What should I do with a dry lemon? (Also, it's Food Waste Friday!)
I do have a question about a lemon but first up, here's a half full jar of tomato sauce that got moldy. Whyyy did I not freeze this? Why??
Next up is something that is sort of not my fault. My produce box delivery service lets me opt out of things I know we hate, so when I signed up, the first thing I checked off was eggplant.
Something got screwed up with my delivery one week, though, and I got a dreaded eggplant. I put it in the fridge, hoping some inspiration would hit me, but it did not, and the eggplant got moldy.
I just really, really do not like eggplant, not even when it's fried and covered in cheese and tomato sauce.
And since there are very few foods I don't like, I've kind of made peace with the fact that eggplant is not for me.
I sorted through two bags of grapes that were going south, took out the bad ones, cut the soft tops off of others...
and then I froze what I saved.
My kids like to eat frozen grapes, and I can throw them into smoothies as well.
To wrap things up, here's what my fridge looks like right now.
Except actually it's a little emptier right now because we finished up the lettuce last night after I took these pictures.
Underneath the lettuce, though, lie three beets plus a big bunch of brocco-leaf (which, as I understand it, is just the leaves of the broccoli plant).
I know I can use the beets in a smoothie, but the brocco-leaf is makin' me a little nervous. I may try a little in a smoothie and see how it goes.
Maybe it would work in Zuppa Toscana?
If you have brocco-leaf advice for me, share away, because I need some help!
Oh, and the other thing I'm wondering about:
Someone Who Is Not Me put this lemon away uncovered, so it's pretty dried up, at least on the outside. I feel like you guys had some good ideas for lemons last time I encountered something like this. A cleaning idea? Or a polishing idea? I can't remember.
Anyway, I did not compost it yet because I was hoping you could share your ideas with me again.
Alright. Hit me with brocco-leaf and lemon advice!
(Also: how did food waste go at your house this week? We want to know!)
I have two "recipes" that I use dried lemons for. I make a lemon vinegar cleaner with them or a garbage disposal cleaner with them.
Or boil in little water to freshen the air after cooking, boil also in a bit of water in the microwave to smell fresh
I've never used brocco-leaf, but why not throw it in a stir-fry?
And I would cut the lemon up and steep it in hot water for a nice tea. Or just simmer it on the stove with spices to make the house smell nice.
I was thinking tea, also. Or down the garbage disposal to refresh the smell and help clean it.
if you have a garbage disposal you can put the lemon down it with ice cubes. The lemon cleans/disinfects and ice cubes sharpen the blades.
I would try sauteeing the brocco-leaf with onions and lots of garlic. I would either use bacon fat or butter! If you use butter, I would think it would be magnificent with some bacon added (or even just bacon bits), and a bit of cream. Lots of salt and pepper too of course.
Basically, I'm saying to treat it the way I would cook any leafy green. I don't love leafy greens, but when prepared like I described, I can eat a lot!!
for the lemon, either chunk it down the disposal to clean and refresh it, or use it as air freshener.. a pot of water, sliced lemon, vanilla, some rosemary... simmer pot of wonderful. I also use lemon to clean my microwave - put a bowl of water with sliced lemon in there, turn it on for 5 minutes or so, until it gets all steamy in there, and then all the gunk just wipes right off.
The air freshener idea sounds amazing!
I think I read somewhere that it's the combo they use in Williams Sonoma stores. but I could be wrong.. but it is amazing.
Congrats on a great week waste-wise.
I think the broccoli greens would definitely work in the zuppa toscana. Myself I have used collard greens and turnip greens from my own garden in that recipe before and honestly, I didn't taste any difference. I have read somewhere that broccoli greens are very good for you because of all the nutrients in them.
Even if the cut surface of the lemon seems dried up, it might still be fine underneath. Personally, I would zest and try to juice it and freeze the zest and juice for future use in recipes. (I don't have a garbage disposal in my ancient kitchen).
