1. Make your own vegetable stock
You can save just about any vegetable scrap to throw together and turn it into a delicious, nutritious stock! You can simply keep a bag of veggie scraps in the freezer and let it accumulate until you have enough to make a stock. When you’re ready, put it all in a pot with some water, herbs and seasonings, bring it to a boil, and simmer it for 20–30 minutes. Then pass it through a sieve into a glass jar or container (our lifetime jars are perfect for this), and freeze or refrigerate it.
2. Regrow veggies
It’s as easy as placing the ends or tops of certain vegetables in a dish with water and placing them on your sunny windowsill and watching the magic happen! Some will regrow into full sized vegetables such as celery, bok choy, Romaine lettuce, green onions, fennel and leeks. The easiest one to start with is a green onion - within a week, your green onion roots will have a green stem growing again!
3. Roast cauliflower leaves
Did you know cauliflower leaves make a delicious side dish? Next time, instead of throwing them into compost - cut them up and spread them out on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and your favourite seasonings and bake for about half an hour. Crispy cauliflower chips make a perfect snack!
4. Make your own breadcrumbs
Give your bread a second life! Instead of throwing away the ends of the loaf or bread that has gone that little bit too crisp, why not save some cash and turn them into breadcrumbs? All you need to do is pop it into a food processor and blitz! Or make your own croutons by cutting the bread into cubes, drizzle with oil, season and bake in the oven until brown and crispy - a great addition to Caesar salad!
5. Reuse coffee grounds
We all love a cup of coffee in the morning, but don’t let it stop there… Your coffee grounds can be used in more ways than one. Add nutrients to your garden such as nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium, by using it as a fertiliser. Sprinkle directly over your soil, or simply add to your compost bin. You can also save money on expensive exfoliating scrubs… coffee grounds work wonders and it is so simple - just add some coconut oil and brown sugar or sea salt to your grounds!
6. Potato peel chips
Not just potatoes, but any root vegetable peelings make a tasty snack! Simply wash and pat dry, spread out on a baking tray, drizzle with oil then season with salt and any of your favourite spices (smokey paprika is divine…). Pop them in the oven until crispy and golden and you will never want store bought potato crisps again!
7. Use your wilted greens
If you read our previous blog 7 Hacks to Make Your Veggie Last, hopefully you won’t ever have wilted greens to use. But if you do have some greens that didn’t quite last as long as you hoped, don’t throw them out - They still have so much nutritional value and flavour! Wilted greens like kale and spinach or herbs are perfect in omelettes, scrambled eggs, stir-fries, smoothies, and other dishes that would naturally wilt them anyway.
8. Save the stalks
Did you know just over half the weight of an average-sized cauliflower or broccoli is made up of the leaves and stem? This means if you are only eating the florets, you are essentially throwing away half the money you spent on them… and missing out on deliciousness! There are so many ways these can be served - thinly sliced for a refreshing crunch in salads, chopped up for stir fry or soups, grated and turned into fritters or simply steamed and eaten with your side veggies.
9. Roast your seeds
We're talking about pumpkin and papaya seeds here! Both of these fruit and veggies have seeds with extraordinary health benefits which not many people know about. To prepare pumpkin seeds, simply wash and dry them, spread out on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning. Roast in the oven until golden and enjoy a tasty treat packed full of magnesium, zinc and other vitamins. Papaya seeds can be blended into a smoothie or dried in the oven, then into a grinder for a nutrient packed pepper. They are a natural anti-inflammatory, cleanse body toxins, balance hormones and the list just goes on!