Guest Post: Don't Waste the Taste

We are happy to introduce a guest post by the original scrap lunch project in Lund, who inspired us with the idea for our luncheon.

 Food waste initiatives goes nation wide! 

Many congrats from Lund for The Scrap Lunch Project's first successful event! It's truly amazing to see these initiatives spreading and we are excited to see which city will be next.

In December 2012, we from the Don't Waste The Taste project fed hungry 'lundabor' with a hot, steaming curry made from food that was destined for the bin. Despite the biting cold (we were outside in the Botanical Garden), 130 people happily waited in line to enjoy the scrap food meal and learn more about why we need to cut our food waste. To read more about it, check out http://dontwastethetaste.wordpress.com/

As we consider anyone trying to cut food waste a great friend we'd like to share a recipe with all of you in Uppsala! The main ingredient is cheap, orange, healthy and often forgotten to rot in the bottom of the fridge...... have you guessed the ingredient? If you thought 'carrots' then you're absolutely right, so here's a delicious, heart-warming recipe for carrot and ginger soup:

Spring Pea Pasta

Spring weather has finally arrived to the bustling student city of Uppsala. With the season comes crisp and buttery lettuces, crimson rhubarb with its long and slender celery-like stalks, gently perfumed wild garlic, vigorously growing soft-stemmed herbs, and the quintessential podded pea. 

Peas are a great addition to every student kitchen. The frozen variety requires no preparation, no lengthy defrosting period before it's able to be used, no compromise of taste or texture compared to fresh produce, and each individual pea packaged in its natural form and size means that it's obscenely simple to measure out exactly how much is required to avoid cooking too much and to minimise waste. If you're able to get your hands on some fresh peas, be sure to hang onto the pods and use them for a stir fry or to flavour a stock.

Spring Pea Pasta

2 handfuls of penne pasta

2 dl peas

2 tbsp creme fraiche

a small chunk of Pecorino cheese

2 slices of parma ham, torn into small ribbons

5 or 6 small mint leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Half fill a frying pan with water and bring it to the boil.

Throw in the pasta and stir it around for the first few minutes to prevent it from sticking together.

When it's nearly ready but is still a little hard in the middle, toss in the peas and let them cook.

Drain off most of the water, leaving some to bind the sauce.

Stir in the creme fraiche and crumble in the cheese.

Continue cooking until the pasta is done and the sauce has thickened.

Season to taste (I like it with lots of black pepper).

Allow to cool for a few minutes then toss through the mint leaves and parma ham.

Serve immediately.

Cathy Xiao Chen

Suspended Coffee

The scrap lunch project group heard about suspended coffee some time ago and we really liked it. We were all very happy to shortly afterwards hear that the concept had spread also to Uppsala. At the moment in Uppsala you can buy a suspended coffee at Café Linné Hörnan. 

So what is suspended coffee? It all started in Italy in Naples, where it is a local tradition. When you buy your espresso in the local café, you also pay for an extra. When you pay for the extra coffee the owner of the café will keep track of this and if someone comes who can’t afford a coffee they can have one of the suspended ones. Obviously, it is not supposed to be misused but the coffees should be for the ones in need, like homeless people. 

We hope there will be more cafés which will jump at this opportunity to contribute to society and as a customer if you see the suspended coffee logo in a café, go for it and buy the extra coffee!  Apparently some cafés have also extended the coffee idea and now provide also suspended meals and sandwiches.

If you want to support this initiative on Facebook you can find the international community here and the Uppsala community here. 

Catarina Holmsten-Carrizo

The aftermath… of The Scrap Lunch Workshop, 4th of May 2013

And so the day came and went of the Scrap Lunch Workshop…

What a fantastic turnout! With a filled up hall of long tables, white tablecloths and – later – scraped clean serving plates… 

After weeks of planning, coordinating food sources and conspiring with our guest speakers, long late hours in the kitchen for our kitchen responsible (Cathy), interview with the newspaper Ergo, administrative work and a lot of bustle on Facebook, the 4^th of May finally came along. 

At nine o’clock the nine members of the Scrap Lunch Project Group gathered to prepare their main event at Kalmar Nation. This day we all dug in to make it happen, excited and prepared for a day full of meaning and purpose!

 

At noon guests started arriving. While people mingled to the background videos about food waste, they found their seats in the Big Hall of Kalmar Nation. The sun shined outside the window. Back-stage, the kitchens were busy with a dozen people organizing to serve the food that had been prepared for days, and the food contributed by the kitchen manager Peter Ward from Uppsala Konsert och Kongress (UKK).  Downstairs Karin Torvenius and Ulrik Strandberg – two thirds of the bloggers from Glimten I Grytan – stood baking desserts for later in the program. Group members found themselves chopping fruit and running errands between the kitchens. 