Regarding the eggplant, if you get it again and you can't think of a way to use it that won't gross you out, why not gift it to a neighbor or a friend? Also, I know you said you didn't like it at all but you could try cubing it very small and use in in ratatouille. Add a sausage or two while it's cooking, serve it over rice... yum! As a matter of fact, if the skin is the only part that's mottled, you can peel it and still use it 🙂
We had very little food waste this week, which makes me very very happy! I posted my own Food Waste Friday post on my blog early this morning.
No garbage disposal here either! I've actually never lived in a house with one.
I should totally have given the eggplant away. I guess I just was overly optimistic about me actually using it. Ha.
I love eggplant but my husband won't eat it. I often buy one, use half for my favorite dish and then grate the rest and put it in chili or a thick soup. He never notices and eats it all up...it sort of melts into the chili.
I grill it whole unpeeled. While still hot, cut in half, (you need to grill it till it is chard and flat) scoop out onto colander, let drain overnight, dice 1/4 cup onions finely or grated, stir in 1/2 cup mayo, add salt to taste. You leave in fridge until cold, *eggplant spread*. Eat with bread and top with sliced tomatoes. . . Delicious!
For the zuke, try grating it, squeezing the liquid out of the gratings in a towels (squeeze hard), then adding to sauteed veggies, ground meat dishes, or patties/croquettes.
I'd use the leaf steamed in quiche or throw it in soup. We aren't fans of cooked greens at my house, but if you are you could treat it like spinach or other leafy greens and saute it with some garlic and onion.
Do you have any copper bottom pots you could shine with the lemon and some salt? Or brass? You can also rub the lemon on discolored cutting boards to bleach them a bit.
I'm sure you've tried microwaving the lemon to squeeze out any life that might be left? Otherwise zest to freeze, and I've even sliced the insides out of the peel and thrown it in the blender/food processor with other ingredients in a marinade and that breathed a little life in it.
I think I did better not wasting food - I am eating leftovers for lunches instead of eating out, then five days later tossing the food. The beans and the lentil soup I made were even better leftover, so. I am currently working on using up the dried flour tortillas, which make a reasonable quesadilla, if not a sandwich wrap. And, I know you say you are not an eggplant fan, but try grilling them sometime. Almost any veggie tastes fab grilled. We have recently discovered eggplant and okra on the grill are the BEST things ever. And as for that lemon, I would slice the dry part off, just a sliver slice, and use it. You could nuke it a couple minutes and get more juice from it...
The broccoli greens would be great in a soup and the lemon can be put inside a chicken b/4 roasting and it will do just fine.
I would try the broccoli greens in the recipe I use for fresh spinach sometimes: Sauté them with garlic and red pepper flakes and stir in feta cheese to taste at the end.
Off topic: I noticed that you use a lot of bottled salad dressing. It is so easy to make and so much cheaper. Around my house we make a basic vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper, minced garlic and Dijon mustard. There are lots of recipes out there for all kinds of salad dressings. Same thing with tomato sauce. So easy and tastes better.
Applesauce, spaghetti sauce and salsa stay mold free MUCH longer if you store them turned upside down on the lid.
I was never a fan of eggplant (although I like it much more now than I used to), but I've always LOVED baba ganoush. If you get another eggplant, you could give it a try!
Yes! I was just about to recommend this! You can really throw broiled eggplant into any bean/hummus-type dip. It's SUPER easy, and my 4 & 6 year old don't even notice it when I throw it into our usual white bean dip 🙂
I make a stem, core, and leaf pesto using parts of the vegetable that I would normally compost. This includes broccoli leaf and stems, kale stems, and the core of cauliflower. Steam all your veggie parts, then blend or process with some olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese. I found this idea in "An Everlasting Meal" by Tamar Adler.
For the broccoli leaves, try making thin ribbons (chiffonade) and add to a salad. I have used all kinds of leaves, broccoli, brussel sprout, etc, in salads. It will have a slight broccoli flavor, so mixing it with other greens helps. In green smoothies, it combines well with other greens, like spinach. I also love the ideas posted already about sautéing with lots of garlic or in a stirfry with chicken, or in a quiche.
Yeah, that was my thought...just a LITTLE bit in a smoothie would be good for testing it out.
