Reducing food waste

(Photo by Chance Agrella/FreeRangeStock.com)

How much food do you throw out between shopping trips?

At our home, it's a half a bag of carrots or grapes or some other food we didn't quite make it through before it exceeded its shelf life.

It used to be a lot more, as I stocked up on produce that I had every intention of eating, but repeatedly wound up bypassing in favor of some pre-packaged, not good for me stuff.

But as I try to do better for our planet and for my own health, I've actually sat down and at those foods, and the amount I'm tossing out for the city garbage crew has declined dramatically.

Small steps.

But I'd like to get it down to zero, and one way to do that would mean making more than one trip to the grocery store between paychecks and learning to store the produce properly so that it will last longer. 

That's a big one — taking the time to store food properly. I found a list of tips on the EPA website that I found interesting. For instance, did you know you shouldn't wash berries until right before you eat them? Apparently, their natural dirt helps keep mold away.

Small steps.