When imperfect produce is good...

Most of us tend to select perfect-looking fruits and vegetables but, in fact, bruises, discolouration, odd shapes and sizes do not impact nutritional value. It is purely for aesthetic reasons, which should not be a factor since the produce is going to be cut up and eaten anyway and will not be put on display like a work of art! In looking for the perfect tomato, apple, plum or carrot, we forget that the ones left behind most likely end up in the trash and translate into financial loss for the farmer and/or the seller. Also, being perfectly edible, it is produce that could have gone to someone who really needed it. Rejected produce contributes to around 30 per cent of waste at the farm level and, as food goes down the supply chain, so much more is lost due to improper handling and storage.

Once we have the produce, how can we make the most of it? When we hear the term ‘food waste’, our mind goes straight to leftover food from the previous meal. But wastage begins at the preparation stage itself, in the form of parts we end up discarding because we do not think they are edible or we do not know what to do with them. In my research, I found that almost 33 percent of food waste at home comprises peels and trimmings. Therefore, use everything, even peels and cores. You will be surprised to know that many of the discarded parts have more nutrients than the actual fruit or vegetable itself or, in some cases, are just better in taste and texture.

If something cannot actually be eaten, it often has great flavours and health benefits that can be extracted before it is discarded.

Potato peels are not used most of the time, even though they are so easy to cook; orange and lemon rind requires a bit of processing before being used in a recipe to improve the texture and get rid of the bitterness.

Seeds and stems of many fruits and vegetables can be used in various dishes, and peels of some fruits such as pineapple and pomegranate can be used to make beverages even though they cannot be eaten.

Not just that, this way you also get your money’s worth. Imagine buying a kilo of oranges for juice when just the peels account for about 600g or a kilo of cauliflower where you lose around 120–200g when you throw the stems and leaves away. It is an exercise worth doing in your kitchen to see how much food is trashed before it even reaches your plates.

Generations before us did not have the luxury of access to food the way we do today, not only in terms of quantity but also variety. We have access to ingredients from around the world and find seasonal ingredients throughout the year. They made the most of what they had; nothing went to waste. 

Turn scraps into plants

Growing food means way more than just soil, sunlight and water for plants bought from a nursery! Plants need proper care, attention and additional nutrients. The best part is that a lot of the required nutrients are already available in our home in the form of kitchen waste and compost. In fact, you do not always need to buy seeds to grow your own edible plants. You can use so many kitchen scraps to regrow them into ingredients you can harvest, sometimes in a matter of weeks! 

Garlic: Peel a few cloves and place them in a shallow dish filled with water. In 7–10 days, you will see small roots and shoots sprouting. They can then be planted in soil, making sure to keep a gap of 1–2 inches between each clove. You can harvest the green shoots to use as garnish or add to pesto and chutney. The garlic bulbs take about eight months to form, and some of them can be sprouted and replanted.

Spring onion and leek: Keep the whites measuring 2–3 inches and place a few in a glass filled halfway with water. In a week or so, you will have greens to use and you can harvest them quite a few times. You can also move them to soil once the roots are 2–2.5 inches long.

Sweet potato: The greens or leaves of sweet potato are highly nutritious and can be used in a lot of different recipes. Cut a sweet potato in half and, with the help of toothpicks, suspend it over a wide enough glass or jar filled with water. The sweet potato should not be submerged in water. Soon, you will see roots forming and shoots sprouting. You can then move it to soil in a pot or in the ground. The greens grow like creepers, so keeping them near a trellis would be ideal.

Celery: Save the base of the celery bunch with the root section intact — around 3 inches should be enough. Place it in a shallow plate or bowl filled with water and watch it sprout. You can keep harvesting and using the sticks and leaves, or even shift them to soil for the whole bunch to grow again over time.

Carrot, beetroot, turnip: Save about an inch-long piece of the top of the vegetable, where its leaves would have been. Place it in a shallow dish with water, and you will have greens ready to harvest in a couple of weeks.

Basil, rosemary and mint: Find a few stems measuring around 4 inches; remove the leaves at the bottom and place the stems in a glass of water, making sure the leaves are away from the water. Once you have roots that are 2 inches long, they can be moved to soil.

Bok choy and lettuce: Save the base of the bok choy or lettuce with the root or core intact, and place it in a shallow dish with water. You can harvest new leaves in a few weeks and get a steady supply. These can also eventually be moved to soil once they are big enough.

Lemongrass: It grows like any grass. Simply place the root section in a glass of water. You will see new growth in a week and it will be ready to be moved to soil.

Tomato: Organic tomatoes can be grown from seeds. The seeds can be stored until the next season. Cut a fully ripe tomato horizontally, scoop out the seeds and put them in a jar. Fill the jar with water until it is a couple of inches above the seeds. Cover the jar with a thin cloth or handkerchief and secure it with a string or rubber band. You should see a thin white layer form on the surface of the water in a couple of days. Pour the water and any floating seeds out carefully while keeping the rest of the seeds in the jar. Rinse the saved seeds out a few times until they are clean. Arrange the seeds on a plate and let them air dry in a well-ventilated, warm area. Store them in a jar in a cool place until ready to sow.

(Excerpted with permission from The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook by Arina Suchde, published by HarperCollins.)