7 Tips for an Eco-Friendly Kitchen
NOTE: This was researched and assembled BEFORE the COVID-19 quarantine.
Happy Earth Day 2020 loves! I’m not sure if you know this about me - but I am a big freaking hippie! My husband is always calling me a crazy tree-hugger! Why? Because I’m always trying to do things in a way that improves the environment! Seriously, at 7 years old I made my aunt help me fill out and mail in the form to sponsor a whale with the World Wildlife Foundation. I got an “extra” minor in geology at Rutgers cause I thought rocks were cool (and they are!). And these days you’ll find me stashing scraps in the freezer for stock, breaking down whole chickens, and eating a mostly plant-based diet. While there’s MANY more than seven things you can do to celebrate Earth Day, I tried to come up with simple things that you can easily and practically incorporate into your day to day routine. Because the truth is, if it doesn’t fit into our life, we’re not going to do it. So here are 7 simple things you can do, to go green in your cucina!
Save veggie scraps to make stock. You can SERIOUSLY reduce your kitchen waste by stashing your vegetable scraps in a zip baggie in the freezer. I use a gallon sized bag, and when it’s completely full, it’s time to make stock! Simply empty the contents of the bag into your pot, cover with water, add a generous amount of salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it roll for about 2 hours. Strain it and stash it! Anything goes for this, onion skins, carrot peels, odds and ends of whatever you’re using. The more green scraps you have, the darker brown your stock will turn (and I like it that way!). Bonus tip? Anything that’s NOT a vegetable can still be used! Start a compost bin or pile in the yard and toss fruit scraps there! Just NO meat scraps (save those in a separate bag for meat flavored stocks! Add them to the veggies and follow the above process). This way, you wasted nothing, didn’t have to buy extra veggies for stock, OR the stock itself! Cha-ching!
Save and re-use frying oil. I feel like every grandmother in the world knows this and some how the rest of us weren’t listening. We don’t fry a lot of stuff in my house and that’s what makes this such a great tip. If I make plantains, or arancini (mixed culture household!), anything that’s plant based, I’ll strain and save the frying oil. Why? Because as long as you use it again for a similar item, there’s nothing wrong with it! And a high quality frying oil will hold up to being used and re-used! Anytime you can re-use something in the kitchen, it’s one less item that had to be packaged and shipped, and one less thing YOU had to pay for!
Buy whole animal. The most simple way to do this is to buy things like a whole chicken instead of chicken parts. Think about it, a whole chicken is ONE chicken. Where a family pack of chicken breast is three animals, most of which, probably was discarded. On top of being a bit kinder, buying whole animal will save you money as well! And, the butcher at the grocery store is happy to cut up the chicken for you, if you want. Just make sure you ask for the backbone and giblets, those are perfect for stock! (See Tip #1). Want to take it further? You can work with a local hunter, or even a farm, go in on a whole animal with friends and family, and everyone gets the cuts they want! See the resource list below!
Swap beans for meat. We can simplify this one even further and say aim for a mostly plant-based diet. But I feel like that’s a buzz word that people are tired of. But one of the easiest things to do is swap your protein source. As an Italian-American, I LOVE beans! They go with everything! In soup, with pasta or rice, even with eggs! They are delicious and VERY nutritious, providing more protein per calorie than animal protein, PLUS fiber which will keep you fuller longer! In the United States alone, if we swapped just the beef we eat (not the chicken, pork, turkey, etc) - which is about 50lbs. per person annually, for beans; we would meet our greenhouse gas emissions goals without putting ANY restrictions on industry. Power of your plate folks!
Learn what’s local. I’m a Jersey girl born and raised - and this place is called the Garden State for a reason! Stuff GROWS here! Yes, we have beautiful farms but I mean just out in nature! My backyard alone grows wild strawberries, chives, dandelions and mushrooms! I didn’t have to DO anything! Take some time to learn what grows naturally, that’s edible, near you! Look up a local foraging guide, or just talk to some of the vendors at your local farmer’s market! Whether you pick it, or buy it, eating locally helps reduce carbon emissions because your food didn’t have to TRAVEL. When you buy a Mexican tomato in December in New Jersey - that thing had to be picked, packed, shipped (usually by truck) and stocked. It costs, and wastes, SIGNIFICANTLY more to do that than to wait until August and get one locally - not to mention, nothing beats a Jersey tomato!
Plant a garden. In a similar vein to eating locally - you can’t get more local than your own backyard/porch/windowsill! Whatever your space looks like, however big or small it is, you can make SOMETHING grow. Growing your own food is tremendously cost effective (plants are cheap!), improves your environment, and your health. If you have a yard, planting in it and working with it actually makes the dirt and surrounding environment healthier (providing you’re not drowning it in weed killer, which I wouldn’t want to eat ANYWAY). No yard? No problem. Small pots of fresh herbs on a porch/patio/windowsill will still clean the air in and around your home and provide you with immunity boosting nutrients! Then there’s the pride factor. There is nothing more exciting than picking and preparing something YOU grew! It’s thrilling, honestly.
Support your local community garden. Not a DIYer? This one’s for you! If you’ve been following along with me for a while, you know I support Groundwork Elizabeth, which helps educate and feed the community of Elizabeth, New Jersey. But Groundwork itself is a nationwide organization so feel free to look up your local chapter. OR just look into your local community or urban garden. SO many places have one! All with the same mission, to improve the health of the local environment and people! Support them financially, or volunteer to work with them! Especially if you’re interested in gardening but not sure how to start - they’re all an excellent resource for knowledge! Plus you’ll probably get some yummy goodies out of it!
I hope you guys find these tips helpful and easy to put into place in your own lives and kitchens! I’d love to hear what YOU do at home to go green! Let me know in the comments below!
Resource Guide:
The Foraged Feast, West Orange NJ
Purveyors of local/humanely raised meats
Fossil Farms, Boonton NJ
The NJ Farm, Sussex NJ
Cogman’s Creek, Butler NJ
Local fruits/vegetables/plants
Bracco Farms, Pine Island NY
Bartlett’s Greenhouses, Clifton NJ
Groundwork Elizabeth, Elizabeth NJ