Monthly Archives: January 2009

Friday Buffet

Palo Alto, Calif., has formed a Blue Ribbon Task Force to study how best to compost food waste. Is it just me, or does that description seem a bit outdated. Will they form a second place task force, too? At least the group won’t be influenced by the city council. Sayeth councilman Larry Klein: “You […]

January 16, 2009 | Posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Household, International | Comments closed

The Food Fuzz

More than 20,000 lucky Britons will receive visits from trained food waste reduction officials. These “food champions” will tutor citizens on cooking with leftovers, preparing appropriately-sized portions, understanding “best before” dates and making better use of their freezers. Critics are calling the officials the “food police.” The pilot program, launched by the government agency Waste […]

January 15, 2009 | Posted in Household, International | Comments closed

Trayless = Pay Less?

I was thrilled to see the guys at Freakonomics address the topic of traylessness. It’s nice exposure for the issue and will hopefully sway the three remaining colleges who still use trays to abandon them. (Fine, there are a few more than that. Seriously, though, if you’re still using trays, it’s time.) But…as a few […]

January 14, 2009 | Posted in College, General, Trayless | Comments closed

Grain Elevator

Oh, Minimalist. You really know the way to a guy’s heart. Not only are you writing about reusing leftovers, you’re using noodle pudding to do it. Your noodle pudding recipe is enticingly similar to my grandma’s devine kugel. (Here’s more on the institution that is kugel.) The Minimalist, aka Mark Bittman, is onto something when […]

January 13, 2009 | Posted in Household | Comments closed

Chicken Pops

Last night I made a whole chicken. The pan collected a nice amount of chicken juices, spices and butter that I’d applied to the skin. After the meal, I wasn’t sure what to do with this excess liquid, but I knew it was way too tasty to toss. After considering the options–while my dog lobbied […]

January 12, 2009 | Posted in Household, Personal | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Scout’s honor: Whether eagle or cub, hopefully gleaning outings can become part of the scouting culture. — — I had a nice time chatting yesterday on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show. — — In case you missed this gem, read Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson’s op-ed on creating a useful farm bill. — — And don’t […]

January 9, 2009 | Posted in Farm, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Household | Comments closed

When Bread Costs Dough

Here’s a depressing downturn trend: restaurants charging customers for bread. Then again, is that really so bad? As the post on yumsugar suggested, a bread charge might cut down on baked waste. Since health codes require restaurants to toss all remaining bread (and butter!) after it has been served and many folks are off carbs, […]

January 8, 2009 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Do You Fruitcycle?

Maui’s tree gleaning group Waste Not, Want Not combines two of my favorite things: Hawaii and food recovery. The group began gleaning four weeks ago and their efforts have been, dare I say, fruitful. A recent outing of just five volunteers netted 153 pounds of citrus. Another yielded 360 pounds, or about one pickup truck’s […]

January 7, 2009 | Posted in Food Recovery, Tree Gleaning | Comments closed

Austin City, No Limits

This makes my month: the Austin Farmer’s Market is now accepting compost from individuals partly because of this humble blog. Farmers selling at Texas’ largest growers-only market have long donated unsold edibles to soup kitchens and composted the remains. Since last Saturday, though, shoppers can bring their household food waste to the market. This makes […]

January 6, 2009 | Posted in Composting, Farmers' Market, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Avoiding That Sinking Feeling

Funky things are happening with the plumbing down under. While I’m still reeling from the clockwise/counter-clockwise toilet flush hoax, Southern hemisphere inventors have moved on. Two recent creations offer solutions to the inefficiency of washing food down the drain. First, a 9-year-old New Zealand boy invented a contraption that allows you to dump food waste […]

January 5, 2009 | Posted in Composting, Garden, Household, International, Waste Stream | Comments closed