I wasted some food. I saved some food. Also, leeks are dirty. Really dirty.
So. Life was a little bit less crazy at my house this week and I AM SO GRATIFIED.
(Pardon the caps yelling there.)
I've even had some days where I got to stay home for a large portion of the day, which makes this homebody a happy camper.
The Bad
I spent a bit of my time going through my fridge, where I found some things that were pretty old. The sweet potatoes probably were bad a week or so ago, but I just missed them, I guess.
I thought the zucchini were going to be ok, but they were speckled with small moldy spots.
In other bad news, I discovered some rotten potatoes in a fridge drawer. I was making potato wedges a while ago, and I'd sliced and parcooked too many.
So, I thought I was being brilliant by setting some aside to cook for breakfast (freshly cooked would be better than leftover!)
Except I completely forgot about them, mainly because they were out of sight.
Though I've gotten better at this over the years, my perennial problem is forgetting about food. In this case, I should have turned the glass container upside down so I could see more than just an opaque lid.
The Good
How about some happier news??
I made a batch of banana chocolate chip muffins to rescue three very dark bananas.
And I cut up and set out a cucumber, the last of some grapes, and some honeydew melon.
Because if these things are on the counter in an open container, they're quite likely to get eaten over the course of an afternoon.
I also made a small batch of rice pudding with some dry leftover rice from a date night with Mr. FG.
An unidentified family member poured a cup of milk and didn't finish it. Since I had no idea whose it was, I put the cup in the fridge and used the milk when I made some fluffy hamburger buns yesterday.
I know some people would shudder at the thought, but no one here is sick with any sort of infectious disease, and besides, the bun ingredients get cooked at high temperatures. So, all is well.
On the topic of buns...I had Joshua film a quick instagram video of me shaping the hamburger buns since the shaping technique is a little bit hard to describe with words.
(You should be able to view the video with that link even if you don't have instagram.)
Oh, and speaking of Instagram, I posted a photo of my produce box leeks there this week, asking for advice. Several people mentioned leek potato soup, so I looked up a Cook's Illustrated recipe, and it was really good!
(Though I'm noting that I need to wash the leeks even MORE thoroughly than I did, because I detect a bit of sandiness in an occasional bite of soup. I'm a little surprised because I thought I was being super thorough with the washing. Live and learn!)
The Fridge/Freezer Pics
Here's my fridge door...pretty boring.
And the fridge itself:
I'm noting that I have many smallish containers of odds and ends. Nothing in them is bad right now, but having that many bits and pieces makes me nervous...too many food waste possibilities!
So, I'm gonna work on using those up today.
Oh, and here's my freezer.
Not a lot has changed there, for better or for worse, which is good, I guess!
______________________________
How are things food-waste-wise at your house this week? Dish in the comments!
(Also, leek-washing advice is welcomed. I rinsed em, then chopped them and soaked them in a salad spinner bowl of water, and then spun them dry. Should I maybe have done the soaking twice?)
I was a cook in a restaurant back that had fried leeks on the menu regularly. Not only did we soak the leeks before prep, once prepped they were stored in a Cambro (tupperware) with water poured on top. That was partly to prevent them from going limp, but also helped get every last speck of dirt out.
Oh, ok. So double soaking does seem to make sense. Duly noted.
No vegetable, save for spinach, has more dirt in it than leeks. I think this is the reason I've never tried them. Supposedly they are a good onion substitute since they don't contain the enzyme that causes ... umm, discomfort in some of us less fortunate types out there. 😉
Alton Brown had an interesting episode of Good Eats about leeks. Besides the usual application (vichyssoise) he also made them into leek rings (as opposed to the more familiar ring made from its allium cousin)
Oh and Leeks are also important for a couple of nerdy things. First, there's Farfetch'd (the Pokemon) who is always seen carrying a leek stalk.
And then there's Leek Spin (www.leekspin.com) which still amuses me all these years later.
