Margo Ashmore

My fridge is all of a sudden almost bare, just in time for my "national holiday tradition" of cleaning either the fridge, the shower, or both. Time to apply what was learned/observed this month. I had fallen out of the habit of reading labels for high fructose corn syrup - don't buy. I will go back to that, plus look at expiration dates and only buy if it's close, not already a couple years past, and not be as adventurous with what I think I should try. That should keep my backstock more reasonable, which saves space and unclutters the brain. I've started filling excess pantry space with non-pantry items so I'm not tempted to buy just to fill space. I'll try to pay more attention to where and how I can get smaller quantities of fresh produce. When you'd like to share a CSA box or farmers market excess with other like-minded folks but you don't live or work close by, intentions are good but execution impractical. And finally, congratulations to the ACW Climate Action Team - our small number but mighty prolific participants are among the top in the challenge. Thank you for taking it seriously, and we can reflect off-line what it means for the group.

Someone reminded me of the back-to-school BBQ that is held at the Culinary Wellness Center on Plymouth Ave., it's September 18 from 4-7. It's great to see how the Minneapolis school district is changing over from the soul-less prepacks of previous decades, and making it fun for students to embrace healthy and cross-cultural eating. Unfortunately, a lot of schools were built without kitchens during that era. I want to believe schools are teaching not only healthy eating and food preparation, but the stop food waste principles covered in this challenge AND the perils of plastic from February's challenge. I'm guessing it's also hard to hit all three in the institutional setting with tight time constraints.
In case I don't get to check in on the last day of the challenge, I want to say it's been fun exchanging notes with the most active of our team members. We took the routine seriously and were able to keep in touch and learn something about each other even as our life circumstances were changing and we had other work to do together or apart.

Pulled another day at the fair, and learned that MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) is interviewing vendors there relating to all kinds of waste. Only got a quick introduction but would like to know more - and the results. I assume there's a lot of consumer waste with people buying food they then decide they can't eat all of...I like the idea of traveling in packs, ordering just one of anything and letting everyone try a bite. Don't know if anyone does that. I was working at the newspaper museum, saw someone's Sweet Martha's Cookies (the smallest bucket) and said "ooh, I need one of those." They opened up the tin and said "take what you like" - they apparently had eaten their fill trying to get the lid on.

Missed checking in to the Challenge yesterday due to being at the fair and exhausted when I got home (never did get the hang of checking in via phone). Again, ate fair food judiciously - tried the pickle pizza (it's good) and a Kiwanis malt (apparently simple natural ingredients - not overly sugary, and my companion pointed out, it doesn't break down into foam). Haven't had time or inclination to grocery shop, so I'm learning to re-interpret breakfast. So what if it's yesterday's lunch sandwich leftover, it's nutrition.

I remember trying to recruit some young people to participate with us on this challenge. They pushed back, and never did join up. Their resistance may have been to the fact this is government-backed and they expressed it's trivial compared to "bigger" problems in the world. I accepted my own challenge in these posts - to tie food waste to other topics since so many things are interrelated and tied to climate change, my big issue. But I think the challenge has demonstrated something else - that no matter who's behind it, having a structure in which people can change habits, try new things, and reinforce each other through competition and storytelling, is a good model. Imagine if it were applied to embracing diversity or learning about climate change; daily (short) readings and other actions. "Aim higher" perhaps, but start anywhere and do something.

Darn it! Should have frozen some of my "pear butter" before it got moldy. Threw out about a cup. Tossing the last of the giant cabbage, mostly core. I still can't wrap my head around saving for soup, how to keep the obviously rotten or dirty pieces separate from just the unsightly. A matter of discipline and paying attention while doing rote tasks.

If I don't know what something is called, does it count if I throw it out? Found two nut-like things that came from last weekend's gleaning, rotting. Between them and some questionable shallots I have a new explosion of fruit flies. Spent the evening triaging shallots and overall cleaning the kitchen. To cut down on adult fruit flies I tried the apple cider vinegar and dish soap trick, and it works. https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/diy/diy-fly-trap/ (In the link they suggest adding sugar which will attract other types of flies as well). That's what I'll do next, as I think I have at least two species bothering my kitchen.

Earlier this summer I visited a recycling plant, where machines sort what comes in from curbside mixed recycling. The tour guide explained that the whole operation is based on what worked for agriculture - weights, sizes, shapes. I saw lots of contamination and errors and wondered if there shouldn't be a better way, perhaps lower tech. What if the workers who are there to control quality after processing would just do the processing? Not to belabor that - how it relates to the food waste challenge: I now have a dilemma, mentioned at the beginning of the challenge. I am more likely to eat "pantry food" than fresh but having seen the environmental impacts of packaging there is more motivation to change over to fresh. Haven't accomplished that, but awareness has been raised.

Fridge check Friday - found the leftover green beans my neighbor gave me. A little woody, but I'm going to try them with the refrigerator pickled green beans recipe I picked up at the city of St. Paul display at the Eco Experience. This will use up my vinegar as well. Read a few entries in the links on the Fridge Check Friday email - about being sure to use reusable bags many many times to offset the extra resources that go into making them. And about donating excess produce from gardens. I don't have any, but a friend had lamented losing her connection to a senio high rise where she could always take her excess. Good to see that there are some formal outlets for produce, though the first line of defense, so to speak, is to give it to neighbors or put out on a free table for passersby. What a community builder!

Today was the State Fair opening day, and I was volunteering at the Reuse Minnesota booth. Oddly, I did not feel the need to partake of a whole bunch of fair food since I had perfectly good options awaiting me at home. I did get some sustenance when needed. More important, I would highly recommend visiting the Eco Experience building if you go, especially if you have kids to entertain. There are dozens of interactive exhibits that teach environmental basics and talk about new initiatives the state is funding. Can't go wrong with a poop emoji as tall as a person and the bagnado!