Supper With Sam

Archive for the ‘Going Green’ Category

Clearing your plate is an easy way to become  "greener" in your kitchen. Research has shown that we waste up to one third of food produced for consumption.

At a recent Reuters Food and Agricultural Summit it was estimated that the average American throws away about 15kg of food per month. That is over 200kg a year - which is the size of a large Gorilla! All the food waste ends up at landfills, rotting and releasing harmful methane gasses into the air.

Remember when your Mom used to say "Finish everything on your plate - there's starving children"? Although you can't feed those children directly, by eating everything you cook or using all the food you buy you can prevent food wastage and save money.

Here's some tips to make you a more responsible shopper and cook:

• Only buy enough fresh produce to be used before it goes off.
• Buy food well within the sell-by-date, or plan to use it quickly.
• Use overripe fruit such as bananas in banana bread, muffins and smoothies.
• Go through your fridge after each shop and move the older products to the front so that they get used first.
• Check that your fridge is cold enough (between 1-5°C) to store food safely.
• Use your freezer - it's great for storing meat bought in bulk of freezing extra portions of meals.

Although we don't want to seem stingy and also don't want to starve the family, try and cook the right amounts so that there isn't food wastage, or if there are leftovers, see how to incorporate them into another meal. Some of my most innovative meals have come from leftovers!

So remember - clear your plate and you could be saving the planet!

A few years ago I announced that my New Years Resolution would be to recycle. Luckily for me, I didn't specify in which year! However, last year my conscience got the better of me and I decided to give this Green thing a go.

Easier said than done.

We have a weekly municipal waste removal service and a weekly waste paper collection service. Anything else you want to recycle takes a certain amount of effort. Inspired by my parents - if they can do it so can I - I decided to become a little bit organised.

Unfortunately, I found that the only depots in our area are for glass and paper, anything else is a good 10km's away. I want to save the planet as much as the next person but I am a bit of a princess when it comes to inconvenience - I hate it!

As a result, my recycling efforts amount to paper and glass. I religiously rinse out jars (except for the pretty ones that I can use for storage) and place them -minus lids - in my own recycling bin outside. The empty wine bottles go the same way.

Once a month or so, when the bin gets full I take a trip to my nearest glass recycling depot and take great delight in smashing all the "empties" into the container.

It's a great stress-reliever and after all the fun you can drive away with a smug, superior smile on your face, knowing that you've gone the extra "green" mile that most others haven't.