Day 1: Root vegetable hash topped with a fried egg
Day 2: Burrito bowls with black beans, shredded carrots, corn, and cilantro lime rice
Day 3: Homemade pizza with pesto (frozen supply), Spinach salad
Day 4: Breakfast for dinner (pancakes), Frozen fruit smoothie
Day 5: Lasagna with spinach sneaked in
Day 6: Lemon butter cod, Steamed green beans (frozen supply), Warm applesauce
Day 7: Egg scramble with any veggies left in fridge
Notes: Ugly Produce
This is week two of my miniseries on food waste and today we are discussing ugly produce. We’re talking about wonky-looking carrots, bruised bell peppers, and smaller sized apples and oranges. These are the foods that grocery stores will not purchase from growers because consumers won’t buy them.
Kids are conditioned at an early age to only eat the biggest, most beautiful, shiny, symmetrical fruits and veggies and this has contributed to a food waste problem. The truth is, there is no difference in taste or nutrition of so-called “ugly produce”. Here are some ways that you can embrace those blemishes and help keep more food out of the landfill:
- Subscribe to Imperfect Foods or Misfits Market to get produce and other groceries delivered to you that otherwise would have gone to waste. The downside is that you aren’t always eating food that has been produced locally – something that these companies are working on.
- Sign-up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. This means a local farm will provide you with a box of produce picked fresh every week. They use what they have, ugly or not. I’ve received some really funny looking food over the years (see pics below). Honestly, those are the ones the kids want to eat! Check out my article How to Choose a CSA to find out more information about this option.
- At the grocery store, don’t be turned off by bumps or bruises. Brown or soft spots can easily be removed and the rest of the item enjoyed. In fact, I challenge you to search out some ugly produce during each shopping trip! Also, most grocery stores have a clearance produce section. You can find some awesome deals there.
- Actively work against the image of perfect produce in both your own mind and those impressionable little ones. Point out cool looking foods. Compare imperfect produce to ones considered “perfect” by cutting them up and showing that the taste is exactly the same.
Does ugly produce turn you off? What strategies do you use to avoid wasting imperfect foods? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!
In case you missed it: last week focused on meal planning to prevent food waste. Find out all of my secrets in this article, How to Meal Plan.
Ugly (cool!) produce pictures:
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- Funky Carrots
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- Bumpy Celeriac
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- Cracked Tomatos
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- Out of This World Kholrabi
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- Chicken-shaped Rutabaga
