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As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day — on April 22 —I thought I’d share some facts about how much food the average American family wastes each year, and then focus on how we can reduce food waste.

Depending on what figures you look at, the average family of four in the United States wastes from about $1,350 to $2,275 every year.

When broken down by components, it turns out that fresh fruits and vegetables are the food we waste most, making up 22 percent of the food we throw away.

Trying to cut down on that waste is not a new effort.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been offering advice on this topic to consumers since World War 1.

One campaign poster offered these keys to making the most of our food:

• Buy it with thought
• Cook it with care
• Serve just enough
• Save what will keep
• Eat what would spoil
• Remember: homegrown is best
• Don’t waste it

These principles still hold true today.

The Environmental Protection Agency also offers tips for reducing food waste on its website.

My personal favorite is “Be Creative: If safe and healthy, use the edible parts of food you normally would not eat.”

 

The EPA offers examples of using stale bread to make your own croutons and to sauté beet tops for a delicious side dish.

Besides avoiding waste, tips like that can help you stretch your food dollars.

When it comes to vegetables, for instance, most of us only consume the most common, or best known, part of the plant.

But, many vegetables have a secondary — usually lesser known and overlooked, but edible — part that I refer to as the “unusual edibles.”

If you buy your produce at the grocery store, these parts of the plant often have already been removed and discarded before packaging. But, if you grow your own produce, you can easily take advantage of these lesser-known options for consumption.

Although many of these secondary parts are edible, the flavor and texture may be an acquired taste.

For example, there are many species of cabbage and all the leaves are edible, but the leaves of some species are too strong for most people’s liking.

Edible leaves and stems of the sweet potato are eaten in many parts of the world, but some are very bitter.

Since there is such a great variety of plant species, the flavors of their parts also vary greatly.  Some parts need to be cooked to improve their edibility, but some leaves may be eaten fresh. Use care: Some leaves can be mildly poisonous.

Here are just a few examples of the most common vegetables with edible parts that might surprise you: Besides eating the parts of the beets, carrots and radishes we are familiar with, the leaves of those plants are also edible.

We generally eat the flower parts of broccoli and cauliflower, but we can also eat the stems and leaves.

We commonly eat stalks of celery, but the lesser-known edible parts are the leaves and seeds.

And, as watermelon comes into season, I am reminded of my personal favorite – watermelon rinds can be made into pickles (see recipe).

My grandmother, like many who survived the Great Depression, did so by being “thrifty.” She was a great cook, and taught my mother and me to “waste not, want not” by saving all the vegetable scraps such as celery leaves, onion skins and so on, to make stock for soup. Soups are a great way to reduce food waste and stretch your food dollars.

It’s never too early to learn how to be better consumers of Mother Nature’s bounty.

At camp one summer, we taught Pasco County youth about “upcycling” and highlighted some of these principles by having a sampling of “unusual edibles” — including pickled watermelon rinds. They also learned how to plant and grow more produce from kitchen scraps, including fruit and vegetable tops and seeds.

Betsy Crisp is a Professor Emeritus, UF/IFAS Extension – Family & Consumer Sciences

RECIPE #1

Easy-to-Make Watermelon Rind Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 tablespoon coarse/kosher salt
2 cups peeled watermelon rind, cut into 1 x 1/2 x 2 inch pieces, leaving a thin layer of pink
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 allspice berry (whole allspice)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice
1 long slice of fresh gingerroot, preferred (but 1 tsp ground ginger to a 1/2-inch piece of fresh)
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

Instructions:

1. In large pot, bring water and salt to boil over medium high heat.
2. Add pieces of rind and boil until tender (about 5 minutes).
3. Place in colander to strain liquids from rinds.
4. Transfer rinds to a large metal bowl.
5. In saucepan, combine remaining ingredients.
6. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
7. Simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced.
8. Pour over watermelon rinds in bowl.
9. Place plate over top to keep rinds submerged in liquid.

• Cover and refrigerate for one day to improve flavor.
• Transfer to a glass canning jar (one quart or two pint jars) and keep sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 4 cups = 1 quart / 2 pints

Note: These are not processed in a boiling water bath canner and not intended to be stored on the shelf. They must be kept in the refrigerator.

RECIPE #2
Watermelon Rind Slaw

Ingredients:

Dressing
1/4 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil
dash salt and pepper (to taste)

Slaw
4 cups grated watermelon rind (with fruit and green peel removed)
1 cup carrot, grated
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced

Instructions: 

1. In a small bowl, blend dressing thoroughly and set aside.
2. Place watermelon rind on several layers of paper towels to soak up excess fluid.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, add dressing, rind, carrot and pineapple. Toss to thoroughly coat.

Makes 4 servings (1 cup each)

Watermelon facts
About 85 percent of watermelons are purchased in fresh form by consumers. Although there is some watermelon production in virtually all states, about three-fourths of all watermelons grown in the U.S. are grown in Florida, California, Texas, Georgia and Indiana. On an average, per person basis, we eat more than 15 pounds of fresh watermelon each year. While many people are just accustomed to eating the juicy flesh of the watermelon, both the seeds and the rind are edible, too.
For recipes, nutrition and other information, visit the National Watermelon Promotion Board at Watermelon.org.

Published April 19, 2017