The Frugal Kitchen

Reducing Kitchen Waste

The frugal kitchen is about getting creative and using as much of the parts of our food that is normally considered waste. When I started growing my own food, the way I looked at produce changed. Because of all the effort, time, and love I put into my garden, I found that I wanted as little as possible to go to waste from my garden. I have always been creative in the kitchen, but this has stretched me as a home cook. Suddenly I was finding wonderful ways to use up things that I may have considered throwing away. I will admit, some things are just not that palatable to me, carrot tops for example. While they can be used I find the flavor disagreeable and they end up back in the garden under the mulch.

While most of the ideas in this post are about garden produce, there is also a splattering of other kitchen items that can get a second life in something delicious.

From The Garden

Saving Stalks and Stems

Steam or batter fry cauliflower or broccoli stems and serve as a snack with a roasted red pepper dip.
Use the stems of kale, cilantro, mustard, and swiss chard to make lacto- fermented pickles. Check out Pascal Baudar’s book Wild Crafted Fermentation for delicious recipes. The stalks and stems of many vegetables can be used to make delicious culinary treats.

Leafy Tops

The leafy tops of many plants can work as a second crop from the harvest.

Young radish leaves are delicious sauteed with onions, garlic, chili pepper, salt, and some tomato. Serve on fresh bread.
Carrot tops are often used in pesto or even in homemade stock.
Beet greens are basically the same as swiss chard. Use in any recipe that calls for chard or spinach.

Vegetable Peelings

Save ginger peels to make tea.
Hang onto those potato peels and turn them into a delicious starter or snack by roasting them and then loading with toppings of sour cream, chives, and cheese.
Use other vegetable peels in homemade stocks.
Onion skins add deep color to homemade stock. Also used for dyeing fabric.
Use pea pods to make a lovely pea stock that is wonderful for risotto.

Herbs

Some herbs are better suited to freezing than drying. Cilantro, basil, and dill are an example of a few. Read our solution for freezing herbs here. I often chop up and dry tender cilantro or parsley stems. They are packed with flavor and make an excellent addition to stocks and broths.
Others such as oregano, thyme, mint, and chives can be dehydrated or hung to dry then stored for future use.

Tomato Seeds And Peels- After The Sauce

After making tomato sauces, there is often a lot of skins and seeds left in the strainer. Dehydrate and blitz to make a delicious tomato dust. Use it to add flavor to dips, soups, marinades or sprinkle on top of veggies and other food.

Citrus Rind

There are a few different options to use up citrus peelings or zest.

Limoncello is a simple and much-appreciated liqueur. It can be made by thinly removing the lemon rind, adding vodka and sugar, and left to infuse. Here’s an easy and delicious recipe. Experiment with other citrus a well.
Dried Zest- a Microplane grater comes in handy to zest citrus. The zest can then be dried out over a few days or dried in a dehydrator. Once completely dry, store in a jar and use in baking, teas, salad dressing, or marinades.
Citrus infused syrups can also be kept on hand. To make add some thinly peeled zest to the saucepan when making a simple syrup. Used to sweeten beverages, in cocktails, drizzled on fruit, and ice cream.
Make an environment-friendly citrus peel cleaner. Here’s an easy recipe we love.

Fruit Scraps

Watermelon rinds can be made into pickles or even a very delicious watermelon ginger jam. (Coming this summer we will be sharing a recipe for watermelon ginger jam.)
Use pineapple peels and scrap to make a refreshing tepache. This is a lively video by Brad Leone from Bon Appetite sharing his tepache recipe.
Fruit peelings and scraps can also be used to make vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar banana vinegar, pineapple and more.

Over-Ripe Fruit

Puree and freeze overripe fruit such as bananas, pears, berries, papaya, and guavas and use in smoothies.
They also work well for flavored kombucha
Make frozen fruit bars for a summertime treat
Add a cube of frozen fruit to water for a flavored refreshing drink.

Corn Silk And Husks

Use dried corn cobs for pot scrubbing or as fire starter.
2015’s International chef of the year, Chef Enrique Olvera uses burnt corn husks to flavor food. Burn some leaves, and store in a dry airtight jar. Use to flavor desserts, beans, pasta, and more.

From The Fridge

Parmesan rinds

Freeze parmesan rinds and use to flavor soups. Simply drop into a pot of soup for complexity and depth.

Fermenting Brine

Once sauerkraut or fermented veggies have been consumed, you may have the brining liquid leftover. Use this for gut shots, add it to soup and marinades or kickstart your next ferment.

Mushroom Stems

Do not discard mushroom stems or old mushrooms. (If they are slimy, toss out.) Instead, dry the stems and store them in an airtight jar. Use to flavor soups, stews, and beans. Mushrooms should be dried in the sun with the bottom part facing up. Mushrooms in this manner will absorb vitamin D, which is vital for immune and respiratory support.

Pantry Items

Left Over Bread

Stale and leftover bread or crusts can be used in delicious ways to dress up food.

Use bread to make croutons. Simply cut some stale bread into cubes, drizzle generously with olive oil, add a sprinkle of salt, and some dried or fresh chopped herbs. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 15-20 min.
Stale bread can also be made into rough breadcrumbs, then pan toasted with garlic and herbs on some olive oil. This makes an excellent topping to dress up simple pasta or baked casseroles.
Bread pudding is another option, but also a summer cold pudding of bread and berries. Try this delicious recipe from The Barefoot Contessa.
Breakfast for dinner? Make french toast! It is best made with slightly stale bread so that the bread does not absorb too much egg. Add sweet or savory toppings depending on your mood. For a savory option, add chopped cilantro, chipotle chili, ground cumin, and salt to the egg. Top with a toasted cumin crema, and avocado slices.