When she went back to her hometown to visit her parents, she lugged the trash bags across the state with her so they could be recycled properly in a city that accepted all of the items. Needless to say, Lindsay did not appreciate waste. Although extreme at times, she went out of her way to do what she felt was best for the earth.
Photograph from Food52
It wasn’t until a few years later when she was living in Japan that she really started to think about food waste. Two Japanese concepts in particular stuck out to her. The first is mottainai, a word that expresses regret regarding wastefulness. The second is hara hachi bu, a phrase that means “eat until you’re 80 percent full.” These ideas led Lindsay to become more conscious of her consumption. This set the stage for her to truly appreciate the gift of food and to learn how to use every part of the plant in her cooking in order to minimize waste.
This, of course, is not a new concept. Rather, it’s a concept that seems to be largely forgotten in our Western society. We have an abundance of food available to us in the grocery store, so we don’t tend to think as much about the food we throw away, either because it has gone bad or because we don’t know how to use it. This has a huge impact when you think about all of the food wasted in America annually and the carbon footprint that is created by our food system. The good news is that food waste is very much preventable. Plus, not only is it good for the environment, it’s good for your wallet too!
Although it’s a cookbook in nature, we think of Lindsay-Jean Hard’s Cooking With Scraps as more than just recipes. It’s a reference tool, a resource for learning how to use the parts of your fruits and veggies that often get tossed in the waste bin. While we love the recipes included in this book, we think that they are just the beginning! With sections on banana peels, broccoli stems, coffee grounds and celery leaves, let these recipes inspire you to get even more creative with your food!
We’re so happy to announce we have a copy of this amazing book to give away to one of you! For a sneak peek at the recipes in this book, see below for a delicious selection.
–Here's How to Enter –
To win a copy of Cooking With Scraps, simply leave a comment answering the question below by Monday, June 24th, 2019 before 5:00pm (one entry per person please).
(Giveaway now closed)
Tell us the creative ways you utilize food scraps (or would like to start using food scraps) from your Farm Box!
"For now the wildlife and garden soil are benefiting from the tops of carrots and beets as well as the fruit and veggies that are in the beginning stages of spoiling. Kudo's to Lindsay for taking this project on. Having been raised in a poor family where we were dependent on eating canned fruits and vegetables, I struggle with wasting fresh food."
No purchase required. Limit one entry per person, please. Entries will close on Monday, June 24, 2019. Winners are chosen by Random Number Generator and announced on our blog on Tuesday, June 25, 2019.
1 package (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the refrigerator overnight
1/2 cup Carrot Top Pesto (see recipe below)
16 - 24 grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano or other Parmesan-like cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread out the puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper and gently use a rolling pin to flatten out any creases. Cut into 16 equal rectangles: First, cut the pastry into 4 pieces, then into 8, and then 16. (If you're using another brand of puff pastry, your tartlets might be square rather than rectangular - either way works!) Using a small, sharp knife, score a smaller rectangle about 1/4 inch inside each of the 16 pieces. This might seem unnecessarily fussy, but it helps create and keep an edge on each of the tartlets.
Transfer the parchment paper with the puff pastry pieces to a baking sheet and nudge them away from each other a little bit so they aren't touching.
Spread each tartlet with 1/2 tablespoon of the pesto, staying within the boundaries of the scored inner rectangle. Place a few tomato halves on each tartlet, cut side up. Bake until the pastry is fully cooked and the edges are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the tartlets with Grana Padano, drizzle with a few drops of olive oil per tartlet, and serve.
Greens from 1 medium-sized bunch of carrots (to make about 1 cup after blanching and chopping)
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill a medium-size pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Prepare an ice bath: Fill a medium-size bowl with ice and water.
Once the water is boiling, add the carrot greens to the pot - pushing down with tongs to make sure they all get in the water - and blanch for 1 minute.
Drain the pot into a colander and transfer the greens to the ice bath with the tongs to stop the cooking process. Let the greens cool completely and drain them.
Squeeze any remaining water from the greens and roughly chop them.
In a food processor, pulse the greens, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Then add the olive oil and process again until smooth.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Cooking with Scraps by Lindsay-Jean Hard (Workman Publishing, © 2018)
Carrot Top Pesto Tartlets
INGREDIENTS:1 package (14 ounces) frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the refrigerator overnight
1/2 cup Carrot Top Pesto (see recipe below)
16 - 24 grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano or other Parmesan-like cheese
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread out the puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper and gently use a rolling pin to flatten out any creases. Cut into 16 equal rectangles: First, cut the pastry into 4 pieces, then into 8, and then 16. (If you're using another brand of puff pastry, your tartlets might be square rather than rectangular - either way works!) Using a small, sharp knife, score a smaller rectangle about 1/4 inch inside each of the 16 pieces. This might seem unnecessarily fussy, but it helps create and keep an edge on each of the tartlets.
Transfer the parchment paper with the puff pastry pieces to a baking sheet and nudge them away from each other a little bit so they aren't touching.
Spread each tartlet with 1/2 tablespoon of the pesto, staying within the boundaries of the scored inner rectangle. Place a few tomato halves on each tartlet, cut side up. Bake until the pastry is fully cooked and the edges are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the tartlets with Grana Padano, drizzle with a few drops of olive oil per tartlet, and serve.
Carrot Top Pesto
INGREDIENTS:Greens from 1 medium-sized bunch of carrots (to make about 1 cup after blanching and chopping)
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
Fill a medium-size pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Prepare an ice bath: Fill a medium-size bowl with ice and water.
Once the water is boiling, add the carrot greens to the pot - pushing down with tongs to make sure they all get in the water - and blanch for 1 minute.
Drain the pot into a colander and transfer the greens to the ice bath with the tongs to stop the cooking process. Let the greens cool completely and drain them.
Squeeze any remaining water from the greens and roughly chop them.
In a food processor, pulse the greens, sunflower seeds, garlic, lemon juice and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Then add the olive oil and process again until smooth.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Cooking with Scraps by Lindsay-Jean Hard (Workman Publishing, © 2018)
