The Thrifty Kitchen: Cooking with Fruit and Vegetable Scraps

We try to shop organic as much as we can, and sometimes organic produce is considerably pricier than conventional. When you pay a premium for organic food, you want to get your money’s worth! Before you throw those fruit and veggie scraps into the compost bin, check out these ways to use the bits and pieces that you’d normally toss.

Swiss Chard

Chard leaves are the star in lots of tasty veggie dishes, but after chopping up all of those greens, you’re left with a pile of stems. The stems, or ribs, are actually great in recipes, too! They’re crunchy and slightly tangy. You can treat them like celery or onions and add them to stir fries, casseroles, soups, and stews.

Celery Leaves

Margie, the woman who operates the local Atlanta CSA Vegetable Husband, has a great suggestion for the leaves on the top of celery. She adds them to soups and stews for a deep, celery flavor. Celery leaves also work really well in salads of both the greens- and mayonnaise-based varieties. Just chop them up finely and mix them right in to add a little kick!

Mushroom Stems

Many stuffed mushroom recipes call for chopping the stems right up into your filing mixture, but these tasty leftovers have more uses than just that! Once you remove the tough part at the very bottom of the stem, try adding them to everything from soups and casseroles to salad dressings. You can toss your dressing into a food processor with some mushroom stems and process until smooth to add a nice, earthy taste to your salads.

Citrus Peels

After peeling that orange or juicing a lemon, you can take advantage of the zest before composting the rest! Citrus zest is the dark-colored part of the skin, and it’s perfect for adding a citrusy flavor to baked goods. You can remove it using a paring knife or vegetable peeler. Just wrap the zest in wax paper and put it in a container in the freezer. It should last a couple of weeks.

Broth

Home made, organic vegetable broth is a great catch-all for your scraps! You can save veggie leavings – like onion and garlic peel, carrot ends, mushroom stems, and stems from fresh herbs and spices – in a container in the freezer. Once you have enough, just put them into a pot with enough water to cover and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat and simmer for an hour, then strain out the scraps. What’s left is a wholesome, tasty veggie broth that’s just as good as (if not better than) the store-bought sort!

Read more: Conservation, Food, cooking, food, organic food

Image Credit: cizauskas on Flickr.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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J.L. A.

8:24AM PDT on Mar 30, 2012

great ideas to avoid food waste

send a green star

Silas G.

6:12AM PST on Jan 18, 2012

Interesting. Not sure I'll use most of these tips, but it's worth filing away in the back of my mind.

Michele W.

10:20AM PDT on Nov 1, 2011

Thank you

Sheri P.

6:58PM PDT on Jul 16, 2011

Great ideas, thanks!

Heather D.

5:30AM PDT on Jun 30, 2011

I don't think it ever occurred to me that it would be possible to cook with food scraps! We routinely separate food scraps from the rest of our trash; now I will be a little more selective in where I toss my scraps!

Jennifer C.

5:55AM PDT on May 18, 2011

Good tips. Thanks for this wonderful posting.

ESC C.

6:45AM PDT on Mar 21, 2011

My compost pile is going to go hungry once I impliment these tips! :)

wo e.

10:00AM PST on Mar 6, 2011

never thought i might like veggie broth. but, i think i will try this. because, it will be from veggies left over from my own veggie choices.

Sandy D.

8:30AM PST on Mar 6, 2011

The veggie broth sounds awesome! Thanks!

Aaa M.

2:35PM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Also - @Laura M. Cabbage has a very strong flavor and smell. Chard is more delicate. When my Mother grows them in the summer she use to lay them side by side in a shallow dish after steaming the stems only and put grated cheese on them. They are absolutely delicious. Always check your vegetables. Some have a stronger flavor than others. I don't like the flavor of green pepper in just anything so I am careful what I use it in.
In general vegetable peels hold the greater amount of nutrients in most vegetables anyway.
Another great idea is using the insides of the broccoli stems. Peel the stems and use the crisp insides in coleslaw and salads or chop them for anything that calls for broccoli.