6 Lessons On Preventing Food Waste, Courtesy Of My Tiny Home

I've learned that a fridge works most efficiently when its contents are spread out and given a little room to breathe. Without proper air circulation, you'll quickly be left with sad-looking food. In my case, the irony of having a small fridge was that the total usable area shrank even more when I started packing it this way.

Once your groceries make it home, it's essential to prepare them before storing in the fridge—a skill many of us are never taught. To keep fresh produce from falling victim to the harshness of the fridge environment, read up on the conditions it prefers.

Naked greens, for example, will rapidly dry out as water evaporates from their leaves. The same goes for hardy carrots, turnips, and beets if the greens are left attached to the roots. To prevent spoilage in my kitchen, I started lightly swaddling greens in a damp tea towel (or paper towel) and placing them in a reusable bag or wrap.

My tiny home experience felt like camping at the time in that it tested my sense of resourcefulness and ability to think outside the box.

In my kitchen, we only had room for a two-top electric burner, large toaster oven, Vitamix, two pots, two pans, and some miscellaneous utensils. As a result of limited supplies, I relied heavily on simple cooking and one-pot meals to use up ingredients.

One of my go-to techniques was sautéing veggies in a shallow mix of water and liquid aminos (soy sauce or tamari also impart that umami flavor) until the sauce had thickened. Off heat, I'd add a punch of acid with apple cider or rice vinegar, along with a drizzle of grassy olive oil and lots of fresh herbs. Super simple and delicious. For a more filling meal, it was easy to add in leftover quinoa, rice, chickpeas, or just crack an egg on top and steam with a lid (or alternately, a pan or aluminum foil)—all served right from the cast-iron pan.

Another favorite was toaster-roasted veggies, tossed in coconut oil and sea salt, with spices added afterward so as not to burn them. Without a full-size oven, we saved electricity and a swath of heat within our tiny space.

Another trick for reducing food waste is to keep stock of essential items in your pantry that can become the supporting cast for a meal featuring your fresh items or even star on their own.

I designated space for 12 quart-size Mason jars to fill with grains, flours, and nuts and eight small jars for loose spices from the bulk section. This way, I had some essentials in each category but also had room to rotate new flavors.

Once you go through the process of nurturing a seed or seedling, you give it your utmost respect when it comes time to harvest. And that respect naturally extends to savoring the entire plant and squandering none of it. Otherwise, it would be a waste of your time, energy, water, soil, and love.