Olga Berdial

I will create an "Eat Me First" area in my fridge to prioritize food that needs to be used right away.

When life gives you lemons (or any other citrus peels), use the rinds to make a nontoxic cleaner.

Rescue limpy produce like leafy greens or carrots by soaking in an ice bath.

Extend the life of your food by trying different preservation strategies like pickling, drying, or jamming. I will try 1 preservation techniques.

Utilize beet greens, carrot tops, and herb stems to make a delicious pesto, sauce, or dressing. I will try 1 root-to-leaf recipes.

Give leftovers a new life! For example, use leftover rice to make fried rice. I will try a recipe that repurposes leftovers 1 times.

To keep bananas from browning quickly, break up the bunch and separate. Don’t store bananas with apples, which speed up ripening. If the stems came covered in plastic wrap, do not remove the plastic until ready to eat as this will slow the release of ethylene gas. I will properly store 4 bananas.

Trim the ends of asparagus and place them in a jar or glass with 1-2 inches of water, just like fresh cut flowers. Keep them in the refrigerator. I will properly store 1 bunches of asparagus/celery.

Store fresh herbs just like cut flowers in a jar with 1-2 inches of water and covered with a plastic bag to maintain moisture. For woody or hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and chives, arrange lengthwise on a damp paper towel, rolled up, then sealed in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. I will properly store 2 herbs.

Purchase local, seasonal produce, which will likely stay fresh longer as it was picked more recently than supermarket produce.

For each day during the food waste tracking week, record your food waste. This action accepts one entry per day, so be sure to enter one total for food waste across all of your meals, or weigh all of your food waste once at the end of each day. Please use ounces for unit of measurement.

Watch a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode on the topic of food waste and learn about the scope and scale of the issue.

Store potatoes with an apple to avoid early sprouting. Keep them away from onions and in a cool, dark place. I will properly store 4 potatoes.

Roll unwashed lettuce in a dry towel, then store in a sealed bag in the refrigerator. I will properly store 1 leafy greens.

To keep berries fresh, place them on top of a paper towel in a sealed container to absorb excess moisture and reduce chances of molding. I will properly store 2 packs of berries.

Store apples up to 7 days on the counter, then move them to the refrigerator. Keep them away from bananas and avocados as they speed ripening. I will properly store 7 apples.

Did you know that milk should never be stored in the side door of a fridge? Learn where to properly store food in your fridge by checking out the Resource. I will properly store 1 cartons of milk.

I will glean backyard produce and create a recipe plan for full utilization, i.e. sharing with friends, canning, preserving, etc.

I will meal prep 12 meals.

For recipes that call for small amounts of different vegetables, shop at the salad bar to get exactly what you need.