Walk into any supermarket and have a good look at the produce. All of it is perfectly colored, and uniformly shaped. Those businesses providing the produce don't grow all of their products that way though. Those are only the cream of the crop. Do you know what happens to produce that doesn't fit the bill? Vegetables and fruits that aren't the right color, shape, texture, size and so on are often discarded. Some of it goes to production (ie. is used in prepared foods etc) or reduction but some of it is thrown out. In a world where 1 billion people are going hungry, we cannot afford to throw food out. When you grow your own food you can enjoy the same fantastic flavour and nutrients of the misshapen and lesser-colored.
Celebrate the beauty of imperfection from my organic food garden with me. If you have your own odd-looking but great tasting produce, please share! Follow me over the next few weeks as I dig deeper into food waste and find solutions that are actually possible in your own home!
You've hit one of my sore spots.....this is something I've never been able to understand...why things can't be donated to shelters, people in need, etc. But, maybe we've been one of our worst enemies....the law suits and settlements have put a fear of the same into many establishments.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what the answer is, but so glad you're speaking out on it!
Mary
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
ReplyDeleteBe sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/fat-tuesday-october-25-2011/
If you have grain-free recipes please visit my Grain-Free Linky Carnival in support of my 28 day grain-free challenge! It will be open until November 2.
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/10/grain-free-real-food-linky-carnival/
I love imperfect fruits and veggies. They are the best! :)
ReplyDelete