Becoming the Solution: How to Minimize Food Waste and Share Our Bounties
Most years that we’ve had a garden, we’ve grown more food than we can consume. We give away extra seedlings, then later, fruits and vegetables to family, friends, and neighbors. We freeze and can, and consume promptly as possible, but unfortunately, we still end up wasting some food. Each year we learn, plan better, and waste less. We do so, because we know that much of food waste is avoidable, and we are fortunate to have easy access to healthy food at all. Just as food waste happens more often than it should, so does food insecurity.
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity has been an issue in the U.S. for quite some time. The effects of the recent pandemic magnified this plight. While food pantries are able to provide citizens in need with non-perishables, the logistics, including supply chain and timeliness of deliveries by organizations that help supply these pantries all over the country, is complicated. In many instances, pantries which are equipped to receive and store fresh produce, are unable to do so when the foods have travelled from quite a distance. In these cases, there is a short window to distribute them while fresh. Securing local fresh produce supply such as garden surplus can really make a great difference in these instances.
Fresh produce is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to nutrition. We are a nation with increased incidence of obesity and high rates of diabetes and heart disease in numerous communities. Equal access to healthier options is a good foundation to build upon.
How To Help
When it comes to decreasing food waste, the best approach is planning. This means planning from the very beginning, when determining how many pounds of produce or number of plants you will need for your gardening purpose. Have a sowing schedule that will ensure that you are not swamped by having to harvest all at once (see succession planting). Plan in advance and communicate your harvest schedule, so you have help with harvesting if needed, or so recipients (whether friends, family, or food pantry) are ready for your harvest or donation. Have a schedule for when you plan to preserve your harvests.
You can make arrangements to share harvests with local food pantries. If you are unsure where to start, Ample Harvest has a website (link below) where home gardeners can enter their zip code and find local food banks that may accept your fresh fruit and vegetables. Please contact the listed food banks in advance to ensure that they are capable of accepting and storing fresh produce. In some instances, if you are unable to deliver the produce, pantries may be able to provide a pickup service. If you anticipate a surplus or would simply like to help your local food supply chain, please check it out and please share your experience with us!
https://ampleharvest.org/donate-food/
About Ample Harvest:
AmpleHarvest.org is a unique nationwide resource that is eliminating the waste of food. By doing this, hunger and malnutrition is reduced and the environment is improved. They do this by using the internet to enable 61 million Americans who grow food to easily donate their excess harvest. They bring their fresh food to one of 8,038 registered local food pantries nationwide. These food pantries provide food to one out of six Americans (including a quarter of all children under age six).
According to the United Way, 41 million Americans (~13% of the population) were food-insecure pre-pandemic. This number decreased to a little over 34 million in 2021, following an increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, changes in child tax credits, and fundraising and donations of organizations focused on reducing poverty and hunger. As the boost in SNAP benefits and child tax credits expires, and food costs increase, this number is expected to rise once again. Every donation of food can help people in need.
If you are someone who has decreased access to fresh produce, you can also use the link above to locate a food pantry. You may also consider starting a small garden of your own. You just need access to an outdoor area with a minimum of 6-8 hours sunlight, medium to large pots, potting soil, and seeds or seedlings. Seeds for edible plants, seedlings and some ready made hydroponic growing systems can be purchased with SNAP benefits. Click here for more details regarding starting a small container garden.
Preserving and Processing Produce
Of course, not buying more than you can consume or process is the easiest way, but sometimes things do not work out as planned. Other than the following methods for preserving food, first make sure that you are storing your fresh foods appropriately to lengthen their availability and freshness as long as possible.
Click here for more information. You might just discover a better way to keep your produce!
Blanching and Freezing
With this method, you freeze your produce at its peak with minimal loss of nutrients. All you need is a large pot to boil water, a slotted spoon, colander, large bowl or container to hold iced water, and freezer bags or containers.
It typically involves boiling cleaned fruit/vegetables for several minutes before immersing them in an ice bath for several minutes. Once thoroughly drained, the produce can then be stored in freezer safe containers for later use. Freezing them (single layer) on a parchment lined baking sheet first, helps prevent decreases the likelihood of them sticking together during storage.
We love using this method to process our green beans, and have used a variation of this to remove the skins of cherry tomatoes. It also works for broccoli, cauliflower, greens, and a variety of other foods.
Recommended timing for various vegetables.
Dehydrating Produce
This method is often used for herbs and fruit. Try adding some homemade dried herbs to your seasoning rack, or maybe some dried fruit for hot cereal or healthy snacks.
Drying Herbs
- Rinse and dry whether via salad spinner or colander and spread to air dry or drain onto clean cloth or paper towels.
- Bundle stems together with twine and suspend from stems in cool dry location until dried out.
- Cover with paper bag with small slits or holes near the top, if you plan to catch falling seeds.
- Crumble and store in airtight container.
OR
- Set oven to lowest temperature.
- Rinse and shake or air dry your herb cuttings.
- Remove stems and flowers if you do not plan to use in herb blend.
- Spread single layer on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and heat for recommended time (1-4 hours depending upon density and moisture of herb type)
OR
Use a dehydrator and follow the guidelines for your food items.
Additional ways to dry your herbs
More details regarding equipment and instruction for dehydrating fruits and vegetables
Canning
Canning is a good method to preserve pickling cucumbers, peppers, beets, relishes, salsas and more, as well as a way to prepare and safely store homemade fruit preserves, juices, and sauces. Below is a list of resources for canning a variety of produce and canning supplies.
https://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/beginners-guide-to-canning
Canning Sets
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=canning+sets&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=canning%20sets
Mason Jars
You may find the jars necessary for canning at hardware stores, grocery stores, or any number of big box stores and online retailers. Below are just some options.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mason+jars&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=mason%20jars
Whichever method you select to minimize your food waste, every little bit helps. Enjoy the growing season and may your harvests be bountiful. Return to visit us for the latest, timely garden updates!
Featured image: Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash