I am prompted to ask because I seem to be throwing away too much produce. When I buy watercress and some leeks, I'm positive I will make soup, but somehow the days fly by, and they must be thrown out. It is wasteful, and a bit embarrassing to be so cavalier with food that I am lucky enough to be able to buy. I must change the way I shop. I looked back on the blog and found that just a year ago I was talking about sort of the same thing. Really? How long does it take me to learn, to try a new way of shopping?
We do big shopping once a month and produce shopping once a week. There are times when I have to throw produce out and I feel terrible. I mentally plan my meals as I shop.
ReplyDeleteFor decades I shopped willy-nilly, several times a week with no plan. A few years ago I started meal planning and found that I stopped wasting so much food. Now I shop once a week. Some weeks, time gets away from me or a meal I thought would last one night, lasts two (or vice versa). Two things were key to me: (1) I plan for only 5 or 6 dinners, not 7. (2) I don't lock a specific meal to a specific day. Here's a post I wrote: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2016/02/weekend-cooking-more-on-meal-planning.html
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good topic. I am fortunate enough to have a supermarket a few blocks away which means I am continuously stopping for something, In the summer and fall I belong to a CSA farm and they give me the produce that is available for that week. That is the most frustrating to me. This week I got 6 sweet potatoes and I already had bought a bag of sweets at Trader Joe.. I also got 4 kohlrabi that I'm not in the mood to cook. The only time I plan is when I am posting a recipe on my blog and need specific ingredients for the recipe. Yes, I too waste too much food and I too feel terrible. I should start to plan.. good discussion - thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm a weekly planner, too. I plan dinners, one soup or something for weekend lunches, and shop once a week. Over the years I've found that planning saves both time and money. Like Beth F, I plan just 5 or 6 dinners and don't lock meals to specific days. Plus I always have ingredients (pantry or frozen) on hand for a couple of quick meals if plans change unexpectedly. Near the end of the week, I might have to make another trip to the store for additional produce, yogurt, etc. To keep things interesting, I try to try at least one new recipe every week :)
ReplyDeleteI shop a few times a week, and try not to waste stuff! I don't find it difficult to make "refrigerator soup" and/or crustless quiche, or stir fries to use up things that need to be used up....But I am not perfect at never wasting. Can you compost or throw out for animals to avoid this?
ReplyDeleteWe shop often and in smallish quantities. I am rght against waste. Cheers
ReplyDeleteI hate to waste food, and rarely throw away anything, but I'm hard-pressed to say how I plan. I live near several excellent food sources, both mass market (Trader Joe, Whole Foods, Kroger) and smaller local fresh-produce shops, and I make the rounds of these on a haphazard basis. But I guess I just keep in mind what's already on hand. I have a very small freezer, so I don't really do much ahead-of-time cooking.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thought-provoking question!
Best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
These days I throw out very little - not that I am "holier than thou", Nan, but I suddenly realised that what hasn't been eaten and is nearly ready to go, can be frozen and used as and when. Of course, a few fresh chicken portions only require popping in a container before going to the freezer shelf but most veg should really be blanched before freezing, so there is a little work to be done. Watercress? Don't buy unless you are going to eat today or tomorrow, and have you tried the little ones with watercress sandwiches? Yum!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a neighborhood refrigerator. When I think produce is about to go off, I put it there. Someone (mostly people who aren't well off) pick them up for their cooking. It works pretty well for us.
ReplyDeleteEvery so often I realize I need to clean out the bins in the fridge and I make soup. Maybe if you put it in you calendar to check your fridge? This helps me.
ReplyDeleteGood topic, Nan, and I've appreciated the thoughts of those who have already commented.
ReplyDeleteI tend to stock up on staples and things that have a long shelf life and do buy ahead, especially at this time of year, for holiday baking. On-the-other-hand, I always seem to be stopping for produce and perishables. We consume a lot of fruit and fresh vegetables, in large part because of Tom's diabetic needs, and in part because they are good for both of us. If I buy too much, they end up on the compost pile, which isn't bad but better for us to eat them - so, I shop often for those things.
I seemed to be tossing out way too many things, so, have been making a conscious effort to eat leftovers in a day or two, freeze leftovers for another time time. Like others, stir frying and soups are often made from leftovers and produce that are getting old.
When I lived in central New York, we would grocery shop once a week. Now that we are here in NYC, I pretty much go to the grocery store every day since I have to carry everything home. Every six weeks or so I make a Costco/Target trip and sometimes I will hit Trader Joe's when I need oatmeal.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting topic, Nan, and nobody can say it does not concern them, too!
