Experimenting with peels, leaves, stalks, tops and ends!

For the last few years I have been experimenting with ways to cook with scraps. It helps me get the most out of the food I buy, reduces the waste I create and allows me to make more delicious dishes. In this post series you will find all my failed experiments and successful strategies. Forget the “100 surprising uses for your coffee grinds (number 73 will shock you!)”. If you want actionable advice, this is the post for you!

I will update this guide regularly, so keep an eye out for new posts!

first of all: food safety rules apply to food scraps, too!
Don’t use scraps that have been sitting on your kitchen counter for hours. For all food scraps, make sure you don’t use anything that looks off or moldy. Work cleanly and use your best judgment!

Furthermore, the following food scraps I would not recommend for consumption, because they may make you unwell: anything green from a potato, eggplant stems, large amounts of apple and pear seeds, pits from cherries, apricots, plums, or similar fruits, or anything bitter from a pumpkin.

eat it

Some food waste is easily avoided. Examples include the green top of strawberries, the skin of kiwis, the peels and cores of apples and pears (except maybe for the seeds), the peels of vegetables like carrots or cucumber. Just wash well and start munching!

You do not have to start with eating everything, you can start small. You probably don’t peel your tomatoes, bell peppers and blueberries. So why not expand this list step by step! Put the greens of your strawberries in a smoothie instead of throwing them away. Make the piece of core you cut out of your apple a little bit smaller every time.

The next thing you can try is adding the greens of your veggies to any dish you are making. Making a salad with some raddish? Add the greens. Making a soup with some beets? Add the greens. Adding a carrot to your bolognese? Add the greens!

If eating the peels of your carrots and cucumbers is new to you, you can start by