7 easy ways to make the most out of food scraps

If you are looking to be creative, then you must have surely thought about what you can do with food scraps. Food scraps are different from food waste, and we often come across a lot of these scraps at home or cafés, which can be recycled or used in ways we have never imagined.

Recycling is important, and even after getting rid of food waste, we are left with these scraps or leftovers. One can reduce scraps by peeling the vegetables less or using up the seeds to grow more plants in the garden instead of throwing them. If you’re a meat eater you can use the leftover meat or bones to make broth.

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How to use food scraps?

Here are 7 ways to use the food scraps at home.

1. Dog meal

Make your dog happy with the bone broth (Image by Kabo/Unsplash)

With the leftover bones from the meat you are consuming, you can make a meal for your dog at home by cooking the bones in a cooker and adding vinegar to it. Once the bones are soft enough for your pet, you can put them in a broth and feed them as they will love the taste and also get nutrition from it.

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2. Composting

Composting can be done with the scraps (Image by Jonathan Kemper/Unsplash)

Composting kitchen scraps can be a great way to nourish your plants by giving them more minerals. Once you have collected the fruit and vegetable scraps, you just have to take them outside in your yard and bury them. Once decomposed, it will nourish the soil, and you will see your garden blooming.

Just make sure to separate any kind of dairy or meat-based leftovers and anything oily as it may harm the process of composting. Also, have a good balance of green waste and brown waste for a perfect blend of compost.

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3. Regrow your vegetables

Regrow your vegetables using the roots (Image by Sandie Clarke/Unsplash)

You can save money by using food scraps from your kitchen to grow several vegetables like potatoes, cabbages, and celery. Start by just taking the roots and planting them in a place where the soil is fertile and there is ample water and enough sunlight for the growth process.

Also, make sure you choose the correct section of the plant you want to grow before you bury them and start watering them. In some cases, it’ll be the seeds that you’ll need to regrow, and in others, the stems of the plant.

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4. Make vegetable stock

Use vegetable stock to make your favorite soups (Image by Bluebird Provisions/Unsplash)

To make vegetable stock, you can use the various tops, bottoms, stems, and skin that you usually throw away. Take a ziplock bag and store the scraps in it. Once the bag is full, you can take the scrap and boil it in water as you have enough material to make the stock now.

Once it boils, just take the excess water out of it by draining, and your stock is ready. You can also store it in the freezer once it cools down, if you do not want to use the whole thing at once to make your favorite soups or other recipes.

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5. For skin cleansing

Use face masks made from food scraps for better results (Image by speckfechta /Unsplash)

You can make various face masks using fruit or vegetable peels, as they can enhance your skin condition and do not contain any type of minerals that are usually present in beauty products.

Orange peel or tomato peel can be used for the face and body to remove tan and dirt and also to hydrate the skin.

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6. Smoothies

Smoothies can be made from food scraps like partially rotten or half-eaten fruits (Image by Denis Tuksar/Unsplash)

Fruit waste or scrap can be in the form of half-eaten fruits or over-ripened ones, which we tend to throw away. Instead of throwing them, you can make them into a fruit smoothie.

This will not only make you healthy but also make you feel better as you are wasting less and making the most of these scraps.

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7. Making vinegar

Food scraps can be fermented to make vinegar at home (Image by Towfiqu Barbhuiya/Unsplash)

Vinegar can be made with the help of food scraps, including fruits and vegetables, in a very short amount of time and can also be stored for years. You can take all the fruit scraps and ferment them in a glass vessel. Once the vinegar is ready, you can enhance the flavor by storing it in a cool and dry place in your house.

However, do not forget to fill the bottle up to the brim, as this will remove the excess oxygen.

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So, the next time before you throw away food scraps, think twice and consider utilizing them for your next meal and drink or even for composting. It is always better to recycle and be a friend to our planet.