I have been trying to live as zero-waste as possible for almost two years now. On my journey I have learned many useful things, from DIY products (read my article on that here) to repurposing food scraps for an almost zero-waste kitchen (You can find my article for this here). There are so many small changes you can make to decrease your waste. 🙂 Especially in the kitchen we tend to produce a lot of it. Obviously you get the peels and food scraps but how many times do you throw away items that have gone bad?
Here are some tips on how to create a more zero-waste kitchen:
1. Greens
Greens sadly go bad so quickly. So, if you have some spinach leaves left that look like they have been through a lot and you don’t feel like eating them right then and there, just blend them and freeze them in the ice cube tray. That way you always have a nice addition for your smoothies.
2. Lemons
I used to store lemons on the countertop but as I tend to buy in bulk there is no way I could use them all before they would start to go bad. Now I put them in water and store them in the fridge. They last a couple months, no problem! You can also juice them and put them in the freezer, same as the greens and then always have refreshing lemon juice at hand.
3. Apple cores
Why not make your own delicious apple juice instead of throwing the apple cores out straight away? Simply fill a pot with water around 1 inch above the cores and boil them for half an hour. Strain it and ready is your juice. Alternatively you could also try to make your own apple cider vinegar.
4. Strawberries
I love, love, love strawberries. But there is always one in the mix that is already mushy. Did you know, if you put the mushy strawberry in ice water for 20 minutes it will come out firm again? I didn’t before, but now I can enjoy my berry addiction even more.
5. Red Onions
Onions tend to last quite a while but if you do have one that is about to go bad, pickle it. For that, slice the onion and put it in a jar filled with white vinegar and warm water, add a pinch of salt and sugar, and you’re good to go.
6. Empty jam or peanut butter jars
It sucks to not be able to get every last bit of peanut butter out of the jar. What I started doing is to add oats, some soy or oat milk (or whichever you prefer) to the jar, chop an apple into it and add a splash of orange juice. Let it sit in the fridge and enjoy your overnight-oats the next morning. 🙂 That way you get most of the remaining peanut butter out while also enjoying a yummy snack.
For jam jars you can make your own delicious salad vinaigrette with the jam left-overs. Add vinegar and triple the amount of olive oil, shake well and done is your dressing.
7. Banana peels
Banana peels can also be repurposed before being composted to make a eco-friendly plant fertilizer. Let the peels sit in a jar of water for two days and done is the fertilizer.
I hope these tips help you in creating a more zero-waste kitchen. Let me know what other zero-waste lifehacks you have! We are all learning here. 🙂
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Photo: Unsplash, Pixabay
