that $3 seasoning - thrown in the trash. 

Anyone else suffer from produce-wasting-itis? Have no fear, the money saving doctor is here!  This is part 1 of my mini series Save The Produce. 

Ready? 

Fact #1 - My family now eats double the vegetables it used to.

Fact #2 - I spend 50% less than I used to on produce.  Yup 50% less for us to eat 50% more. 

First thing I do when I get home from the store.  Cut the veggies.

Have them all sliced?  Perfect.

Next, bag em up.  I bag quite a few bags of mirepoix.  (What's mirepoix?  It's a French cooking term for mix of carrots, celery, and onion.  It's the beginning of most stocks, soups, sauces, stews, etc.) I add in 1/2 cup of each to a baggie.  Pre-measured and ready to go.  Even when I don't make something homemade, it's so easy to grab a bag and add it to store bought sauce (I have to put ours through the food processor otherwise my picky little guy won't eat it due to seeing the veggies).  Such an easy way to add some veggies to spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce!

I toss all of the single serve mirepoix mixes into one big gallon bag.  Makes organizing the freezer easier!  (One day I'll have a food saver!)

I also do the same thing for potatoes.  I slice some, dice some others.  Just dump into boiling water for mashed.  Add a bag into a stew.  It may not seem like much, but for some reason I'm so much more apt to use them when they are pre-cut.  Not even like it saves THAT much time! :)

My favorite way to save the produce is every time we have leftover veggies - corn from dinner, I sliced too many potatoes, carrots that didn't get eaten, whatever - they get dumped into the leftover bag.  You can't see in the picture above but this bag has corn, carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, and a little red pepper.  When the bag gets full - add some stock and a few other simple stockpile ingredients and you have a fabulous veggie soup.  All from food that would have otherwise been thrown away.  OR use the bag in a fresh pot pie.  Either way.  Delicious.

Such an easy and simple idea.  Chop it.  But I can't even explain how much this has saved our family in produce!  I no longer have to buy a package of celery each week (I wish we actually ate a thing of celery each week!) but the 1 package lasts 2 weeks.  That bunch of carrots doesn't go to waste.  And we eat each and every bite of those onions.  Plus, I get an extra meal out of something I would have otherwise thrown away!  Perfect!

Stay tuned for more of the Save the Produce mini series!

Still to come: Herbs, Saving fruit and Don't throw that part away - plant it!