Every Thanksgiving, an average family of four wastes approximately 1,16o pounds of uneaten food. That’s about $1,500 wasted out of your pocket. The USDA provides some suggestions for reducing food waste during Thanksgiving.
- Plan your meals beforehand.
- Before you head to the grocery store, make a list of what recipes you want to create and the ingredients that are needed. This will help avoid impulse purchases, which may include food that is not needed.
- When buying Turkey, a rule to remember is to plan one pound per person.
- If you want to have leftovers then plan one and a half pound per guest instead.
- For smaller family gatherings, consider preparing some favorite side-dishes to go with the feast such as your favorite rolls or dessert instead of several.
- If you have guests that want to bring a dish, plan in advance who will be cooking which dish.
- Save the scraps while cooking.
- Freezing scraps such as vegetable peelings and meat trimmings can be used for future creations.
- One idea is to use it later for savory broths or a hearty soup to provide comfort during the winter season.
- You can also cook the scraps to make other recipes or ingredients.
- This can include seasoning potato peelings to bake them into crunchy chips, or sauté extra onions for some delicious caramelized onions.
- Freezing scraps such as vegetable peelings and meat trimmings can be used for future creations.
- Store or give away leftovers.
- If storing, make sure to place the food into clear containers marked with the date and contents.
- This will increase the chances for leftovers to be remembered in the fridge and actually be eaten.
- If giving away your leftovers to your guest, let them choose their favorite dishes to take home to.
- If storing, make sure to place the food into clear containers marked with the date and contents.
- Be Creative with your leftovers.
- Think about the uneaten food you have in the fridge and add your little touch of creativity to it.
- Such as Extra Rolls and Bread can be turn into bread pudding, or making turkey chili with the leftover meat you have.
- Who knows? You may even start a new family tradition.
- Think about the uneaten food you have in the fridge and add your little touch of creativity to it.
- Composting
- Composting your food scraps can help your garden grow.
- Make sure to only toss in organics in the container and keep out produce stickers as well as non-compostable plastic bags, service ware, or utensils.
- Composting your food scraps can help your garden grow.
Whatever way you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, these tips can help you reduce food waste while still have a good time.
