Festive Friday: Leftovers and how to avoid wasting food

The USU Emery County extension office held their Festive Friday event. The topic of discussion was luscious leftovers and food waste around the world.
Christine Jensen said, about 90 billion pounds of edible food goes uneaten in the United States that amount equals 123 times the weight of the Empire State Building.
Food waste is a major contributor to municipal waste and decomposes to methane, a potent greenhouse gas. To help with this you can start your own compost pile. You can add your vegetable and fruit peelings to the compost pile as well as any spoiled fruits and vegetables. There are many resources available online to help you in getting started with a compost pile.
Reducing food waste helps reduce food insecurity. Forty-two million Americans, including 13 million children are food-insecure. Reducing food waste by 15 percent could feed more than 25 million Americans. An initiative launched by the USDA and the EPA in 2015 is to reduce food wasted in the nation by 50 percent.
There are things you can do to utilize your leftovers and your older foods.
Stale breads can be used to make croutons, bread pudding, stratas and French toast. Use leftover rice in fried rice, rice pudding and rice bowls. Heat leftover pasta in a pan with olive oil, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on the top. You can also freeze pasta and use it later.
Squeeze lemons and limes into an ice tray and freeze for later use. Use for flavored water. Roll lemons and limes with your hand on the countertop to extract more juices. Refrigerate ripe bananas to make them last a few days longer. The peel will turn black, but they are still safe to eat. Freeze washed, peeled bit-sized fruit for smoothies.
Use leftover meats in flavorful foods, with turkey leftovers you can make turkey enchiladas or turkey soup. Freeze fresh meats if you are not going to use them right away. Cured meats, like bacon and ham have an extended life, due to processing.   
You can substitute zucchini in lasagna if you don’t know what to do with your abundance of zucchini. Use a melon baller or measuring spoon to scrape the seeds from the zucchini. Freeze fresh chopped herbs in olive oil in ice trays.
Revive leftover french fries by heating them in a pan with oil. Add chopped mature onions to a freezer bag and freeze. Freeze bell peppers for use in recipes. Puree extra vegetables in a blender or food processor for use in pasta sauce. Freeze extra tomato paste in recipe sized portions.
Saute chopped cabbage and onion in olive oil, margarine or butter over medium heat until tender, season with salt and pepper.
Freeze Parmesan rinds and add them to soup for extra flavor. Make a cheese spread with odds and ends cheeses. Use vanilla and fruit flavored yogurts as a dressing for fruit salad.
Tips to reduce food waste: Reduce the size of a recipe. Many recipes can be cut in half or thirds.
Consider making the entire recipe for baked goods and freezing half for later. When reducing recipes use smaller sauce pans, skillets and baking bans. Remember to reduce the cooking time. If a recipe calls for an unusual ingredient substitute the ingredient.
Store and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent spoilage. Different fruits and vegetable require different storage methods. Bananas, garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and winter squash taste best when stored at room temperature. Store these in a clean dry well ventilated place away from sunlight and heat.
Store fruits in a separate refrigerator crisper apart from vegetables. Keep refrigerated at 40 degrees or below. Fruits give off a ethylene gas, which may shorten the storage life of vegetables. Some vegetables give off odors that can be absorbed by fruits and can affect their taste and quality.
Handle food safely so it doesn’t go bad. Wash food thoroughly before you use it, not when you bring it home. Wash hands prior to working with produce. Fresh produce has a natural protective coating that helps keep it fresh.
Washing produce before storage will cause it to spoil faster. Often berries washed before storage will mold quickly. Rinse fruits and vegetables even if they have a peel, which will be removed. Bacteria on the outside can be transferred to the inside when they are cut and peeled.  
Ninety percent of Americans toss food out too soon. New labels are coming out soon to help prevent waste. The “best if used by” label will apply mostly to non-perishable foods.
 The term describes product quality, where the product may not taste as good as it would if it were fresher but is still safe to eat or drink.
The “use by” date will apply to perishable foods such as meat, fish and cheese, which safety comes into play. Foods with an expiration date should be consumed by the date listed on the package.
Cake Mix Muffins
Banana muffins
1 yellow or lemon cake mix
4 very ripe bananas
3 eggs
Nuts (optional)
Mix bananas and eggs together. Gently stir in the cake mix until moistened. Place in greased
muffin tins or papers. Cook at 350 degrees for
15-20 minutes or lightly browned.
Spice Muffins
1 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 spice cake mix
add raisins, crasins or nuts as desired.
Mix and bake as the banana muffins.