27 Mar 5 Ways to Repurpose Kitchen Scraps

Want to make the most of your fresh groceries? Here are 5 ways to repurpose your kitchen scraps or extra food. It’s a great way to prevent food waste and save money!

Regrowing

Regrow or keep your veggies fresh in a bit of water! It’s so simple, yet so effective. Just fill a glass container with enough water to cover the roots of the veggie and keep the water fresh as you watch it grow. For more tips, we found this article helpful.

Pickling

When you have too many veggies or just want to switch it up, try pickling! Grab some of your favourite vinegar, a sprinkle of salt and a mason jar…

There are many awesome pickling recipes online, but the one of our favourites is this one from delish.com using carrots and garlic…gotta get that garlic in! We tried it without allspice or red pepper flakes and it was still amazing. You can go as complex or simple as you like – that’s what we love.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. allspice berries
• 1 c. rice vinegar
• 1 c. water
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
• 2 cloves garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small pot over medium-low heat, toast peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and allspice until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add in vinegar, water, sugar, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat.
2. Pack carrot sticks and garlic into a sterilized 1-quart glass jar (or two pint-sized glass jars) and pour over vinegar solution. Seal jar, refrigerate, and let sit at least 12 hours before serving.

Gardening

We’re sure you’re already familiar with composting fruit & veggies, but have you ever saved your eggshells for the garden? Eggshells are high in calcium, along with other nutrients that soil needs. Simply rinse out and dry your eggshells before crushing into a jar (it’s actually pretty fun) and saving them for the garden. To use as mulch, grind them into a fine powder. To use as snail repellent, crush loosely and spread around plants that snails love.

Using in soup / stock

Save your wilting, sad veggies by chopping up into a hearty soup or stock! We were inspired by our friend Sarah from @hazelandhome who shared a hack of freezing her vegetable scraps to make into soup stock! We love this idea because you are able to save it until you have enough to make into stock at a convenient time, while sealing in the good nutrients.

Cleaning

Use your citrus peels to make your own DIY cleaner! Our preference is orange or mandarin.
See our recipe HERE

We hope these tips have been helpful! Tell us your green hacks on social media! We’d love to share them with our community.