rethinking food waste … Carrot Green and Parmesan Bites

I’ve been reading a lot lately about how much food we waste. Appalling numbers. Through a series of rabbit hole clicks on twitter, I ended up on the United Nations Environmental Programme website reading the “Food Waste Facts”. Ready for this? Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — gets lost or wasted. Really. But what caught my attention was this nugget: “Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).” Good lord. Rich countries. Oh, to be so privileged as to throw out food when so many have none. Makes me want to hide under the covers.

The effects go beyond just simply wasting the food by throwing it out. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that “global food wastage, about half of which occurs during production and post-harvest handling and storage, was responsible for 3.6 billion tons of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2007, the most recent year for which data is available; that’s more CO2 than Brazil, Japan and Australia together emitted in 2011”. Aarrrggghhh.

I’m not one to point fingers as I’m just as guilty as the next comfortable American. I’ll admit it; I throw out an embarrassing amount of food. Overambitious projects, derailed intentions of healthy eating, a strong dislike of leftovers, excess bits and outright disasters from work projects. I give away a lot of food but the bits and pieces and wilty forgotten scraps add up anyway. Right now I have a packed refrigerator and two giant plastic storage tubs of ingredients to deal with from various work projects. And let’s not even talk about my two freezers. I need a support group. Or a twelve step program.

When I got to the stories of imperfect produce, I almost lost it. Many times, imperfect or “ugly” fruits and vegetables are tossed before they even make it anywhere near us. From a Washington Post article earlier this year: “The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that high cosmetic standards in the retail industry exclude 20 to 40 percent of fresh produce from the market.” 40% of a given crop doesn’t even make it anywhere near a potential buyer? Are we that self absorbed that we won’t buy a funky looking tomato?

Yes. I worked several summers at a farmers market stand and saw it all the time. If we’re just going to chop it up or puree it why does it matter what it looks like? I read somewhere in one of these links that if the beet looks like a butt it goes straight into the compost bin. I might buy a butt beet, actually, just because. Which is why I love the idea of the European grocery chain Intermarche’s “inglorious fruits and vegetable” campaign to show consumers the beauty of the imperfect vegetable. It’s brilliant. And they sold the less than perfect produce at a discount in store, creating a more efficient food system for everyone. We need this here in the States. I’d patronize a store that did this. For sure.

Yet the more I read, the worse I feel. Not just the food waste itself but how much water, land, energy, labor and money am I throwing in the trash? Composting would help but I live in a city apartment where that’s not really an option. I don’t have the answers. Not even close, but there are things you and I can do. Things we could all be better about.

Understand “best by” dates. They indicate nothing about the safety of the food. I have a friend who routinely trashes anything a few days before that date. It drives me nuts as she’s throwing away perfectly good food in the morning only to buy it again that afternoon. I have a few general practices in this area. Eggs last longer than you think and definitely longer than the stamp says. It’s pretty obviously when milk is bad – if it’s chunky, throw it out. Buttermilk lasts forever. Taste the fruit juice, boozy is bad. If you see mold on anything, toss it. Unless it’s cheese then think about cutting that mold off and carry on. Meat and fish gets funky fast – if it’s slimy, smells bad or is an odd color, el garbage. Better yet, if you’re not going to use it within 2 days of purchase, freeze it.

Utilize your freezer. If you can’t get to it right now, freeze it. Peel those black bananas, stick them in a Ziploc and freeze for smoothies, banana bread or a quick sorbet. Do the same with all that fruit you thought you’d eat but never quite got to. Buy too much chicken? Freeze it. Thought you’d eat 7 kale salads this week but got tired after the first one? Sauté it and freeze it for later.

Pay attention. I routinely watch customers at the farmers market rip the greens from the beets and throw them in a bin under the table. Take them. They’re delicate and destined for the compost bin. I bet you can get them for free and sautéed beet greens are really something special. Same goes for carrot and radish tops. Look for “seconds” – produce markets and farmers will often sell less than perfect fruit and vegetables for jam, pickling and preserving. Not long ago, I bought an entire flat of blackberries for $1.50. It took a little time to sort out the moldy berries but even with the slight waste and time spent, it was a steal.

Be realistic. Buy what you can get through. Not my forte, this one. I just spent some time in France where people routinely go to the market once or twice a week with a plan, buy exactly what they need and most importantly, buy what’s in season. As much as we’ve grown used to 24-hour grocery stores selling strawberries in December, this isn’t really a good thing. And while the idea of keeping a bag of vegetable scraps and chicken wing tips in the freezer for the stock you’re going to make someday is appealing, let’s be real. Will you really?

Rethink your scraps. Crisp up those potato peels in the oven. Puree those parsley and cilantro stems into a sauce. Throw those pineapple rinds, cucumber peels or strawberry tops in a pitcher of water for a refreshing drink. Candy those juiced-out citrus rinds (or any of these awesome ideas). Take that rock hard baguette and run it through the grating disc on your food processor for breadcrumbs.

Last week I bought two fat bunches of the most beautiful carrots at the farmers market. They were beautiful shades of crimson and orange with gigantic robust greens. Sitting on the top of my market bag, I unintentionally shoved them in at least 15 people’s faces while shopping. Large and lush, they pretty much took up the whole front seat of my car. It got me to thinking. What can you do with carrot tops? It seemed such a shame to throw these beauties in the trash. So I did what I do when I have a question. I googled. And I got a lot of ideas.

Pesto and salsa verde came up a lot but one idea in particular appealed to me – working the tops into a type of meatless meatball. Spinach balls are one of the most popular appetizer requests at a catering company I work for, so why not? Similar idea, right?

Sautéed onion, parsley, parmesan, the chopped greens, breadcrumbs and an egg or two to bind, I sautéed them up in a hot pan with a bit of oil, very much like a meatball. They were … interesting. I mean that in a good way. With a grassy like flavor, I felt somehow healthier for eating them. After downing a few plain, I decided I liked them much better served tapas-style in a bit of chunky tomato sauce with a sprinkling of parmesan. Now that I think about it, I bet these would make a great meatless meatball sub with a nice layer of melted provolone. Next time!

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS ONE. First off, using the greens that would otherwise end up in the dump is a really good thing. Second, this is like green juice. You somehow feel a little burst of energy after eating these, whether real or imagined. The health halo hits you upside the head, I suppose. I really enjoyed these.

Six years ago: Wild Blackberry Jam
Five years ago: Betty’s Pies and Pie Shakes – exploring Minnesota
Four years ago: Life in Southwest France
Three years ago: Bastille Day Bomb Pops
Two years ago: Hungarian Cherry Soup
Last year: Guinness Crème Anglaise

CARROT GREEN & PARMESAN BITES – based on this recipe
Serves 4 as an appetizer

1 bunch carrot greens, coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 large eggs
Oil for frying

1. Pulse greens in a food processor until finely chopped. This worked better for me in two batches. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat and sauté until lightly golden and tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute.
4. Add the chopped carrot greens, parsley, crushed red pepper and sauté for a few minutes until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool. Wash the skillet and set aside to dry.
6. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan and eggs; stir to combine. Squeeze a small ball of the mixture; it should hold together. If not, add more breadcrumbs if too wet or another egg if too dry.
7. Portion the mixture into small meatball sized meatballs.
8. Heat enough oil in the skillet over medium-high to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
9. When hot, add the balls to the pan in a single layer without crowding, then turn the heat down to medium – medium-low. You may have to do in batches.
10. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
11. Carefully turn the balls over to cook on all sides.
12. Serve immediately or at room temperature. I like these best served with a bit of tomato sauce and additional parmesan.