Cindi Downer

Washington County Staff

"to be a good steward of our food and minimize waste"

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
354 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

35

pounds of CO2

have been saved
UP TO

15

pounds

food waste prevented

Cindi's actions

Cooking

Save the Peels

When life gives me lemons (or other citrus peels), I will use the rinds to make a nontoxic cleaner.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Community

Keep all food waste out of the garbage

In addition to using up my edible food, I will keep any extra scraps out of the trash by separating them for backyard composting, curbside pickup, or a drop-off program.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Glean or Forage

I will learn about the foods that grow locally and try gleaning or foraging.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Storage

Properly Store Herbs

I will store fresh herbs just like cut flowers in a jar with 1 to 2 inches of water and cover with a plastic bag to maintain moisture. For woody or hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and chives, I will arrange them lengthwise on a damp paper towel, rolled up, then sealed in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. I will properly store 3 bunches of herbs.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Planning

Create a Household Cookbook

I will create a cookbook or recipe collection of go-to meals for my household to make meal planning easier.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Shopping

Skip the Cart

Bigger carts make us feel like we need to fill them! Use a hand basket to improve grocery store discipline and prevent over-purchasing.

COMPLETED 4
DAILY ACTIONS

Cooking

Use the Edible Portion

I will learn about what food is still safe to eat if portions have gone bad and make sure to utilize the edible portions if I can.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

Storage

Organize My Refrigerator

I will organize my refrigerator to maximize shelf life based on the temperature and humidity of different spots.

COMPLETED 1
DAILY ACTION

Planning

Track My Wasted Food

I will track the food that my household of 6 throws out so I can learn what we're wasting and why.

COMPLETED 6
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed

Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.

To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?

REFLECTION QUESTION
Cooking Use the Edible Portion

Have you previously learned about what food is still safe to eat if a portion of it goes bad? Who taught you this information?

Cindi Downer 8/28/2024 8:56 AM

Mainly I learned this information from my grandmother who worked in the food industry and my mom. I've also called companies from the product label when I've had a question annd more recently on-line resources and friends.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Community Keep all food waste out of the garbage

How has your awareness of the food you waste changed since you started separating it from other trash? Did anything surprise you?

Cindi Downer 8/28/2024 8:54 AM

As a child I was taught "Waste not; Want not" and have used many of the practices that the Food Waste Challenge recommends: shopping from a list, only buying what I intend to use, FIFO, repurposing leftovers, composting, organizing refrigerator so items needing used first are in front, proper storage to keep items fresh longer, using until item is actually spoiled and when appropriate removing spoiled portion and using remainer, buying from the "day old" section etc... This challenge did inspire me to continue to pull together family favorite recipes into the family cookbook I started a decade ago and never completed.

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- Margo Ashmore 8/31/2024 4:55 AM
  
  One of my projects as a kid was collecting recipes from store shelves, sending away to manufacturers for their recipes, etc.
  While doing this challenge, I found my mother's album of recipes - I had most of them in one form or another (she gave us a looseleaf binder seeded with family recipes), but it was interesting to be reminded of the way she approached cooking. I wouldn't say it came natural to her, or that it gave her joy, or that she knew the chemistry but she had good intentions.
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Cooking Save the Peels

Which citrus do you have the most of and what kind of cleaning product will you make?

Cindi Downer 8/14/2024 8:22 AM

I used my peels to make orange and lemon zest which I placed in glass jars in the freezer for future baking

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning Create a Household Cookbook

Was it hard or easy to create a list of recipes that everyone in your household will eat? How did it work best for you to organize them?

Cindi Downer 8/12/2024 6:49 AM

I've been collecting "family favorites" for years; copying them on to 3x5 index cards and storing them in a wooden file box my grandfather made for me. A few years ago I started typing the recipes from the index cards into a Word document to share with my children.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Shopping Glean or Forage

Did you know what "gleaning" was before you joined this challenge? Have you noticed any fruits trees or berry patches in your neighborhood that produce more than is being used up?

Cindi Downer 8/09/2024 1:20 PM

Yes I was aware of gleaning before the challenge and have gleaned in the past. Yes, I have gleaned along neighborhood trails.

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