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The Zero Waste Kitchen, by Kate in Colorado
With food prices soaring with no end in sight, it is extremely important to use our food purchases and harvests wisely. How we manage our kitchens and decrease food loss will become even more critical in the face of increased economic pressure that seems to be increasing at breakneck speed. The people of this country have been blessed with such food abundance in the past that many people automatically assume the supply of food will continue to be endless in the future. The average person has no idea where their food comes from nor how it is constructed, processed, and shipped. One of the most appalling realizations of this country’s food ignorance came while I was listening to a radio talk show host engaging a west coast “animal rights” advocate. She was castigating all of us “animal killers” for the practice of slaughtering animals for food. The radio host asked her if she was a vegetarian. To my shock, she answered “No, I eat meat”. There was a long moment of silence. The host then asked her where she purchased the meat she consumed. She then said glibly, “well from the store where they make it” of course! I felt as if I had been hit with a hammer.
This moment, and several other encounters with people who have had no idea about food production caused me to examine my own food beliefs. I came to the conclusion that most of us take our food production way too causally. It is so easy to be wasteful and careless about our food if we don’t see the effort of others who provide nourishment to all of us.
I have always had a love of gardening, but when we moved to the Rocky Mountains I was easily frustrated with how hard it was to produce food compared to the fertile plots we had left in Ohio. After several seasons of fighting poor soil, rocks and critters I gave up. Then, several years ago, the Lord began prompting me to return to my gardening, food preservation, and the teaching what I call the “lost kitchen arts” concerning food management and conservation.
The first steps were to understand how to reduce waste. What has developed over time is the process of managing a “zero” waste kitchen. What do I mean by the term “zero waste”? It is a process of looking at the food you purchase, produce, and consume and find ways of managing it with producing as little waste as possible. I have been shocked at the amount of food I used to waste and why I wasted so much.
Where does your food come from? Do you know how it is produced and who produces the products? What are the ingredients in your food? Do you know what the unpronounceable chemical names listed do to and for your food? Do you know if your food is genetically modified in some manner? Do you know if your food has been safely handled in its production to keep you safe from contracting food borne illness?
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