I hate waste, especially with food. I've given myself the challenge of getting the most out of all the food I buy and grow, not only to save money but to honor those who do not have enough. I can't feed the world but I can stop hogging and unconscious consumption.
Which is why I put the blueberries in a new bowl this morning.
As food in my care ages it changes. What was fresh and delicious yesterday is overripe and bruised today. Tomorrow it will be in a cloud of fruit flies.
Years ago, I read an interesting idea about clothes storage - that you should display your clothes like they do in the stores. Tops, pants and others should be presented in a manner that makes them desirable, and fun to wear, so instead of a drawers stuffed full, you should have less and display it well.
I applied this to my fridge and room temp foods: it should be hard to choose from among all the succulent ingredients, and menu ideas.
As soon as the blueberries are no longer juicy fresh, I take them out of the colander and off the counter, bowl them and put them in the fridge. They will be the next smoothie or milkshake.
As the tomatoes on the windowsill start to turn black and crumple, I add them to the bowl in the fridge; ingredients for soup.
When artisanal bread gets to be several days old, no longer suitable for sandwiches or toast, I bag it and freeze it for croutons or exotic breadcrumbs.
I grow rosemary, basil, fennel, lavender, sage, oregano, mint, lemon balm, chives, and garlic. I love to garden and prefer food-bearing trees such as nuts and fruit. This house boasts an apple tree with three different apples grafted onto its espalied limbs. We have a hazelnut tree, and a plum tree. We have a hanging strawberry basket and tomatoes.
Most years I plant sweet peas and snap peas (didn't this year because I moved). Our old house had a cherry tree and saskatoonberry tree - yum! I loved watching the children pick and snack while exploring the gardens; it gives them a sense of where food comes from and the chance to experience fresh-picked ripe food. I still remember their faces the first time I gave them a just-picked juicy strawberry. Blew their little minds.
Food is like sex - way more fun where you're attracted.