Another tip for trying eggplant again is to chop it in 1 inch big chunks, toss the chunks in olive oil and salt, and bake them on a tray in the oven until very soft. Once cooked, turn the oven hotter or broil for a few minutes until the skin of the eggplant is crisp but not burned. The result is amazing, buttery inside, crunchy salty outside.
And same works great with brussel sprouts, just half the big ones. I eat them like potato chips, serious addiction.
I will keep this in mind if my produce service, uh, blesses me with another eggplant. Ha.
So. It's been much longer than I realized, since I frequently ate Laughing Cow cheese. This shelf stable soft cheese lasts a lo-o-ong time - which is why I bought it to have a work. Lo-o-ong time /= forever. The containers of cheese had expiry dates of Oct2014 expect for the one whose date was Oct13 (!!!).
Ahem.
I ate a cube to test the proposition. It wasn't inedible but it wasn't anything remotely good either. Ten containers of cheese went into the trash.
(Hangs head in shame.)
Oh, bummer! Is this the kind that comes in little wax containers? I saw a tutorial for making candles out of the wax online. That's dedication!
I think you mean Baby Belle (sp?) This was Laughing Cow, which comes in a circlular cardboard box with separately wrapped wedges of cheese inside.
Oh yes, I'm totally getting the two confused. Oops.
You could have made Ratatouille with the eggplant. Maybe you just don't like the skin?? I usually cut that off. Also sometimes I saute eggplant with Cajun spices. Baba Ganoush would have been an idea, too. Lemon you could clean stains on your faucet.
Saute the broccoli greens. I think it might be called broccoli rabe.
Psst. Use the broccoli greens like kale chips: http://www.thekitchn.com/one-of-the-advantages-of-169538
I also put them in a stirfry...like chinese beef and broccoli? Just...beef and broccoli greens. And then put it over rice. Nom nom.....
I'm not fully acquainted with brocco-leaf, but if it's leaves and stems, I would recommend I dip I make with leaves and stems of broccoli and cauliflower. Steam or put to boil with a bit of water, just enough to 'steam' while in the covered pot. Once soft, throw it in the vitamix with some walnuts, olive oil, garlic, salt and puree, add any leftover boilint water a bit at a time to reach desired consistency. It is delightful for veggies, crackers. yum
Yeah, it's just huge broccoli leaves.
I know you didn't ask about beets but I roast them and put them in salad with greens and feta cheese. I use the salad dressing that you use for your mandarin orange salad!
Maybe the lemon could be chopped and frozen till you make a lemon pie. Then grate the peel in the crust and a drop of fresh jucice added to the juice you are using would be yummy.
I wonder if dried orange skins, sliced very thinly, could enhance a marmalade. The lemon could help here too.
I mixed lemon with some olive oil to make an inexpensive, but wonderful, furniture polish. I have stored it in a repurposed sauce jar in my refrigerator. It's worked very well. I just looked up the recipe on a website. I cannot remember which one! 🙂
Cleaning with the lemon is genius! So glad I read all these comments. Awesome ideas. Could you use the leaf in a veggie broth? The only problem is when I use too many leaves and greens my broth comes out tasting pretty... leafy. Can't wait to hear what you decide to do with it!
Here is how we did this week: http://wp.me/p4yT07-19U
Well, I stuck one huge leaf into a smoothie along with a beet, a banana, the frozen grapes, a little OJ concentrate, and some homemade yogurt. The brocco leaf was pretty unnoticeable in the smoothie, so I think I might just stick with using the leaves that way. Raw is probably the most nutritious way to eat it, I suppose.
I got a deal on a bag of lemons for .99. Froze the juice in ice trays (1T. ea.). Zested and froze that and put the remaining lemon parts and put it in a mason jar, covered with vinegar, and let it sit and used as cleaner.
I have a small flock of chickens out back that love to eat veggie leftovers or fruits and veggies that have gone slightly bad...maybe get yourself some chickens? 😉
For the lemon, you could try drying it for decoration. You can slice it thin, and then bake it at 200 until it's dried out. It's pretty hung in windows, added to wreaths, etc.
