Making the most of harvest food with Love Food Hate Waste

People throw away around four million apples every day from their homes in the UK, along with five million potatoes and two million tomatoes. 

Wasting good food costs the country a whopping £33 million a day, but there are lots of easy ways to cook and store fruit and vegetables. 

It’s not only the money people waste when they throw away good food, it’s also the water that’s been used to grow and produce it.  Not to mention the energy and effort that’s gone into bringing the food to people’s table. 

There’s an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables around at this time of year so why not make the most of them?  People can enjoy delicious harvest fruit and vegetables now, and use Love Food Hate Waste’s tips to store the rest to enjoy later in the year. 

Cooking up a harvest treat 

• Tasty vegetable lasagnes (Love Food Hate Waste recipe), Bolognese and chilli can be cooked now and any leftovers frozen in airtight containers, to make homemade ready meals to use when time’s short.  Defrost food in the fridge, use within 24 hours and cook thoroughly, making sure it’s piping hot all the way through.
• Making a vegetable curry uses up lots of vegetables that need rescuing from the back of the fridge.  Any veg can be used – courgettes, cauliflower, butternut squash, the choice is endless.
• Jacket potatoes make a quick and easy meal.  Any leftover spuds are ideal for making fried potatoes for breakfast – dice and cook in a bit of olive oil or butter, or try rustic hash browns for a change.
• At Love Food Hate Waste we’ll be making Halloween lanterns this year and we won’t be throwing away the scooped out flesh.  Instead we’ll make tasty pumpkin and coriander soup.  And if it’s not all eaten on the day we’ll freeze it for later.
• Apple and berry compote is a delicious way to use up fruit. 

Grow one, share one 

There’s nothing quite like the taste of home grown fruit and vegetables, and if there’s a glut share them with anyone you know who isn’t growing their own. 

Make the most of tempting in-store offers by ‘buying one and sharing one’ with friends, family or neighbours. 

Ever tried a safari supper?  It’s a great way to share food by eating at different people’s homes – one person cooks the starter, then everyone walks to the next person’s home for the main course and finally move on for pudding.  Challenge your safari-friends to make their part of the meal from ingredients they already have in their cupboards and fridges. 

Storing for later – handy harvest tips 

Almost any food can be frozen and it’s a terrific way to enjoy seasonal food throughout the year.  Storing food in the right place is important, and preserving and pickling are also great ways to make harvest food last longer. 

• Try Love Food Hate Waste’s quick fruit jam recipe, as even fruit that’s past its best can be put to good use.
• Peppers are in season but often recipes don’t need a whole one.  If there’s any leftover, leave the stem, seeds and membrane intact, it’ll keep in the fridge for much longer.
• If you’ve got lots of onions, chop them up and freeze in a container (such as a plastic storage box or freezer bag).  They last for months and are great to use straight from frozen.  If they stick together give the container a bash and they’ll loosen up.  This also works for peppers and chillis.
• A great way to freeze swede is to peel, slice and cut into chips, but don’t put into water. Pop into a plastic bag and freeze – they can be cooked from frozen.
• If you buy watercress in bunches, keep it fresh by storing it in a bowl of water and keep it in the fridge.
• Store apples in the fridge and if you want to keep wind falls store them in a cool, frost-free place, wrapped in newspaper.
• Having a lot of tomatoes needn’t mean throwing any away.  Make batches of tomato sauce for pasta, simply chop up the tomatoes, add to some fried onion, throw in some fresh herbs and garlic to taste and cook down to a pasta sauce.  Put into individual portions and freeze.
• It’s best not to keep potatoes in the fridge.  Instead store them in a cool, dark, frost-free place (such as a cupboard – or larder if you’ve got one) and they’ll keep for longer. If they’re past their best, cook them up into mash and freeze in portions – readymade topping for shepherd’s pie or use to make easy potato cakes. 

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling, said:

“These tips are excellent for making the most of the abundance of food available at this time of year.  So much food is wasted every day, but by planning your meals a little better you can reduce what you throw away as well as save yourself some money.” 

For lots more ideas, recipes and money-saving tips to make the most of food this harvest-time people should visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.