Special to Ventura County Star
By David Goldstein
July 30th, 2025
After your summer 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 must 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture, between 30% and 40% of the U.S. food supply goes uneaten. That’s not just a waste of the food itself — it’s 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.
Consider “Veggie Top Pesto” for parts of vegetables you may have never thought could be reused. Pulse one clove of garlic and three tablespoons of nuts and seeds until a paste forms. Add half a cup of basil, one-quarter cup of finely grated Parmesan, and half a cup of olive oil to the food processor. 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.
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.
For broth, 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 carcassand flavors with turmeric, cumin, and pepper. Simmering a couple hours produces rich, flavorful base for soups, risottos, or sauces without 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.
David Goldstein, environmental resource analyst with the Ventura County Public Works Agency, may be reached at david.goldstein@ventura.org or 805-658-4312.
