By David Goldstein
July 7th, 2025
Special to Ventura County Star
• Follow the two hour, 40/140 rule to keep food safe.
• Store cold food 40 degrees or below and hot food 140 degrees and higher.
• Waste less by freezing foods and making use of what of scraps like celery ends and garlic peels.
After last weekend’s Fourth of July barbecue, did you regretfully throw away burgers and hot dogs that had been sitting out for too long, but then diligently save watermelon and veggie leftovers and store them in your refrigerator?
How long will it be before you look at most of the food you saved and sadly conclude it has to join the meat in your curbside organics cart? If your answer is “too soon,” you’re not alone, and the situation is not hopeless. According to the USDA, between 30% and 40% of the U.S. food supply goes uneaten. That’s not just a waste of the food itself, it’s also a loss of water, energy and labor used in growing, transporting and preparing it. When that food rots in a landfill, it’s also a source of methane, which is many times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a climate-changing gas.
Sending scraps to a compost facility, via your curbside organics cart, is convenient, and backyard composting is even better because it avoids disposal without the emissions of collection and processing. However, the most environmentally beneficial use of food is eating it instead of buying more food.
If you keep it safe by following the two-hour, 40/140 rule – cold food should not go above 40 degrees for more than two hours, nor hot food below 140 for two hours – with a little creativity, what you thought were scraps can become the foundation for your next delicious meal.
Food Forward, a nonprofit known in Ventura County for harvesting backyard fruit trees, collecting leftovers from farmers markets and working with local food pantries to distribute food to hungry people, has been distributing something different recently. Their flier, titled “Get crafty with your food waste,” includes a couple of clever suggestions to “help curb food waste at home.”
Their recipe for “Veggie Top Pesto” provides a solution for parts of vegetables you may have never thought could be reused. Start by pulsing one clove of garlic and three tablespoons of nuts and seeds until a paste forms. Add one half cup of basil, one quarter cup of finely grated Parmesan, and half a cup of olive oil to the food processor.
Now comes the part where you can incorporate food that would otherwise be wasted. Put carrot tops, beet greens or celery leaves into the food processor, and pulse until a coarse paste forms. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and pulse until combined.
My wife, Jessica, is great at reusing food scraps in our kitchen. Whenever the kids and I do not eat bananas or strawberries fast enough to avoid the beginning of browning and softness, she scoops up the fruit and puts it in the freezer. Later, she uses it for banana bread, muffins, or smoothies.
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Similarly, apples descending into poor condition are chopped and stewed into applesauce. Berries beginning to soften are simmered into compote for pancakes, yogurt or toast.
The broth she makes also is a great pot of reuse. She uses celery ends, herb stems, mushroom bits and even garlic peels, which come from a storage container she keeps in the freezer. She adds water, chicken bones or a turkey carcass, flavors with turmeric, cumin and pepper, then lets it simmer for a couple hours.
We then have a rich, flavorful base for soups, risottos, or sauces — all from items that some homes send to the trash or compost bin.
Not only does homemade broth cut down on waste, but it also saves money and avoids the excessive sodium and packaging of store-bought versions.
Wasting less isn’t about deprivation. It’s about being more connected to our food, more resourceful and more respectful of the work and energy behind it. Smart use of food can also produce delicious meals.
David Goldstein, environmental resource analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency, may be reached at david.goldstein@ventura.org or 805-658-4312.
