Ask: How do you use what you don't save?

A friend recently asked if there were ways to use what I don't save. This was in response to this post, where I talk about what I don't save and why.

There are many ways to use almost all of the things that I don't save. It just doesn't fit in with my life right now. I can give you a list of possibilities for each item I listed in the previous post. These are listed in no particular order.

Onion peels- onion peels are great for dye. I have never tried this myself but I have heard you can use yellow or red onion skins to dye cloth or eggs. A quick Google search leads to many sites giving instructions on how to do this.

Broccoli, Cabbage, and other Brassica- The plant stems and leaves, that I don't save can be cooked in recipes calling for greens, gumbo or colcannon come immediately to mind. Broccoli stems, when peeled could be cut up and eaten raw either in rounds or matchsticks in a veggie platter.

Overripe bananas: Depending on your family's tolerance for overripeness, can be used in banana bread, cake, or smoothies. They are especially good blended while frozen. These can also be fed to chickens.

Pork bones and bits: You technically can make pork stock out of these. I find it really greasy and not very good. If the bones are raw you can give them to your dog, but try to clean off as much fat as you can first. (I will give more information about this, soon. Look for Tips for the Extreme: Pets.) Leftover pork bits can also be fed to chickens.

Chicken Livers: I used to use these for pate. I just have a hard time saving them up to get enough for a batch and then they end up freezer burned. I guess I could have developed a micro recipe that would make a small amount with one chicken's worth of liver?  You could feed these to cats or dogs though. I don't. I have a very strict "no people food" policy for all my indoor animals.

Citrus Peels: You can scrub with them. I will sometimes scrub a messy sink with an orange or lemon peel. The peels pick up dirt and grime while leaving a lovely scent. Rinse well after scrubbing. You can keep extras in the freezer until you want to use them. You can make cleaning vinegar out of peels. You can find instructions on how to do this, here.  You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest. This zest can be candied, used in recipes or frozen for future use.


These are just some ideas. I never said those items were not useful, just that I don't save them.
I hope some of this is helpful.

Thoughtfully,
Kristin