Don’t toss your vegetable scraps! Save them to make delicious homemade vegetable broth or rich compost. Learn which veggie scraps to save and how to use them.
As we enter into the holiday season, you might find yourself cooking more than usual. This means you also might find yourself with more food waste – and specifically veggie scraps – on hand.
Instead of tossing your onion and carrot peels in the garbage, you can save your veggie scraps and use them!
Learn why, how, and which veggie scraps to save to reduce your carbon footprint AND enjoy delicious homemade vegetable broth using something you might otherwise have thrown away.
Why You Should Save your Vegetable Scraps
Did you know that when you toss food scraps in the trash, they don’t break down the way they usually would in nature?
When organic compounds (meaning any type of food or food waste) are tossed in a landfill, they don’t have access to oxygen. Because of this, instead of breaking down into rich soil like in a compost pile, the food scraps rot and produce methane. Methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gases.
If you decrease the amount of food waste that goes into the garbage, you can reduce your carbon footprint and become more eco-friendly!
What to Do with Vegetable Scraps
Instead of throwing away vegetable scraps in the garbage, there are several ways you can use them. Try these clever ideas the next time you have food waste!
Make Homemade Vegetable Broth: Homemade veggie broth is so delicious and easy to make! Save or Pin this Veggie Broth Recipe and use it in all types of soups and casseroles for an extra burst of flavor.
Cook with Vegetable Scraps: More parts of fruits and vegetables are edible than you might think! Check out these “Scrappy Cooking” ideas from Plant You to find unique ways to use the “extra” parts of produce.
Grow New Vegetables out of Scraps: from celery to lettuce to many herbs, you can grow new plants from your scraps! Simply plant the base of the vegetable which you might otherwise throw away, water regularly, and watch a new plant grow.
Compost Your Vegetable Scraps: Here are a few tips to get started composting in your backyard. Or if you’d rather be a little more hands-off, consider a composting service in your area.
How to Store Vegetable Scraps So They Don’t Stink or Spoil
Okay, so you’re all in for saving your veggie scraps – but you definitely don’t want them to stink! The best tip for saving veggie scraps for later use – whether to make into broth or to compost – is to freeze them.
Simply gather all your scraps and place them in a reusable container, label them (so you don’t forget what they are), and put them in the freezer until you’re ready to use. No stink, no spoilage, no problem!
Make sure to save this recipe for Homemade Vegetable Broth from Veggie Scraps so you can enjoy all the goodness from your scraps this time of year!
Happy veggie scrap saving,
Dietitian Ann
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