I got broccoli leaves in my CSA box this week and last week. Last week I used them in spaghetti sauce (I tend to wilt some kind of greens along with other veggies in my spaghetti sauce). I was also going to try wilting it and putting it into some homemade raviolis instead of spinach.
I read that you can replace the leaves anywhere you would use spinach. I also read the leaves have more nutrients than the florets. Good luck. I hope you post about how you used them, because I'd love to know
If you ever get another eggplant by mistake again you might try using it in a bread recipe. I don't care for eggplant however this was pretty tasty ~ http://www.abreadaday.com/?p=1346
Also if you have seedless grape you can turn them into raisin by dehydrating them. I love doing this when I just can't get through a bag of grapes.
Dried lemons have many uses such as what has been mentioned. You can also dry them completely in a dehydrator than grind them down to a powered for later use as tea or lemonade. The peel can be use for it's pectin in canning.
Broccoli leaf is very high in beta carotene, more so than the florets or the stems. Eating them raw in a salad or on a sandwich would be best, providing they are young leafs. With the older leafs you can cut away the large center stem just as you might with other large leaf veggies. You can use the leafs to stuff meat and or veggie for a baked dish. The larger leafs tend to work best in soups and stews as the center stem can be a bit tough. It can also be very fibrous even for a soup of stews so use your own judgement as to whether to cut it away or not. . As far as taste, they have a faint broccoli taste - earthy and mild.
It's an immobile Food Waste Friday for me or should I say #FoodWasteFriday
Struggling to do anything physically (as on crutches) and the thought of emptying the fridge just did not appeal today. I'm such a lightweight. Or rather not, might I add - taking a good chunk of my body weight on my upper body is taking it's toll 😉
No idea about my waste! Oh dear! Hoping the Hubby will do the No Waste Tastes Great routine tomorrow as I direct from the kitchen table.
I really do not like Aubergine - we have something in common even if we don't use the same word for it across the pond.
Back with Food Waste Friday next week and I am committed to have managed my routine even though still on the sticks. I'll find a way!
Get healed quickly! Sending healing thoughts your way.
Thank you! Just back from hydro-therapy (aka swimming!)
I would put the lemon to boil for some air freshening and/or a lemony tea drink.
Dry lemon: 1) use it to infuse roasted chicken (slice it and place on top of tights, breast, etc.) or 2) use the rind (zester) to infuse any other food (e.g. soup, porridge, tea, risotto, etc.)
Sorry--I'm a little off topic here. I noticed what looked like oranges or clementines in your fridge. I didn't know you could refrigerate these.
I like to mix lemon juice and baking soda, then spread it all over my oven with the lemon slices. After an hour or so, I clean out my oven. It smells great and is sooo much healthier than commercial cleaners!
I use lemons for cleaning messy stainless steel pots or pans. Sprinkle some baking soda in the pot, cut the lemon in half, and enjoy the sizzling sound while using it as a cleaning pad. The sparkling pots will make you smile.
Someone Who Is Me routinely cuts lemons in half and just uses one. I stick the other half, uncovered, in the fridge. When I need it, I shave the thinnest slice off the dried-out end and it's perfect underneath. No plastic waste and it works every time.
"Someone Who Is Me"....hee.
The biggest challenge with broccoli leaves is that they can be pretty tough. I think though, that they could probably be used in much the same way as dinosaur kale. So soup, stirfry, steam and chips.
The smoothie/juicing method is definitely a good bet. My experience with broccoli leaves, besides snacking on the tender ones, extends as far as picking all of the leaves at the end of the growing season and juicing them to mix with apple juice. It's quite delicious.
Yes! Using them in smoothies is actually going really well. I can hardly taste them at all!
This is precisely the reason that I started my "perpetual stock pot" {see my linked post, above}...
The broccoli leaves are fine for stock, even if they're wilty. I have thrown citrus fruits into my stock pot (you know, the clementine that rides in the bottom of your lunch bag until it's hard as a rock). I'd take the rind off first - too bitter.
You could also grate that baby (easier if it's really dried out), and put the gratings into a sandwich size zipper bag, which you put in the freezer. Use it in baking to add a little lemony zip to things like carrot cake, zucchini bread, etc.
