Let me start by admitting something I’m really embarrassed about. As a thirty-something, educated, local food, organic loving, Top Chef watching, Birkenstock wearing, suburban liberal - I only truly started paying attention to our food waste during the pandemic. As in, really putting energy and effort into not letting things go bad in the fridge. Opening the refrigerator door to wilted spinach, mushy carrots, potatoes that have started to grow second potatoes. I recycle and use reusable water bottles and even consider composting… sometimes. What is wrong with me?! I know, I know, I should’ve been better way before we were locked in our homes and grocery store trips were limited to once every two weeks.

Now that I’ve admitted my shortcoming, let me explain.

You know this meme? Always thought I would be belle but I’m actually this lady.

I love grocery shopping and loathe putting grocery lists together. I want so badly to be one of those moms with the cute list and meal plan. You have no idea how much I covet being that woman. The graceful glider from aisle to aisle. Checkin’ out the produce, fingering through the nice cheese. Instead? I’m usually the frantic one, shoving things in my cart, speeding through the aisles. Always forgetting something right when pulling into the check out line.

Weirdly though, going to the grocery gives me so much joy. My biggest serotonin hit? Sale produce. Bags of celery on sale? Suuuure. 2 for $6 blueberries??? Gimme. 4 for $5 avocados?! YES. Never mind my husband is allergic to avocado. We’ll definitely eat them all, Ben and I! (We won’t.) While the rest of the country has been hoarding toilet paper, cleaning wipes, paper towels - I’m over here filling my bag with as much on sale lettuce and strawberries as can fit.

Long story short, we’ve always had food waste. Not a ton, but more than I’m proud of. Take one well-meaning -but-can’t-control-herself grocery shopping mom + full time working dad + my work travel schedule of leaving the country every two weeks = produce wilts, carryout gets ordered.

It doesn’t help that for the first time in over a decade I have two fridges. Long gone are the days of playing tetris with small Brooklyn refrigerators. Will totally admit to going wild with how much I can store during our first few months in North Carolina. (By the way, you know you’re firmly in your mid-thirties when your trigger for “going wild” is food storage.)

Then, quarantine happened. No carryout, no easy jaunt to the store. Instead of looking for an easy delivery fix for “nothing to eat because the kale is wilted and carrots went soft”, I shifted focus to using every single thing we have. Does cooking the vegetable that’s about to go bad next count as meal planning? If it does, that’s what changed things. Well, that and multitasking during 30 person consultant conference calls. Sometimes it takes a conscious mental shift to change a bad habit, sometimes it’s a global pandemic.

I’m pretty freaking proud because 9 weeks into quarantine and I haven’t thrown away a single piece of produce. Do things in the fridge still go forgotten? Of course, we’re human. What’s changed is I am now spending the time to use them when they’re on their last legs. (Does this count as a hobby?) Berries, especially, I’ve discovered are super easy to save. You can bake them into things, freeze them for smoothies, or make jam. Honestly, preserves still turn me off because every recipe sounds super involved. Jars, sterilizing, cool, dry place (sorry my wine is there), probably an apron, a hair curler, etc. When there’s caring toddler and a full day of work involved, there literally aren’t enough hours or energy in the day.

A few weeks ago I started experimenting with quick jam recipes and as per usual, landed on my own. It’s sugar and thickener free and doesn’t feel like a project. Reuse an old pasta jar to store in the fridge for up to two weeks, but ours never lasts that long.

If you have any produce life extending tips, share in the comments! I’m going to compile them all into a post. In the meantime, save your berries. Make this jam!

Strawberries before i forgot about them.

strawberries destined for the garbage? no! make jam.

easiest strawberry (or any berry) jam

ingredients

2-3 cups berries. I used 2 cups strawberries and about 1/2 cup blueberries.
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp chia seeds, you can skip but the jam won’t be as thick. I love the texture they give so highly recommend.
scrape of vanilla pod or just a splash of vanilla

*The above is the basic proportions for the recipe. Double or triple if you have enough fruit. Since I usually make this to save the sad looking berries, it makes roughly half a quart or so.

Wash strawberries and cut off the stems. Rough chop the big ones.
Pour all the berries into a small pot on medium heat.
The fruit will start to bubble and release a lot of juice. Let it do this for about 5 minutes while stirring.
Once there’s a lot more liquid in the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer. From here out, you’re cooking on very low.
Add honey, cinnamon, vanilla and give everything a good stir. Keep on low, steady heat for another 10 min.
Add chia seeds and let everything simmer for another 5 minutes.
Keep stirring. I know I said low effort, this counts as that. You can stir and listen to a podcast or sit there if you have a stool. I dialed into a conference call with 30 people where I literally never have to speak. Another 10 min since the last 5 have passed. Your kitchen smells so good now.
At this point, the berries will have broken down. You can mash them up if you like a smoother jam. I like my jam like I like my decor: rustic.
Let the jam cool and chia seeds absorb for about 15-20 min but obviously give it a taste because why wouldn’t you.

Serve it on anything you would eat jam with. Or, give your toddler a taste then hear the words, “Mama mooooore pease. Mama, peeeease. Peeease. Peeeease.” Give in and let him eat it straight out of the jar while jotting down notes from aforementioned conference call.

Wake up the next morning. Sneak downstairs at 5:30AM. Make coffee, smother biscuit with jam, read the Fiona Apple profile that’s been saved for weeks in total silence. Mama quarantining during quarantine. If you know, you know.