It is a bit disturbing to think about, but on average, the typical household throws away 30-40% of the food that it purchases. Sometimes, this is because food is bought in too large a quantity for it to be used before it goes bad. There are, however, ever factors in this as well, and learning how to get the most out of the food that we do purchase will not only be better for the environment but for the household budget as well. It is okay to start in small ways – like what to do with leftover lemon peels! Below are 10 ideas that can help you start to reduce food waste in your kitchen.
Lemon Scrub
To create an instant natural scrub that will cut through grease on pots and pans, take half of a juiced lemon and dip it into a bowl of salt. This will cut through even difficult messes on your cookware.
Household Cleaner
Infuse vinegar with old lemon peels, then dilute it and use it in a spray bottle as a household cleaner. It will not only smell better, it will disinfect more easily with the lemon peel added.
Hand Scrub
Use the leftover juice and grated lemon peel to mix in with olive oil and sugar. This combination makes a wonderful scrub to refresh your hands and leave them soft and smelling wonderful.
Zest
Even if you do not need it right away, it is possible to take the old lemon peels and zest them, then freeze the zest for later. It is an ingredient in many different recipes.
Cutting Board Deodorizer
If your cutting board is beginning to smell (a very common problem), take half of the juiced lemon and rub it all over the board to both deodorize and sanitize it.
Garbage Disposal Deodorizer
The garbage disposal can be a real source of odor in your kitchen if it is not deodorized. One great way to do this and to simply toss the lemon peels down, turn on the water and let the disposal run. You will be amazed at how quickly this dispels the smell!
Air Freshener
For natural air freshener, simply simmer lemon peels on the stovetop along with a combination of your favorite herbs or essential oils. Your house will smell wonderful without the use of harsh chemicals.
Cloved Lemon
If there is an area of the house you would like to keep fresh-smelling, stick cloves all over a lemon the way you would an apple: the cloves will let the lemon dry instead of rotting and act as a sort of natural potpourri.
Candied Lemon Peel
For holiday cooking, you can candy the lemon peels and use them in any number of special dishes and baked goods. They taste much better than the ones you buy in the store.
Infused Olive Oil
Infusing olive oil with lemon will give you a unique, delicious oil which is great when used in salads and other vegetable dishes.
This is just a small step, but it will get you into the habit of getting the most out of the foods you buy and will help reduce kitchen waste and be easy on your budget!
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