No carrot left behind

People say in our surveys one of things they hate most is throwing out food.

There’s the money of course, but it’s the waste people feel so strongly about.

Food waste statistics are heartbreaking, but there’s an upside.

If we could save the third of the food we grow from being thrown out (yeah, we waste a third) we’d save a third of our seeds, our water, land, fuel, fertiliser, packaging and refrigeration. 

According to Project Drawdown reducing food waste is the single biggest collective action we can take to tackle the climate crisis.

With this in mind Liz Francis, one of the brilliant people behind Fair Food’s website, created the most thoughtful and user-friendly fruit and veg storage guide on the internet.

Big claim I know, but I stand by it.  

It’s useful as all get out and not only includes tips for storing sixty-two different fruits, vegetables and herbs, it tells you useful things like what veg scraps make the best stock or how to make a hearty ribollita when you’ve got too many greens. 

This is what it says about tomatoes.

Tomatoes

Store and enjoy these warmth-lovers at room temperature for optimum ripeness and flavour. It’s okay to transfer tomatoes to the fridge once ripe to avoid wasting them, but be aware this will diminish their flavour and texture.

Got a tomato glut? Make this passata recipe!

There’s even a handy downloadable mini version you can keep on your device or print out and stick on your fridge. 

The Guide is live now and you can find it here.

Neighbourhood macramé 

I’ve been promoting National Put a Zucchini on Your Neighbour’s Doorstep Day for years now and although it’s not officially recognised, I believe it’s only a matter of time before  all Australians come together once a year to place excess produce and preserves on each other’s porches.

At first glance PAZOYND Day might appear like opportunism masquerading as generosity, with home gardeners slyly distributing their canoe-length squashes around the community.

But there’s more to it; the fruit and veg are merely a vehicle, PAZOYND’s is about curing loneliness with lemons, creating openings for reciprocity with rhubarb.

PAZOYND Day is about stringing threads of friendship from house to house, repeating over years until a group of people become gently held by a sort of neighbourhood macramé.

My neighbour Alan is a prolific PAZOYNDer.  His pickles and jams are dropped on many doorsteps or slipped into hands at the dog park.

The other day Alan texted me this…

Knowing our surplus blood oranges will be savoured on toast around our neighbourhood instead of going into a compost bin makes me deeply happy.

And the fact that several other citrus owners will also contribute to Alan’s Mixed Citrus Marmalade just makes it all the better.

If you have surplus in your garden or if you’ve pickled or baked a little extra, drop it around to a neighbour, you never know who you’ll meet or what might turn up at your door in return.

National Put a Zucchini on Your Neighbour’s Doorstep Day is on next Saturday the 2nd of March.

Please, remember to place your produce presents presciently – large zucchinis, marmalade jars and tomato chutneys can be a trip hazard.

Have a great week

Chris