Recycling food, a way of life

The Recycled Cook

By Adrian Sleeman

Recycling food, a way of life

Having had a break from writing this blog I have had time to look at the whole concept of recycling food in a new light. When I first started to write this blog it was based on the notion that past generations had always tried not to waste anything in the kitchen. Not only that but they seemed to be able to extract more flavour from simple foods.

They didn't do it because they felt it was socially responsible or politically correct they did it because they had very little choice and could not afford to waste anything. 

When I first started thinking about the whole idea of recycling food it was based on the nostalgia of remembering how good food used to taste when we were children growing up in Wales. Mostly, after the initial introduction to the idea of recycling I posted recipes for meals based on what I had available at the time.

What I have now come to realise and will hopefully be reflected in where I take this blog from here (one day to become a book maybe) is that recycling food should not be random, based on what we have left over in the fridge or freezer, It should be a way of life, changing how we think about buying food, serving food and storing leftovers.

Strange as it seems but once you start thinking along those lines it opens up your mind to a whole new way of approaching food that will not only allow you to produce freshly cooked meals that are a lot healthier for you than pre-packed or processed foods but will cut your shopping bills significantly.

We all shop for food in different ways but rather than just thinking about shopping for specific meals, think abut how our grandparents used to store food. They would have a well stocked larder, in many cases without the benefit of refrigeration so they had to plan for the week ahead rather than just day by day. They would store vegetables in cool dry conditions so that they last as long as possible. isn't it odd that today, vegetables are force grown in artificial conditions so that once they are removed from their protective packaging they don't last long at all. Even peppers come individually shrink wrapped!

The problem with buying naturally produced and organic produce is that it costs more than the cheaply produced supermarket foods but if you end up throwing away half of it because it has gone off where is the real saving?

I also feel that we have created a huge health problem for future generations by producing foods that are too sterile and clean. Nature meant for us to intake minerals and base elements from the earth which we now have to add via supplements. That without even considering the unwelcome additives we are forced to eat such as the residue of fertilisers and anti bacterial treatments.

Over the course of my blog I will look at ways in which we can change that situation by buying and cooking food in a more natural way that we have been convinced by those that profit we no longer have time for due to lack of time and the pressures of daily life. With a bit of planning and a different approach to the way we cook and eat I believe we can greatly improve that.

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