Yeah, I've gotten some pretty dirty lettuce in my produce box too...dirty enough that it needed several washings before it was edible.
(I really really hate gritty salads!)
The victory garden cookbook recommends cutting the tops off leeks, then quartering them lengthwise (not all the way down, just to the white, no longer gritty part), then rinsing that. It works for us.
This recipe also called for simmering the tops in the broth, for better flavor (then they get discarded). So I washed the tops fairly carefully, and also the bottoms.
But now I'm wondering if maybe the problem is that I wasn't thorough enough with the tops. Hmm.
You can use the same technique with the tops, slicing them length-wise into quarters and then rinsing in running water, but you have to slice all the way through.
I have a pineapple that I think has gone bad. I always think I'll cut it up but then I get distracted. I should just buy pre-cut produce. Pricier, but better than wasting money by not eating stuff.
I occasionally let one get a little TOO ripe, but the good news is that a slightly overripe pineapple can still be chopped up, frozen, and tossed into smoothies. So, if yours is just a little bit gone, you might still be able to save it.
But yes, I do agree that sometimes paying more is worth it if it means you won't waste the food. I sometimes buy highly priced loose mushrooms because of this...only Mr. FG likes mushrooms, so a large pack is cheaper per pound, but then we don't eat them all!
Best recipe with leeks - Carrots with leeks - cut your leeks in half lengthwise and separate each layer under running water to rinse out sand. You can also soak in water and lift out the leeks, leaving the sand in the bottom and getting fresh water until clear.
Slice leeks finely into half circles. Cook baby carrots, a clove of garlic, and leeks in butter with a little salt and pepper. You can add a little white wine if you have it, but we have made them loads of times without it and it's not really needed. A little thyme can be added. Simple and so good.
Also leeks in any kind of quiche are good.
My save this #FoodWasteFriday is leek and potato slow cooked soup! 🙂
Loving the fridge photo. I used to think it was a little strange photographing my fridge, hah! now I'm videoing it! (that is strange right?)
ps we have similar pyrex all those thousand of miles apart.
That's funny! It was a leek and potato soup kind of week for us. 😉
I wash the greens and whites differently. First I fill my salad spinner with water. Then I cut the greens away from the white part. I wash the greens in the salad spinner of water before slicing them, being careful to run my hands over both surfaces of both sides. Then I chop the whites, put them in the salad spinner (yes, with the dirty water from the greens), and vigorously swirl them around with my hands. Pour out the water, refill spinner, vigorously swirl again, then dump the water out and use the spinner as intended. FYI some of the chopped whites will escape the basket into the water, which I consider a reasonable price to pay for clean leeks.
Right now my fridge is full to the gills, in anticipation of 5 weekend houseguests, 4 of whom are in their 20s. I anticipate large appetites to fill! The menu includes Tex Mex nite (nachos or burritos, per eaters choice), maybe lasanga, and at least one morning of waffles. Lots of filling, not-too-expensive fruit such as grape and bananas, with a reasonable amount of berries to go with.
So I have decided, by rule, that there is no food waste this week. But next week might be interesting.
Have a fun weekend with your guests!
Very Deep Sigh. I violated my own no-waste rule. I left the bacon on the counter overnight. BIG FAIL.
Other than that, a lot fun has been had.
Ohh, no! So sad. 🙁 Tell me it wasn't your homemade bacon!
It was. :-<<
Ohh. Double, nay, triple condolences, then.
Well, we did not have food waste this week....tried to use up things in the fridge & freezer with pretty good success. I put a couple very ripe bananas in the freezer (now I think I will use them for the banana-chocolate chip muffin recipe you shared!). As of this morning, other than condiments and a couple of oranges, our fridge is BARE! Good thing tomorrow is farmer's market/grocery day!
You must be a piano player with those dexterous fingers! Mine would end up looking like a mess if I tried to go that fast, I think. I need to try making buns again, I had tried once but they stuck to the towel as they rose and it was a mess and I never tried again (because... $0.89 at Aldi!).
