Throwin' lots of food around

[shootingstar]

Ever since I've known my dearie, he's always been bothered by contests/gimmick events where tons of tomatoes, etc. are thrown around. Or eating contests where people consume huge amounts of 1 food.

For someone who used to be a part-time farmer, it bothers him. I never thought much about it until I knew him. And realized throwing food around, uneaten, is a waste of effort, time to grow the ingredient(s), prepare food, etc.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I am grossed out by any 'fun' event where food is thrown, wasted, hot dog eating contests, etc. As long as there are children starving all over the world, it just seems wrong to me.
I'm also dismayed by the amounts of food wasted on a daily basis in restaurants...obscene amounts of leftover food going right into the landfills. At our local cafe, all food left on the plates goes to a local family who feed it to their pigs. Lucky pigs!- eating quesadillas, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, caesar salad.... :p And a friend of mine goes every other day to the same restaurant and picks up all the used coffee grounds, composting them for his veggie garden. :)

[OakLeaf]

When I was a teenager I used to throw eggs (at non-sensitive objects, like trees, just to break them) to release anger.

The scolding I got from a friend of mine stuck with me.

[PamNY]

I've often wondered what could be done about all kinds of things that are wasted. I've seen loads of perfectly usable office furniture dumped into compactor trucks as part of interior demolition. It's easy to say "that's bad" but is salvage economically feasible?

[OakLeaf]

"Economic feasibility" depends on real-cost accounting, and I see no sign that most individuals, governments or organizations will ever adopt that method...

[GLC1968]

I feel bad when I accidentally drop an egg walking back from the coop, I could never consciously waste food!

Hell, I don't even like thining carrots...it seems so wasteful! :o

[badger]

Hell, I don't even like thining carrots...it seems so wasteful! :o

ha, I was doing and thinking the same thing yesterday! I hate seeing the little carrots that are forming and was wondering if I can somehow use it (a sliver pretty much the size of a pin!!)

***

I was temporarily acting in a position where the desk overlooked the loading bay area of wholesale produce warehouse. I would watch them throw out what looked like perfectly good tomatoes, watermelon, corn, lettuce, and other things that was deemed unsellable. I couldn't bring up the courage to rummage through the bin, but it would've been great if that could be donated to pig farms or something similar who could use them.

I know if you ask, Starbucks will give you their used grounds.

[GLC1968]

ha, I was doing and thinking the same thing yesterday! I hate seeing the little carrots that are forming and was wondering if I can somehow use it (a sliver pretty much the size of a pin!!)

***

I was temporarily acting in a position where the desk overlooked the loading bay area of wholesale produce warehouse. I would watch them throw out what looked like perfectly good tomatoes, watermelon, corn, lettuce, and other things that was deemed unsellable. I couldn't bring up the courage to rummage through the bin, but it would've been great if that could be donated to pig farms or something similar who could use them.

I know if you ask, Starbucks will give you their used grounds.


I actually asked at all of our local grocery stores if we could have the spoiled/leftover produce for our goats durring the winter, but they all refused. Liability reasons. Such a waste!

[badger]

When I was visiting a friend of mine in York, England, she took me out to a nice Indian restaurant. We ordered a bit too much, so I purposely didn't touch one of the dishes. I told them they should take it home, and they looked at me odd; they don't do take-home. Such a shame! I was telling my mother this, and she said in Japan they don't do it either, and it's because of liability.

You'd think it wouldn't be so liable with goats - you should offer to sign a waiver!! ;)

[GLC1968]

You'd think it wouldn't be so liable with goats - you should offer to sign a waiver!! ;)

We did! We even offered to pay for it (at a discounted rate, of course) and they wouldn't go for it. Nuts!

If I had a local vegan restaurant, I would ask for their scraps for the goats, too, but there is no such animal out in my neck of the woods. Of course, they probably can't do it either... :rolleyes:

[sfa]

I eat the carrots that I'm thinning. I feel so bad for those little carrots, consigned to an early death and unfulfilled life all because they are struggling for their lives too close to the other carrots.

