Food wastage

[Thirstquenching]

Hi there. I would say we are pretty good at not wasting food. We freeze alot etc but the two things we do seem to waste is bagged salad and herbs. I've recently planted some herbs to stop this but for example needed coriander for a recipe tonight. Used a few sprigs and it's now binned. Just a bit annoying when we are so good in other areas.

What do you find gets wasted in your house and how have you managed to stop it?

Chopped frozen herbs are great, not ideal for pretty looking garnishes but fine for everything else. We get them from Asda but presume other supermarkets have them too or you could probably freeze your own?

We now buy a whole lettuce rather than a bag of leaves it lasts much longer and is generally better value.

I use alot of the frozen chopped veg for in things like chilli, bolognese sauces etc. Will check out the herb range aswell

Yep freeze the herbs - you can freeze fresh ones
Also sometimes I cut up herbs and put them in ice cube trays with a little water then can melt them into dishes (I’m sure I got that off another mumsnet thread )
Also try putting a bit of kitchen roll in with the open bag of salad I find that can make it last longer

A bag of salad that's near the end of it's life (but not actually gone off yet) can be blitzed with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic to make a green salsa. This can then be frozen if needed.

You can chop and freeze your own herbs, put them in a small tub in freezer, better than buying ready chopped in plastic bag.

Add some kitchen towel to the bag whe. You open the salad. It absorbs the moisture and makes the leaves last a bit longer.

If you rinse a bunch of parsley under the tap, shake the excess off, then wrap it fairly tightly in foil and freeze, then you can later break or slice enough off for a soup or sauce. I put chopped parsley in my butter for garlic bread too, and it’s fine for that.
I’m sure you could do ditto with coriander.

Finely shredded white or red cabbage is good in salads and lasts for ages in the fridge. But whole little gem etc. last a lot longer than bagged salad.

I don't buy bagged salad. It always seems a bit grim to me; leaves in a plastic bag! I only buy whole lettuces which are cheaper and last longer. I also grow my own herbs which are super easy to grow from seed. Otherwise, I use dried herbs.

If food waste is a problem, you could always get some chickens or a pig as they are good at eating leftovers!

I would love chickens but unfortunately not got the space or time really

Loving some of these ideas!

As others have said, freeze the leftover herbs

I buy a big bunch of coriander, chop the whole lot then put I one of those silicone reusable bags - take a handful out when I need it. The bought chopped herbs are usually much more expensive. Also do try the kitchen roll in the bag for salad - lasts a good week like that