If you cook and meal prep often, you might find yourself up to your ears in food scraps. Your first instinct might be to throw them away, but the truth is those kitchen food scraps can be quite valuable. Take a look at below to find out our best tips for what you should be doing with your food scraps instead!
Food scraps often end up down the garbage disposal or stinking up your garbage pail. There are so many great uses for them around the house, in your garden, and for things you would never imagine. Think twice before you toss food scraps again!
7 Kitchen Food Scraps You Should Never Throw Away
1. Egg shells.
Egg shells are calcium and nutrient rich and should never be discarded. They can be used as seed starters, or crushed and placed around plants to discourage slugs. You can also add them to your compost bin, or mix them into flower beds to feed the roses. Some people even wash the egg shells and crush them into powder before adding them to pet food for a nutrient boost.
2. Citrus peels.
Lemon peels can be used to scrub kitchen hardware to a sparkling shine. You can also put orange halves after you have juiced them outside as orioles may nibble on them. Other citrus peels from lemons, limes, and grapefruits can be used in your compost bin as well. For a sweet treat, cut citrus peels into thin slices and roll them in sugar for an old fashion citrus candy.
3. Coffee grounds.
Who doesn’t have an abundance of coffee grounds in their house? Coffee grounds work wonders when added to compost. You can also use them in your beauty products such as our coffee scrub to help reduce puffiness. Add coffee grounds directly to your garden to help improve the soil as well.
4. Fish bones and scraps.
Fresh fish bones and scraps are wonderful to add to your garden soil or compost bins. Fish is nutrient rich and full of omega fatty acids which all living things thrive off of. You can simply take the scraps and toss them in the compost. They will do the rest.
5. Banana peels.
Tell the kiddos to start saving those banana peels. Of course, you can throw banana peels in your compost pile, but you can also use the banana peel to make houseplants shine and even add a potassium boost to your teeth. In both cases just rub the inside of the peel to the surface and watch it shine. I would never have thought of this alternate food scraps use for banana peels!
6. Stale bread.
Stale bread is perfect for composting or you can bake it for making breadcrumbs. Your furry and feathered friends will also like stale bread, so just add some peanut butter and roll the piece in birdseed and set it outdoors for a tasty treat.
Did you know you can regrow celery if you place the crown in a pot and take care of it as you would any other garden plant? You can also use the crown along with some paint to make stamps. Or, if anything you can always toss it into your compost bin or boil it and add it to pet food for a nutrient boost.
Think twice before you toss your kitchen food scraps. Instead, give these creative uses for kitchen scraps a try and see how fun and practical they can be to reuse.
More Homemaking Tips:
- 50 Homemade Cleaner Recipes
- How To Start A Simple Recycling Program At Home
- 10 Ways To Sae $500 This Month
Join the newsletter
Subscribe to get our latest content by email.