Since the 1970’s, across the globe, Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22. For us, Earth Day reminds us that small steps in our local community, and even inside our own homes, can make a big difference. Here are 5 ways to celebrate Earth Day (every day) in your kitchen.
1- Turn scraps into stock
We love kitchen scraps for a compost heap, but before you toss, grab a few select items and stash them in the freezer. Homemade stock means long hours over the stove, tons of ingredients and a big mess, right? 100% wrong. Grab a gallon-sized, ziptop freezer bag and place onion skins, garlic trimmings, celery leaves, parsley stems, shrimp peels, chicken bones and even parmesan rinds. When the bag is full, toss it in your slow cooker to work to lazily bubble up 15+ cups of full-flavored stock. Check out our blog for all your Stock Options. Then head into the kitchen and make:
Chicken Stock
Shrimp Stock
Vegetable Stock
Enhancing Store-bought Stock
2- Refill Olive Oil & Balsamic Bottles
When it comes to recycling, glass poses a problem. The United States is overrun with glass and most recycling centers cannot recycle the glass they receive. Re-purposing and re-using glass is the best way to “recycle” glass. Our brick & mortar store on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge refills olive oil and balsamic bottles for a discounted price.
3- Trade out tea bags for a reusable infuser
Tea bags may seem small, but more than five billion (yes, billion with a “b”) are used each year. A reusable cuptop infuser is a must for steeping tea morning, noon and night. Sturdy, durable and dishwasher safe, this is an investment that pays you back cup after cup.
4- Add Tea Leaves to Your Compost Heap
Remember that cup top infuser mentioned above? Don’t toss those tea leaves! All tea leaves are compostable. Even leaves that have been steeped contain viable nutrients that will benefit compost. The keys to composting are: 1- Carbon-rich “Browns” (dry leaves, twigs), 2- Nitrogen-rich “Greens” (grass clippings, kitchen scraps), 3- Water for moisture, 4- Air for oxygen. Like coffee grounds, tea leaves are “greens” for your compost. Add those nitrogen-filled leaves to your compost and that sip will pay you back with rich, healthy soil!
5- Buy & Cook with Raw, Local Honey
We love all the local beekeepers who provide us with our line of local, raw honey. If you’re reading this and you’re not in the Baton Rouge area, get to know your local beekeepers. It’s easy! Shop local grocery stores and Farmer’s Markets. When you buy local honey, you are supporting local beekeepers. But wait, there’s more! When beekeepers and the bees stay busy, local farmers benefit, too. Farmers rely on bees to produce food. Plus, local, raw honey has unique flavors – flavors that get lost when industrialized is processed. Be sure to check out our Love Local Honey Blog sweet, local love.
