Welcome everyone! Thank you for joining us today. Please introduce yourself and tell us where you're joining from!

We invite you to add questions during the talks to the Q&A.

Hello! Jonathan Menachem from Chicago

Hello from New Hampshire, USA.

Robert Wadley. Nashville, TN

Sarah Lewis, Cooperative Extension Agent in Juneau, Alaska.

Hello from Washington, DC

Tony here from Denver, CO

Hi From California!

Hi Everyone! Kevin Zacharyasz from Columbus, Ohio.

Hello from Hazel Green, Wisconsin!

Is this being recorded and will we have access to the recording?

Lesly from Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.

Hi from Maryland

Hello! Catie Mathias from Boston

Yes! We are recording this session and plan to post it on the event page next week. Thanks!

Thanks @Andrea!

Terry Keene from Harrisburg PA

Anne Bijur from Vermont

Hi everyone! I’m Mercedes from Salt Lake City, UT.

Hi from Kelley from Nebraska!

Hello, Brian Costantino from New Jersey

Yes! We are recording this session and plan to post it on the event page next week. Thanks!

That add always makes me tear up :-). It’s great.

Check the fridge manual. My fridge zones are very different!

Hi Andrea, will we have access to the slides as well?

What is best storage for cheeses?

Hello! From Maryland

Visit https://savethefood.com/ for more information about food waste.

Alison has a beautiful kitchen!

Agreed!! This is so helpful too.

Hi - thanks for asking about the sound. I checked and everyone is muted. :)

THIS part of the webinar needs to be a separate video to share on our websites and social media. FUN!

In Alaska we can get old, poorly stored potatoes with bitter potato skins. So sad when we have to peel.

Please consider eating all of a leek, not just the white-light green! The dark green is rich and delicious.

I worked 20 years ago in SE Asia helping residents of the major city slum projects start businesses to bring in income. I noticed that they eat a lot of watermelon, which was very cheap. They threw so much watermelon rind away, and they loved pickles. A long time German tradition family recipe I had was watermelon rind pickles, so I taught them how to make watermelon rind pickles and help them get a processing space started and soon they were selling product with a no cost ingredient!

Alison's website is: https://endsandstems.com/alison-mountford/

Is feeding you animals extra food considered food waste?

We will also be posting sharable resources on the event webpage where you'll be able to find lots of great information that the speakers are sharing.

The event page is: https://conservationcommons.si.edu/event/take-easy-action-for-less-wasted-food-at-home/

Friend from England just sent me a recipe today for banana bread using the entire banana, including the peel!

Why should we exclude tissues?I find a great way to reduce odour in my kitchen pail, balance moisture and add carbon is to include all tissues and pulp-packages like egg cartons

Kitchen paper towels?

Bokashi is an anaerobic fermentation process that repels rodents.

When you look at kitchen collection bins, go big so you don’t have to empty it every day - and be sure to change out the charcoal filter routinely.

Cilantro stems have tons of flavor! Eat them!!! Great for stock.

Isn't no-till better than mixing composted stuff into the top 6"-8" of soil?

If you've got fats or oils you don't want to eat (I fry eggs and potatos in my bacon grease and it's amazing) - then consider saving It up and blending with other oils to make soap.

That’s my understanding, Rob, but sometimes people move gradually to to no-till gardening… And not everyone is on board with no-till yet.

I would love to know how I can promote black soldier fly waste food processing of restaurant (and other large-producer food waste) for animal feed. Who can I talk to in your organizations? I’m also interested in promoting raising insects for human consumption for agricultural waste, etc.

Xochitl - I am ok with tilling abused soil one time but then no-till a

Sorry, “from” agricultural waste!

We are collecting your questions and will be answering them soon. Please keep adding questions to the Q&A! Thanks!

Xochitl - (continued) then no-till from then on.

