BARRY LLOYD

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.

Create a shopping list with specific recipes and meals in mind. Purchase only what's on the list when you do groceries.

Those who grocery shop on an empty stomach spend 64% more than not-hungry shoppers. Resist impulse buys by shopping with a full stomach. Eat a snack or a meal before going grocery shopping.

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Utilize beet greens, carrot tops, and herb stems to make a delicious pesto, sauce, or dressing. I will try 3 root-to-leaf recipes.

Store vegetable scraps in your freezer and use them to make veggie stock. I will make this recipe 3 times.

Store potatoes with an apple to avoid early sprouting. Keep them away from onions and in a cool, dark place. I will properly store 8 potatoes.

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 4 herbs.

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 8 bananas.

I will not toss food once it is past the best buy date. "Expiration" dates misleadingly refer to quality, not safety. Use your senses and best judgement.

I will plan an Eat the Leftovers night by creating a tasty “smorgasbord" or using a recipe that repurposes leftovers. I will eat 1 meals using leftovers.

The freezer is your friend! Store any leftover food in the freezer for a quick weekday meal or freeze fruits that are getting ripe to use for a delicious smoothie later. I will freeze 3 food item(s).