I probably shouldn't personify vegetables like that. Blame Sesame Street.

Sarah

[Zen]

I enjoy seeing how much whipped cream I can spray into my mouth.

It's not wasted.

[badger]

speaking of carrots, do you eat the greens? I had read one time when I had hamsters that carrot greens are toxic to them and to never give them any. Then my mother was telling me the other day she had put it in soup because she felt bad about thinning them and just throwing them out.

Yay or nay?

[Owlie]

speaking of carrots, do you eat the greens? I had read one time when I had hamsters that carrot greens are toxic to them and to never give them any. Then my mother was telling me the other day she had put it in soup because she felt bad about thinning them and just throwing them out.

Yay or nay?

I know people save the tops and use them to make stock. I don't know about eating them, though...just that hamsters apparently can't! :D

[OakLeaf]

Eat carrot green leaves (http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html)

It really never would've occurred to me until you mentioned it. I always eat turnip and beet greens, and I asked the farmer once whether radish greens were edible (she didn't think so, and a little nibble didn't taste that great).

I'm trying something new this year ... I thinned the carrots the first time when they were super tiny, but left the plants still pretty closely spaced. They were too small at that point for me to have gotten very attached to them. ;) Now I'm pulling baby carrots that are just a little too close together to grow to full size, and the rest will be my main crop. The baby carrots are delicious!

[Atlas]

I hate waste. The coop I work at saves all produce scraps for a local farmer, so between that and recycling cardboard we really don't have much waste.

I freely admit to dumpster diving. There is too much perfectly usable stuff thrown out every day. I think people are just so used to the idea of throwing something out when there is one minor defect.

[badger]

Eat carrot green leaves (http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html)

It really never would've occurred to me until you mentioned it. I always eat turnip and beet greens, and I asked the farmer once whether radish greens were edible (she didn't think so, and a little nibble didn't taste that great).

I'm trying something new this year ... I thinned the carrots the first time when they were super tiny, but left the plants still pretty closely spaced. They were too small at that point for me to have gotten very attached to them. ;) Now I'm pulling baby carrots that are just a little too close together to grow to full size, and the rest will be my main crop. The baby carrots are delicious!

ha, I stumbled on the same site, too. I think I'll pass, it sounds like it's quite bitter. Site has some really interesting looking carrot recipes, though. My carrots are still super tiny (PNW has been way too cool this year) and they're still closely together so I'll probably do the same thing you did as time goes by!

I love turnip greens. Chop them up and put them in miso soup, yum!

[GLC1968]

My pulled carrots go to our goats. They LOVE the greens (almost as much as they love brassica leaves)!

You can eat radish greens if you eat them very young before they go bitter. So if you needed to thin the radishes, then eat those greens raw. For older greens, apparently they taste better when cooked though I haven't tried it since ours go to the goats anyway. Also, for anyone who doesn't like radishes raw (I don't, and I keep trying), cook them. They taste like a totally different veggie and they are delicious! So far, I've only done a saute and a stir-fry...I'm going to try roasting next. :)

[badger]

I really must move somewhere a bit more rural where I can get myself a plot of land and some goats!!

I'll have to try the cooked radishes - I guess it makes sense to cook it, we cook turnips (I actually love raw purple-top turnips, not as strong as the radishes and lovely texture).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Steamed fresh radish greens....SUPER YUMMY!!!!! a touch of butter and salt when done. Once steamed, they are no longer fuzzy/prickly and are somewhat similar to spinach. Throw them in soups too if you like. Highly nutritious.

The best tempura I ever had was about 30 years ago at someone's house- they dipped mature carrot top leaves in tempura batter and deep fried them in a big pan. OMG, so good!!! And they looked so pretty too, like lace. :)

[shootingstar]

Steamed fresh radish greens....SUPER YUMMY!!!!! a touch of butter and salt when done. Once steamed, they are no longer fuzzy/prickly and are somewhat similar to spinach. Throw them in soups too if you like. Highly nutritious.

Does it make any difference if the radish greens are "younger"? Wonder about koh rabi leaves...not that we have koh rabi often.