I think it’s important to note if you can’t/don’t want to compost at home for whatever reason, there may be a commercial compost service in your area that will take your food scraps and other organic waste, mix it with landscape waste, and turn it all into compost. These services accept meat, fish, bones, dairy, compostable items, cooked food, 100% paper, and other items that won’t break down quickly at home. Fats and oils may be absorbed into paper and other waste and composted that way. Some of them operate all year round, so you have access in the winter, and they reduce the risk of rodents and other unwanted diners. Third bins all year round, curbside/yard waste ride-along programs, community drop off sites, community gardens, and/or container swap or similar programs may be available in your area. No matter what your specific living situation is (urban, suburban, rural, single-family home, multi-unit dwelling, tiny house), there is a compost option for you!

Brenda - I am trying to join the ILSR Community Composter Coalition but am having some issues, can you please help me with that?

Hi everyone! Here is my undergraduate thesis project, which was mentored by Dr. Jon Deutsch: https://lindseykerr.com/chow-pickling-system

@lizKunkle Yes! I agree. But our communities are so good at collecting and removing fall leaves and other yard trim, that we will soon find that our backyards are starved of organic matter. Indeed, trees in the Mid-Atlantic region where I am, are severely stressed.

@RobDentremont, I will contact you separately re joining the Community Composter Coalition.

Thank you, Deb! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! We'll post sharable resources on the event page soon.

Thanks for all the great questions and comments! Keep 'em coming!

My dogs have always eaten a good deal of the bits & pieces of veg. & fruit that we might not find as appealing. I generally cook & blend it. It’s wonderful as part of their diet, anti-inflammatory, and reduces the amount of meat they consume (hence, carbon footprint).

Thank you so much, Brenda! 100% agreed we should keep as much of our organic matter as possible in our yards. I just want people to know that even if they don’t have a yard, there are still likely options to compost their organic waste - it’s not backyard or nothing. I put all the waste I can in my yard, but I use a commercial service for the rest so that I can divert all the organic waste we create in our house from landfill. Thank you for responding!

I do the freezer ice cube for fruit that I puree and then use in my smoothies.

work with your city's solid waste system and policy makers, such as this novel community program in Anchorage, AK --->http://www.muni.org/departments/sws/recycling/pages/curbsideorganics.aspx ---> Spring to Fall: a bucket of organics recycled is exchanged for a bucket of finished compost!

I've been sharing leftovers through my Buy Nothing group (on facebook).

Buy Nothing groups can be a great place to share excess food with neighbors

Ha, great minds!

from an earlier comment in the chat, see https://www.gardenmyths.com/bokashi-vs-composting/

Community Fridges are also a good way to share food.

For more info on home composting: https://ilsr.org/home-composting/

Ha! Hi, Kym!

https://drexel.edu/cnhp/research/centers/foodbionutritioncore/Drexel-Food-Lab/

Here's a great recent article from USDA about liability protections: https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/08/13/good-samaritan-act-provides-liability-protection-food-donations

That is so true, but Feeding America and the food pantries push the food drive model! We need to change and update our entire food safety net system!

https://www.upcycledfood.org/

https://composting.ces.ncsu.edu/vermicomposting-2/vermicomposting-for-households/

Ha ha, Allison, my husband always says no! lol

Alison, Thank you for your perspective! I love love love your fresh ideas about how to create your grocery list in general and specifically starting with whatever perishable items you might have that need to be used up!

Can you freeze used milk to use in stocks?

I freeze both milk and cream regularly (I grew up on a dairy farm!) - don't know what you mean by "used" milk.

Thank you Susan :)

Leftovers rock! You can freeze leftover and mix with some new sides or sauces.

This has been fantastic. Always something to learn and take away.

Thank you so much, Alison! Love your presentation and ideas! Thank you to all the panelists! This was a really great presentation with such a wonderful collection of presentations to cover the entire range of this topic!

Great information!

This has been very informational and fun, thank you panelists, great webinar!!!!!

Thank you everyone for joining us today and a big thank you to all of the panelists!

Thank you, from everyone at FoodWaste.com!

Thanks! Great presentation and very useful information.

Thank you all, this was great!

Love food, not waste!

Very enjoyable webinar! Thanks to all the presenters.

Wonderful! Thank you!

Thank you all so much!

https://conservationcommons.si.edu/event/take-easy-action-for-less-wasted-food-at-home/

liked all the energy and passion from the moderator and four speakers, thx!

I hope that you will repeat this program. More folks have to see it and listen to you all. Also, we need a Twitter campaign