Category Archives: Household

Friday Buffet

I haven’t tried Green Bags yet, but the produce preserving plastic bags’ Web site sure makes an annoying a convincing case. Reviews of the product are mostly positive.  — — Looking for a fresh start in 2008? One idea is to clean out the fridge by making some simple meals with its contents. Seattle blogger Jack, of the Fifth Flavor, provides […]

December 28, 2007 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Wasted Gifts

Happy in-between-Christmas-and-New Year’s! I hope you’re enjoying the piles of leftovers and recycling the piles of cardboard. It’s never too early to start next year’s Christmas list. I can’t believe I didn’t find out about this NatureMill indoor composting unit until now. But since it sells for $300 ($400 if you want it to compost pet poop along with food […]

December 27, 2007 | Also posted in Composting, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Merry Christmas, etc.

If t’is the season for you to be jolly–Merry Christmas! Just a quick reminder: Try to divvy up that Christmas goose or whatever you’re currently roasting. Sending guests home with leftovers ensures that the season of giving keeps giving (and that you don’t end up giving food to your trash).  If, like some lucky folks […]

December 25, 2007 | Also posted in History and Culture, Restaurant | Comments closed

Friday Buffet: Christmas Edition

Here’s some food for thought when you’re out shopping for your Christmas meal or New Year’s bash: UK food waste increases by 80 percent during the Christmas and New Year’s period. — — This article provides some all-purpose green tips for the red and green season. The food-related advice is similar to that given on […]

December 21, 2007 | Also posted in Friday Buffet, History and Culture | Comments closed

Surrey Cites Waste

According to the BBC, this man dressed as a waiter has been visiting “iconic” Surrey sights with a silver tray of food meant to represent how much the average Surrey household wastes in a week. That would be 57 pounds. It’s a worthy way to bring attention to a topic that, outside of this site, doesn’t get tons of […]

December 18, 2007 | Also posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed

The Weekly Waste Word: Making Stock

I try to eat as much of the food I buy as possible. I plan out meals before I shop, save leftovers and compost whatever’s left. But until recently, I hadn’t made stock from leftover veggies or bones. To put my money where my mouth is, I set out to make chicken stock.   In my mind, making stock seemed like […]

December 17, 2007 | Also posted in Personal, The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed

A Little African Perspective

Many Americans grew up with the ‘clean your plate, there are starving children in Africa’ admonishment.  Apparently, some African immigrants use a similar expression today. Good to know! I think this post by “Ms. KB,” a Liberian woman now living in Pennsylvania, has an interesting and unusual perspective on food waste. Plus, she spins a good […]

December 13, 2007 | Also posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed

Smart Packaging

Imagine food wrapping that could indicate the presence of E. coli or salmonella. Or a swab that could signal when other pathogens are present. Sunday’s New York Times Magazine featured this technological breakthrough in its “Year in Ideas” list. While no products are available yet, a consortium of Canadian universities and companies, Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network, will soon release […]

December 12, 2007 | Also posted in Food Safety | Comments closed

The Weekly Waste Word: Web help?

Ever find yourself with a decent amount of ingredients left after cooking but unsure what to do with them? Reader Andrew C. wrote in with just that problem and asked: I was wondering if you knew if there were any recipe websites out there that can give you a list of recipes based on the […]

December 10, 2007 | Also posted in The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed

A Little Shmita Waste

Happy Hanukkah! (or Chanukah, if you prefer) In the spirit of “The Festival of Light,” I thought I’d illuminate the Orthodox Jewish practice of Shmita/Shemittah. This biblical law holds that the land of Israel must lay fallow every seventh year. No planting or pruning of crops–it’s like a sabbath for the land. Practical Talmudic scholars, though, have found […]

December 5, 2007 | Also posted in Farm, History and Culture | Comments closed