Apple Skin
- Use the skins and cores for making your own Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Better yet do not peel the apple and eat it all for the skin contains many nutrients.
- Dice the peels and add to smoothies.
- Thinly slice and add to a green or fruit salad
- Roast: Toss 5 apple peels with a coating of 1t cinnamon + sugar and mix. Spread peels on parchment lined baking sheet and into the 400F oven for ~10 minutes. Watch so they do not burn. Pull out to dry and toss with more cinnamon sugar, if needed and then serve.
Bread (stale)
- Stale bread can be dried and used as croutons with a salad
- Crush and use as bread crumbs.
- Savory or sweet bread pudding
- Make Panzanella
Broccoli Stems
To use the stems first peel them with veggie peeler for the outside of the stems are very fibrous.
- Save the unpeeled stems for use in broccoli soups
- Peel and use in roasted veggies
- Peel and use in stir fry
- Peel and shred to add to coleslaw or salads
- Peel and steam or boil to process as baby food
Carrots
Use the tops and any peels.
- Tops + peels can be chopped and added to salads
- Can use tops as part of pesto
- Chop tops and add to salads
Cauliflower Stems + Leaves
Use the stems as is, no need to peel but some do. The leaves are a rich source of calcium and iron.
- Save the stems for use in soups, stews
- Use stems and leaves in roasted veggies
- Use stems and leaves in stir fry
- Shred stems and add to coleslaw
- Peel and steam or boil to process as baby food
- Trim off woody stem ends and wash, then combine with oil and spices and roast at 400F on parchment lined baking sheet for ~15min. Serve with additional nuts, spices, quick veggies and dressing for a warm salad.
- Roast the leaves to make chips
Celery Roots and Leaves
- I cook with the leaves whenever celery is used in the dish.
- Sometimes I add the celery leaves in a salad.
- The whiter roots of a stalk I save for veggie broth or will cut them very finely and add to a salad.
- Make celery leaf pesto
- Add leaves to tabbouleh
- Regrow
Chives
- Grow your own chives, very easy to do
- I grow garlic chives and dry them for use throughout the year
- Let them bloom and use the edible flowers: as a garnish, make infuse vinegars, pickle them, use on crudités or tempura them
Citrus Peels
- Make candied citrus peels (lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, blood oranges, ect)
- Make citrus infused simple syrups with the peels
- Make dried zest for use in cooking
- Lemon peels (without pith) and zest can be sued to make lemon pepper
- Or you can cut the squeezed citrus and add to water for an infused SPA drink
Chard + Kale Stems
- You can eat the stems as well as the leaves. Cut them separately, and when cooking start with the stems so they have some extra time to cook. The stems have nutrition and also fiber.
- Use the stems as quick pickles
- Use in veggie stocks
Coffee Grounds + Tea Leaves
- I save and add these to my acid-living plants that would appreciate what they have to offer, such as my blueberry plants, tomatoes, roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, evergreens, hydrangeas and camellias
- Place the grounds in a little container unlidded and place in the fridge for it functions as a deodorizer
- Use the grounds on your hands to get rid of fish, garlic, and onion smells (use ~1T and roll around your hands)
- Can be used as a cleaning scrub
Corn Cobs
- You can add them to some salted water and make a base for corn chowder or a corn-based stew.
- In fact you can also dry the cork husks for use in making tamales or as a base when steaming food so that the food does not stick to the steamer.
Egg Shells
- I let the egg shells dry then crush them by hand into little bits and add to garden soil. All plants need calcium, some, like tomatoes, especially.
- Someone I know actually grinds them up into a powdery concoction and adds them to her shakes for that added boost.
- Use them for seed sprouting (if you have at least half a shell intact.
- Bake shells at 250F until very dry (~30min) and crush them. Put outside or mix with bird seed for the birds, as they especially need calcium.
Fennel
- Use every part of the fennel plant in your cooking. Fennel fronds are good for veggie broth as well. The main thing is that this does give a licorice flavor.
Garlic
- Regrow once they sprout
Herbs: Tender (basil, parsley, cilantro)
- You can use chopped leaves + stems of parsley and cilantro
- You can use thinner basil stems (not the fat ones) + leaves
- You can dry these herbs easily
- Parsley stems are part of the classic bouquet garni
- Basil stems can be included in pesto
- Cilantro leaves + stems can be added to rice, pesto, or even guacamole
Herbs: Woody (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, mint )
- Pull leaves off the stems
- Mint stems are woody and bitter
Mushrooms
- I will cut stems from the mushroom and dry it for use in making mushroom broth.
- The mushroom cap should also be sliced and dried for cooking later.
Onions, Scallions, Leeks
- Save everything including the papery skins and add to a veggie stock.
- For leeks, I use the green and white parts in my foods where leeks are used. I just cut the dark green parts thinner and cook a bit longer. I honestly do not know why folks on the web say this is an inedible part of the plant.
Parmesan Rinds
- Use the rinds when making veggie broth to add some umami to the soup.
- Also I find people do not use up all the Parmesan cheese. Take the rind and try using the fine grate to get more cheese from it.
Pickle Juice
- Use in creating a salad dressing
- Use as a vinegar
- Pickle other veggies with the juice
- Clean tarnish off pots after a soaking
- Add to a cocktail (Bloody Mary?)
- Marinade meat or fish (pay attention to color of brine, can influence color of the food)
- Use when making fermented bread
- Add to a soup or stew (?)
Potato Skins
- Wash the food well. Save the peels to fry them and top with seasoning and spice. It can be used as a topping for a soup, or as an appetizer. (Also true with Sweet Potato).
Radish Leaves
- Radish leaves are edible and great in a slaw
- Radish leaf pesto
- Stir fry with radish greens
- Add to salads
Veggie Peels
- Save all washed peels for veggie stocks (carrots, potatoes, yams, etc.).