Reducing Your Kitchen's Footprint

A new year starts with resolutions. Many are going to do their best to reduce their carbon footprint. This could mean adding solar panels to their homes, shorter showers or subbing in public transportation for driving their cars to work. You can make a small difference , just by making your kitchen eco friendly.

First of all think about all the wasted food in your kitchen during the holidays.This happened to me when I discovered a half can of opened peaches covered in mold. I used half the peaches a few weeks ago to test out a peach melba recipe for CHristmas. Yet I didn;t use the rest of the can. The peaches went moldy and I had to throw them out.It was a waste. I  should have bought a smaller amount. or smaller can. I also realized that peach Melba is best made during the peach season which is the summer months. Use only fruit in season. That way you only have to buy one or two pieces if you're experimenting with a recipe.The same is true with veggies. Some veggies can give you a pass. You can easily turn any into part of a salad or full salad as well as part of of an omelet.Use every part of your chicken or turkey. The meat can be turned into sandwiches and hash while the bones can be used for soup.Stale bread can be ground into breadcrumbs. stale Cookies can be ground into crumbs for topping ice cream and parfaits.

What about with cleaning the kitchen? One of the best eco friendly cleaning devices is Casabella Infuse All Purpose cleaner. Target sells all the Infuse cleaners and tools. The mop is the best with a mop pad that can be used over and over again.It just has to be put into the washing machine every so often to clean it. The soap which again is all natural and non toxic is put into a tube in the handle. Then it's just squirt and mop. There are several green dish soaps that work well.One of the most popular is Mrs. Meyers, that's also sold at Target. It comes in nine different scents like Sea Salt Neroli and Lavender Cedar Leaf.What about those tough hard to get rid of grease stains and burnt parts that stick like glue onto pots and pans. Try the age old solution of apple cider and baking soda. It gets rid of any cooking debris and dirt. This combo also makes an excellent oven and range cleaner. Distilled vinegar is also a good cleaner , especially for the fridge and windows. You can also use it for cleaning out the microwave too.

This year resolve to make your kitchen an eco friendly one one. Think about what you're buying and if you;re going to waste it. Clean with all natural products.You'll be shrinking your kitchen and your house's carbon footprint for a greener ,cleaner planet