The food was very successful, not only because of the long hours of work from Cathy, but because of the great effort put in by our guest chefs from Glimten i Grytan and UKK. Everything was made from scraps, and all the guests seemed to really enjoy the food.

After the Project Group’s own introduction, Peter Ward was first up on stage, speaking of his and UKK’s view of food waste, what they do to decrease it and what the best leftovers would be in his opinion. Comparing to only fifty years back, Peter definitely thinks we have gotten worse at taking care of all the food.

After that Isabel Baudish from Uppsala Nation Owl told us about how her organization tries to make the student Nations in Uppsala greener and more sustainable. Through participation in the event, Kalmar Nation also earned points from Nation Owl as a more sustainable Nation. 

Just before serving dessert , Karin and Ulrik (who secretly had his birthday this day) entertained everyone with the story of how they started their blog and the way they were inspired to challenge themselves in cooking when the fridge seemed empty, in their home as well as in others'.

And last - but definitely not least - Christopher Wegweiser from CEMUS animatedly told us about several projects including permaculture, soil, seasons, dumpster diving and foraging. He encourages getting your hands dirty to grow your own food together with other people.

These were the main attractions during the event. Also we send great thanks to all the guests who contributed with good inquiries, energetic participation in the games and a good appetite!

Finally, the Scrap Lunch Project is very grateful to all other contributions. Everyone who participated in the event showed that food waste is a problem, but a problem with MANY solutions! 

Read more about the event here.

Contributions:

Kalmar Nation:   For scrap food, printing, marketing and the location of the Lunch!
Nelins:                       Food, including boxloads of fruit used in the desserts!
Coop Forum Boländerna:            Food 
ICA Torghandel:                         Food
Djurens Rätt:                               Food
CEMUS:                                     Printing and participation
Glimten I Grytan:                        Participation
Uppsala Nation Owl:              Participation and points for Kalmar Nation
Uppsala Konsert och Kongress:  Food and participating
Affärsnätverket Las Vegas:         Marketing

Written by Sara Dahlgren

5 Steps to Eating Well and Saving Money

Eating well on a student budget in Uppsala takes practice but it can easily be done by taking a few simple steps. By being more aware of portion sizes, how and where you shop, and by spending more time in the kitchen, you can reduce your food waste and the waste of resources that goes along with over-consumption and discarded food.

1. Use smaller serving plates

It might seem strange at first, but it is actually quite practical. Serving sizes have increased dramatically and average size of plates themselves has increased by approximately 30% in recent decades. By dishing up smaller portions, you'll be more aware of over-consumption and be less likely to experience bloating, weight gain and food comas. Reducing your portion sizes will be great for your wallet too and maybe even save you time and money spent at the gym.

2. Eat less processed foods

Highly processed and packaged foods might seem cheap and convenient, but the low nutritional density in these foods will leave you craving more and can easily lead to overindulgence of calories.  Eat less refined processed foods and your body will thank you for it.

3. Cook at home

With lower priced meals available at the student nations, it's easy to understand why so many of us rarely cook at home. It's convenient and social, but the downside is that few of us are actually aware of what ingredients are used and the costs can quickly add up. By cooking at home, you can control what ingredients go into your meal and ensure that you eat a healthy and diverse diet. By sharing the cost with a few friends, you can eat well and enjoy a great social atmosphere any time at home.

4. Shop at the farmers' market

If you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the local farmers' market, do it! You'll be supporting more sustainable small-scale agriculture, helping the local economy and protecting the environment. The foods you'll be able to buy will be in season and produced locally which means they will be packed full of nutrients from the shorter storage and transportation times, and they'll taste better too!

You can find out more about farmers' markets in Uppsala here https://www.facebook.com/bondensegen

5. Buy dry goods in bulk

Whole grains and legumes are cheap and are full of protein, fiber, and other important nutrients; all of which can help you feel fuller for longer. Try to buy your grains, beans, seeds, nuts, pasta, and rice in bulk. Most supermarkets have a section where you can scoop as many nuts as you want into a bag and pay by weight. You'll find that by avoiding the pre-packaged products, you'll be able to save lots of money. Dry goods are able to be stored in the cupboard for long periods of time so if you see large quantities on sale, don't be afraid to buy up.

Cathy Xiao Chen