Save like Nana did. Do not waste anything.

I am working on a post about how to make things last as long as possible in the fridge...  This comes after some discussion on the price of food,  shrinkflation and  basically everyone needing to make the absolute most of all the produce they have.

Nana lived at a time when the first fridges became available.  The excitement over HAVING a fridge at all was really something.  Thinking about this it becomes obvious that something we take for granted (and might be lazy about cleaning) was once the most exciting thing of the decade.  No doubt she kept her fridge spotless,  she knew every item in it and watched everything like a Hawke.   Nan and Pa did not like waste at all.  They never did and that never changed.    Now we are learning more about why.  Even with my best efforts I cannot imagine life during the Great Depression or getting through two world wars.    Anyway,  Nan's first fridge arrived in 1953 and it was a big deal.   Before that Nan had an ice chest and ice was delivered around the town to keep your goods cold.  This was actually pretty good!   

I have two fridges.  One is more drinks and spare space for when I am having a giant cook up,  cooking for an event etc.   The other is my working fridge.   I am no angel where my fridge is concerned.   I have had to learn to be much more diligent and I am still learning.   But now I try to keep it in good shape and know what I have and what needs using up.   When we get near a shopping day I try and use up stuff and clean the shelves and containers ready to re stock it.  These things on their own reduced waste.  But today I want to focus on ways to use things up.

Nana, and later Mum,  saw possibilities in everything.   One lonely,  depressed looking,  apple would make nice muffins.    Random fruits could be a fruit salad.  Odd left over veggies would make a nice tray of roast veggies or go into a soup.   Just nothing was wasted.

A small amount of rice went into Nan's pasty slice.  The little bit of meat was already stretched a mile with loads of veggies but some rice went in too!  Half a cup of left over rice was enough for a baked rice custard.

A couple of eggs were full of possibilities.    Nan was a big baker so eggs were always needed.   If she could get duck eggs she also baked with those.  Eggs are such valuable protein and so many possibilities both sweet and savoury.  An omelette is a good meal especially if you have a little tomato, mushroom, herbs...  

Stale croissants, rolls or sweet buns all revive perfectly in the oven or toasted. 

Lots of small quantities of things are enough to make something good.   A cup of chicken or bacon is absolutely plenty to make fried rice, a pizza, quiche...    

A little Parsley is enough to glam up an omelette or some spaghetti sauce.

Little bits of various cheeses make a beautiful Macaroni cheese or pizza.   Another is these make an absolute amazing Scalloped potatoes!  A simple soufflé's is easier than you think and is perfect for odd cheeses bits! 

The crumbs in the bottom of the cereal bag makes a good topping for crumbles and can be added to any of your crumb mixes. 

Apple peels and cores can make vinegar.

Lemon peel can be zested and frozen or dried, same with orange peel which also can be dehydrated and covered in chocolate. 

Yogurt can go into a smoothie or muffins ... or if it is plain it mades the best coating for chicken... cover the chicken pieces well then dip into crumbs.  Baked or fried... this is amazing.  

Some herbs, garlic and oil are enough to make a great pasta dish.

Unhappy looking Spinach/Chard/Silverbeat can be sautéed and become a Quiche.  

The Zucchini glut can make beautiful Zucchini slice, fill the lunch boxes.  Zucchini cake, muffins, soup and more.

A variety of odds and ends can make sandwiches or rolls, too bad if each one is different! 

Stir fries and Fried Rice really are great meals to use up this and that.

Stale bread could be made into bread crumbs,  bread and butter pudding,  French toast, meat loaf, meat balls, toasted sandwiches.   Actually Bread and Butter pudding is probably one of the most delicious things on earth.  

Some jam had the potential to be a glaze, a filling, a pie,  a pancake topping and many more things!   A few berries could be enhanced with some jam to top pancakes, scones,  muffins or a cake.  

The bone left over from a roast always became soup,  that is after any left over roast meat was used in other meals or made into sandwiches and rolls.  

A little left over casserole makes a beautiful pie filling.  Topped with mashed potato or pastry now there is a new meal.   Very often I will freeze these as a very handy meal for later.

Some remnants of pastry can be a little tart or some twisted cheese sticks.  

Milk that needs using up can make a stack of pancakes or a custard.

Nan looked at everything for its potential.   Whatever it was it was always delicious!   This ability to make the most of everything,  improvise if need be..  we can do that.   We can become good at it too.   Good does not have to be fancy.   Good fills bellies and is nourishing.   A bit of a baking session can really create a lot.  

Having a pantry of ingredients means you can whip something up and use up just about anything!  Basic supplies mean you can incorporate any bonus ingredients and come up with something good!   We also are blessed with the internet which will give us a recipe for just about anything!    

I would love to hear how you put all your leftovers and spare produce to good use.  This is an endless subject...  the next step on is how to preserve what we cannot use right now... but that is another subject for another day! xxx