Andrea Heier

I will sign up for Fridge Check Friday emails, sent by Hennepin County but open to everyone, to prompt me to check my fridge for food that needs to be used up and for hacks on storing food to keep it fresh.

I will observe how much my family members eat and learn how many portions will match our life stages and appetites.

I will set aside time to prepare meals in advance.

I will explore different meal plan techniques and choose one that works for my household.

I will only purchase the items on my grocery list and avoid impulse purchases.

I will try root-to-leaf recipes, which utilize all parts of the vegetable, such as beet greens, carrot tops, and herb stems.

I will properly store apples by keeping them on the counter for up to 7 days and then moving them to the refrigerator.I will keep them away from bananas and avocados, since those speed ripening. I will properly store 12 apples.

I found an expired bottle of lemon juice in my cabinet that I didn't know I had, so I researched other ways to use it than for eating, such as cleaning, skin and hair, adding acidity to the garden, etc.

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.

I have an oversupply of cucumbers. I have already pickled many and used many in salads, etc. So I put out a box of them on the curb for free and many disappeared. This may be a one time action but I will probably do again with cucumbers and other vegetables that have grown and are beyond my ability (and family's/friend's ability) to use up.