Waste food for compost...

rchddap1 · 14 April 2005 at 6:54AM

I've just been watching the bbc news. Firstly they said that 38% of food in this country is wasted...I doubt that this would apply to anyone here. However, they did show a lady in hackney who is part of a council scheme. She saves all of her waste food, and then gives it to the council once a week. The council then turn all the waste food they collect into compost and return in. Its a shame that my local council doesn't do it. We do have a compost bin though.

Just found it interesting, and thought that someone else might too.

apple_mint · 14 April 2005 at 7:15AM

In true MSE spirit we got a compost bin a few weeks ago. It is staggering how much we put in there (and we waste very little from meal making). The main bin used to always be full each week, but now it is definately lighter as we drag it down the driveway.

We bought a small separate bin for the house in which to put the 'worm food' and try to recycle plastic trays etc for putting under the food we are now growing on the window sills. We put in cardboard and paper as well as egg shells etc. No cooked food - but there again there is no such thing as left overs now we are cooking from scratch.

It's started to make us think twice about our purchasing - particulary when we are offered too much packaging

Magentasue · 14 April 2005 at 7:54AM

If you mean leftover cooked food, then it's not advised to add it to compost bins in case it attracts rats. The risk can be reduced by burying it, though.

I've seen people on TV scrape platefuls of food into a bin. I've never done that! I don't dish up on to plates so the rule is if you put it on your plate, you eat it. In true old style, I try to use up what doesn't get eaten.

If there is any cooked food I can't use, I have some recycling units in the garden who will get their beaks round most things - and I get two dozen eggs a week back in return. Bargain!

apple_mint · 14 April 2005 at 8:05AM

Magentasue wrote:

I don't dish up on to plates so the rule is if you put it on your plate, you eat it. In true old style, I try to use up what doesn't get eaten.

Same here, anything not used usually ends up as my packed lunch the next day

I learnt from another thread that I shouldn't put cooked food in the compost bin. In fact most of what I've learn't lately has come from Old Stye

rchddap1 · 14 April 2005 at 8:45AM

The only food that ends up in my compost is things like apple cores, banana skins, potato / carrot peelings. Never leave anything on the plate, or in the oven for the next day. We only cook what we need. When we are putting meat away in the freezer we split it up into bags for 2 people. So in the morning all I do is grab a bag from the freezer, and my OH cooks it in the evening.

MATH · 14 April 2005 at 10:35AM

Woke up this morning to hear this shocking news on the clock radio. My Ol'Style hairs stood up on the back of my neck with disbelief:eek:

Our council will RENT you a brown garden waste wheelie for 50p a week and collect once a fortnight. They then SELL the compost back to you. Being an Ol'Styler do you think I:-

A) Took the council up on their kind offer.

or

Compost my own under a piece of old carpet at the bottom of the garden for free.
Answere on the back of an envelope please (a previously used or junk mail envelope obviously):p

Bogof_Babe · 14 April 2005 at 11:00AM

One of the interviewees mentioned making a delicious (?) soup using the outer leaves of lettuce that are normally thrown away.

I'm about to make a salad with one of those floppy round lettuces (49p - everything else in that line was around £1 :eek: ) so there will be a few leaves to discard - does anyone have a recipe for the soup? If you have to buy another half dozen special ingredients I won't bother, but if it's things I already have, I would like to give it a go.

MATH · 14 April 2005 at 11:11AM

When I have made it in the past I have used a recipe for watercress soup and just switched the leaves.

WATERCRESS/LETTUCE SOUP

2 bunches W/Cress or 1 whole lettuce
1 onion (chopped)
1 potato (diced)
1oz butter
3/4pt milk
1/2pt chicken or vegetable stock
salt & pepper
4tbsp double cream

1. Shred w/cress or lettuce

2. Fry other vegetables and leaves gently in butter for 5 mins without browning.

3. Add milk and stock. bring to the boil, stirring, cover and simmer for 10-15 mins.

4. Liquidise and pass through a sieve and return to pan.

5. Season and reheat.

6. Swirl in cream and serve.

HTH

Bogof_Babe · 14 April 2005 at 12:02PM

Thanks Math (will tick your box too

) - only thing is I have other plans for the bulk of the lettuce, just didn't want to waste the outer leaves. I could make a very small soup I suppose!

Now, what can I substitute for the double cream? :rotfl:

Austin_Allegro · 14 April 2005 at 1:25PM

I can well believe the statistics on waste because before my old style 'conversion' I used to just buy loads of food on a whim, a lot of which went to waste. I've decided not to make compost as I'm really not much of a gardener, but I have started being more creative with leftovers and using things like broccoli stalks which I previously binned.

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Waste food for compost...

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