What’s In The Fridge

Open It, Find It, Slice It, Eat It Or Freeze It

by Mark Kuhl

For the GPHN

We’ve all heard that an embarrassing amount of food in America goes to waste. Much of this waste happens along the supply chain. Luckily there are local nonprofits like We Don’t Waste, which are eager to recover quality unused food from the food industry and deliver it to nonprofits that are feeding hungry people.

At our end of the supply chain — the home kitchen — we should strive to consume what we bring into the home with minimal waste. Fresh produce has a short shelf life and is therefore a high percentage of the food we discard. If you can’t consume your fresh produce before it spoils then skin it, slice it, place it in a reusable container and into the freezer for future soups or smoothies.

Check out the EPA website, at epa.gov, and search “Reducing Wasted Food at Home” for great tips — their first thriftiness recommendation is to “Shop in your refrigerator first” before buying more. They also explain the difference between “sell-by,” “use-by,” “best-by” and expiration dates.

Additionally, if you’re a local gardener with a bumper crop, the Park Hill food pantry would love to take those veggies off your hands. Click here for more on the Monday free farm stand happening all summer in the neighborhood.

Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/ recycling-directory/.