As for the leeks, I don't even soak them. I cut them up in pieces and spray them really well with the sprayer from the kitchen sink, working my fingers between the pieces that grew closer to the ground. It wastes more water (although you could catch it in a plastic bin and use it to flush the toilet afterwards), but I don't have problems with dirt or sand afterwards.
I posted my Food Waste/Food Saves this morning at http://imperfectlyfrugally.blogspot.com/2015/06/food-waste-friday-6515.html
Yep, I am! Although I've been making rolls for nearly as long as I've been playing piano, so it's like second nature to me.
So this week I wasted a bit more than I wanted to. I've been getting a produce box every other week and I just can't seem to get through all the greens in that time. I lost half a head of romain lettuce, 1/4 bag of spicy greens, 2 bags of mustard greens, some onion tops (which is fine, I used the onions though), a bunch of basil I picked from my moms house, and some (1/2 c) of baby food. That is a lot of food when I write it out. Hopefully next week will be better.
I also tend to waste food simply because I can't readily see it and I forget about it! I recently started keeping a note on the side of the fridge with things that need used up within the next few days before they go bad. I'll look at it before I decide what meal or snack to make so I can incorporate whatever is on the list. It seems to work out pretty well!
Leeks are great in any kind of quiche. Leek & mushroom with freshet thyme is one of my favorites. Throw the top of the green part that you don't use in your bag of veg scraps for making stock, they add excellent flavor.
We have lots of odd bits hanging out as well. Taking some for lunch today, and will eat more for dinner as my husband has plans to be out. I am so happy to eat up odd bits and have a night off from cooking!
Wasted a bit of chard this week, but so far everything else is hanging in there.
I definitely watch the video how to shape buns.I made the other day and that's where I had trouble with so I ended up making big buns.
I love leeks, but cleaning them is so tedious! The recipes I've made usually call for thinly sliced rings, so I just slice them while still dirty and drop them in water, separating all of the layers of the rings (the tedious part) and swish them around a lot. Then I drain them into the basket of the salad spinner and rinse, before spinning dry. I've yet to have a gritty soup or casserole that way! I love them in a cassoulet with white beans and topped with biscuits!
Leeks sauted in butter make the best base for pureed butternut squash soup. They are delicious in a frittata. They make me actually want to cook and eat succotash.
I rinse them in the salad spinner until the water is clear. I generally freeze the tops to season broth or a pot of beans.
I have two jars of soup to throw out. This one makes me sad. I made lentil soup, but it upset the sensitive tummies of two of my family members so we just didn't get back to it.
ATK has a fantastic recipe for a Leek Gallette. It's really pretty easy since it's a rustic tart (more like a pizza than a pie). When I made it last time, I used the dark green as well as the white parts, and subbed goat cheese for Gorgonzola. Oh, you also don't have to get expensive shiitake mushrooms - it works just fine with the cheaper ones.
Well it's been a rough go over here with food waste. We are on the Dave Ramsey plan to pay off our truck and other debt and have almost entirely cut out restaurants. This caused us to over purchase the first few weeks for fear of not having food I guess. We are slowly learning the proper amounts of food.
This week we lost 1/4 of an avocado, 3 servings of turkey noodle soup, and 2 hot dogs. I thought we had frozen the hot dogs in time, but when we pulled them out they looked questionable (had greenish spots). I was able to put some of it in vermicomposting so I guess it's not a total loss
I had a few surprises when I cleaned out my produce drawer. There were some really slimy green onions, a slimy partial bunch of cilantro, and half a head of cabbage that was moldy. I also had some bad spots on my broccoli, but I was able to cut those off and use the rest of it.
I had some English muffins that were moldy two days after I bought them. I was pretty disappointed in that so I contacted their customer service and I have some good coupons for English muffins now.