ReplyDeleteI went and re-read what you posted (and my comment) about a year ago, so that I would not repeat my own comment. What I said back then is still true.
I hate throwing food away and do my best to avoid it. Most of the time, I need very little groceries and can estimate how much I will need - during the week, I eat a hot lunch at work, so salad and maybe some bread and cheese are enough for evenings at home. I often eat out with friends, and am away many weekends.
When I know O.K. will spend the weekend with me (or I expect other guests), I think about what I would like to cook, and shop accordingly. As I carry all my shopping home on foot, I rather buy too little than too much... but I hope none of my guests have ever left my home hungry!
I was so organized when we had four kids in the house! Now, years later, I still struggle with cooking for just two. Having a well-stocked pantry helps (thanks to the bulk section at our food co-op up in Montpelier) and a veggie garden during the growing season is divine. We keep some produce in our root cellar which helps to keep us going through about March. We don't have a big freezer because we sometimes have power outages. Planning out a week of meals really does help. I hate to put food in the compost, but it does end up back in the garden eventually. Whenever I read about how much food Americans waste, and at the same time, how so many suffer from hunger I am reminded to do better in my own kitchen! Great convo here, Nan!
ReplyDeleteThought provoking post and comments -- I loved this conversation. Like a couple of your other friends, I plan and shop for about four dinners at a time -- this usually lasts ten days or so, because we will eat out or have leftovers, or make breakfast or soup for supper or ..... When I shop now after all these years it's the same old same old mental list for breakfast and any possible third meal (lunch, supper or snack)... I do try to change up the main meal, try new recipes -- and Bill is even cooking occasionally nowadays (not so I can count on it though ;>0. I make in-between trips for produce as needed and try really hard not to throw stuff away, but, like you, I sometimes mis-calculate (the Farmer's Market is SO tempting) and feel terrible about it. Right now, we're in the twice-yearly mode of eating everything in the house because we're getting ready to migrate. So I am shopping a day at a time as needed and trying hard to use up all of the 'refrigerator door stuff' -- it is very hard to come out even on mustard and soy sauce )). Our daughter doesn't need the food, but she'll get what's left anyway the day before we leave. I did love that somebody above had a neighborhood refrigerator! I'd like to live where she does!!!
ReplyDeleteWe officially shop every two weeks, but a day doesn't go by when we run to the store for something. The produce does go bad sometimes. Broccoli and cauliflower hold up, but as for watercress...! I l look forward to hearing your solution.
ReplyDeleteMy sincere thanks to every one of you! I have the.best.readers, as I've noted. I don't write for days and days, and when I do, you are right there! Thank you. This was a very interesting conversation. I've gotten some good ideas, and will put them to use. I think I'll start with shopping twice a week, religiously, buying less produce at a time, and using what I buy right off. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a weekly planner. I shop once a week and try to stick to my grocery list and not buy items on a whim. However, if it's something I know we'll use and it's on sale, I go ahead and get it. I'm terrible about throwing out produce, as well, though. I think it's just the way it goes since it doesn't last forever, even when taking care to keep it from getting wilty or rotten. (With that said, I bought a head of romaine lettuce at the Farmer's Market earlier this summer and it stayed fresh for well over two weeks! That never happens with store-bought!) When I worked closer to a Trader Joe's and my grocery store, I was more apt to buy produce the day or day before I was going to use it. Now it sits in the refrigerator, often times getting lost or ignored.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions and responses. I am curious about the community refrigerator that Nishitak mentioned. What a wonderful idea!
I surely understand, buy much, anything that is appealing, trying to gain weight, so much thrown out, do freeze a lot, now when family visits - no problem....
ReplyDeletewill add because of now severe arthritis I find my best walking is holding onto the cart at the market
ReplyDeleteso go often and easier to put a few bags up the stairs then like in the past once a week a dozen bags.
a lot of soup and chili in upcoming Winter months takes care of a lot put in the freezer..
Dear Nan, Thanks so much for asking these questions and thanks to all the readers who commented. I have the exact same problem. One thing I am trying is to look in the fridge and see what I have a lot of that might soon go to waste and figure out how to cook it up. My sister in law is a genius at this but it does not come naturally to me. I often plan on something, buy the ingredients, and don't make it, and then the ingredients are kaput. I am going to try the other way around more--what do I have in the house that needs to be eaten now and what can I do with it. Thanks again for posting on this.
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