Cut the lemon in chunks and stuff the cavity of a chicken to roast. It is yummy as it adds moisture and flavor. Then you have the chicken for a few meals.
I'd just chop that lemon in half and use it to deodorize the kitchen trash!
If you get eggplant again, try sweating it before cooking it. To sweat, cut it in half inch rounds and sprinkle liberally with salt on both sides. Then let it sit at room temperature until liquid beads show up on it. Doing this takes the bitterness out. Eggplant is yummy if you do this before cooking and so bitter if you don't do it. Let us know if you try it. My favorite way to eat eggplant is on pizza with pesto for the sauce and goat cheese.
A friend from church mentioned the same thing to me today! And another reader said peeling also helps with the bitterness, so I'll definitely keep those two tricks in mind.
Oh geez, I almost forgot to say to rinse off the salt and liquid before cooking the eggplant. I hope you'll try it. It really changed my feelings on eggplant. Yes, peeling also helps!
Ok. I think you need a bigger fridge. Im not kidding! Lol. You can find things better and waste less.? Yeah?
Well, this fridge is the absolute biggest size we could fit into our kitchen. The fridge space is flanked by a wall on one side, cabinets on the other, and cabinets above. So there's no wiggle room AT ALL for fridge size. Oh well.
I use lemon zest in pancakes and muffins. It's delicious!
Love these food waste Friday posts. A issue that I care a lot about... thanks for sharing.
What i do with the lemon so it wont go to waste, slice the lemons and put it in a pitcher of water. Its very good for the stomach 🙂 you may also add honey for the kids to enjoy or no sugar 🙂
You can freshen up your trashcan, too! Lemon is great for removing odors so if you scrub the inside of your trashcan with lemon it will smell really fresh! I love doing this because the trash bin is in the kitchen and I hate when it smells! Greets, Motspur Park Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
What about boiling the lemons and using the lemon water to mop the floor with
Or save the boiled lemon-water in a bottle and add it to your rinse cycle
Lemon, if you steep it in vinegar you can then use it as a cleaner. You can also dry them so if it isn't too far gone, you could do that, powder it and use the powder for cooking.
Brocolli leaves, I chop them finely (I do the same with kale) and add it through everything.. risotto, soup, casseroles, stews. If I have excess from the garden I dehydrate it, add it to a snaplock bag and crumble it and can add a spoonful into all sorts of things eg savoury mince to add some extra vitamins. Also absolutely delicious if sauteed in a little butter with salt and pepper and a little garlic.
Use broccoli leaves like kale. My personal favourite, chop or slice, stir fry in butter for 2-4 min ( they should be bright green, taste as you cook) add some lemon juice and serve immediately. Add a dallop of sour cream for a great bonus.
Broccoli stem: this is lovely. Trim the bottom and peel off any tough skin from the bottom up. Use a peeler or short knife to start the first cm, then hold that and peel upwards and it will break naturally where tender.
1. Cut lengthwise to match width of the florets' stems and cook together
2. Slice 0.5-1 cm, fry, add to salads, use as water chestnuts or munch while cooking. I feed them to kids while cooking dinner as a emergency snack when they are starving while I cook.
3. Slowly fry in butter until nearly caramelized then toss in florets and fry. Or carmalize with carrots etc.
Cauliflower leaves: slice down both sides of stalk. Slice stalk and stir fry, or cook like pak choy. Also great add a snack.
Slice the leaves and briefly fry or cook lightly as you would white cabbage.
Bonus, for anyone who grows Kale. The best part of kale comes up in February/March. When the following shoots start to appear watch daily. When at least 2 inches pull the shoot down top snap at its base with attached baby leaves. As weather warms you will get a prolific harvest of tender shoots, cook add wok or early sprouting broccoli. We all ate them raw right off the plant while gardening. Harvest before the flowers open, wether you can use them or not and they will keep coming. Then you have to check them twice daily, they can grow inches overnight.
I use my dried out lemons in tea! I accidentally let my lemons dry out. I just roll them till they soften and slice in half. They’re great in hot tea. They’ve not gone bad, they’re just dried out and hard. But I find them still juicy inside.