Want Not Waste Not / Recycle and Re-use Foods

There are ways to re-use and recycle everything. Yes, I do mean everything! And this article will concentrate on food.

The idea is to reduce waste to prevent pests, reduce usage of other useful items such as insecticides, medical supplies, etc. Using every last scrap in dystopia will be a common practice. Knowing what to do with the last of the cucumber or the shell of watermelons gives the upper hand to those in need.

Disclaimer:

•This article is designed for a dystopia scenario, though the suggestion may be incorporated in society today or while on the run on Z-Day.
•Any carrion, carnivorous, and omnivore type flora or fauna should in most cases, if not all, be treated as possibly infected.
•The following suggestions are all of my humble opinion and research. If you do happen to find any error or discrepancies, please inform me with detail. I will not be able to cover everything without taking a full year but your extra suggestions can and most probably will be incorporated and quoted in the article.
•Human and zombie recycling methods will not be discussed within.
•I am not responsible for any mishaps, misuse, etc, so use at your own risk and discretion.

•Composting
•Cooking and Gardening
•Beauty, Hygienic and Medicinal Properties
•Seeds

Building a compost bin(s) is really easy. The basic idea is to create a warm environment for the dedicated items to compost. This can mean the use of bins, crates, tires, plastic sheeting, waxed cardboard boxes, etc. There are many varieties and styles of compost bins, piles and other alternatives available through any search engine. Keep in mind that the more space saved, the better.

Ensure that the compost is placed in the hottest area you can find (in sunlight all day, near furnaces, etc). This will speed the process of composting.

You can “Tap” into the bottom of the compost with a filtered tap (or hole) which allows you to drain quantities of highly fertile water for watering plants. Do this within moderation; you need to keep the compost wet to help break down the compost in good time. Open the lid of the compost if it rains for extra “Juice”.

You can use any matter to compost except treated wood or saw dust (toxins), diseased plants (re-occurrence), Human and Pet wastes (diseases), meat/bones (pests and too slow to break down), pernicious weeds (multiplication). Dairy is fine, but it may cause odours.

Maintaining your compost can be found in cowboy17’s article Rooftop Agriculture – Part 1. Just keep in mind to always mix thoroughly.

I’ll try to stick with basic and common foods.

One of the most common uses for fresh scraps including fruit, vegetables, meat off-cuts, and bones is making broth or stock. Some would say don’t add fruit, that it tastes weird, but no, it doesn’t and besides, we don’t want to waste anything. You can separate to make a meat and vegetable broth and a fruit desert broth if you want, but it depends on the amount of daily scraps.

Simply fill a pot with the scraps (chopped fine) with meat semi/fully. You than fill the pot with water to approximately 2/3 and bring to a boil. Once the broth has boiled, remove the fatty substance on top and feed it to your dog or whatever animal can eat meat (if fruit was used mix it with other scraps and feed to chickens). Allow to simmer. If kept warm and simmered daily it can last for a few days. Adding sugar to fruit broth can make it tasty. According to my childhood upbringing any fruit skin is edible, it’s just whether you want to put up with the taste or not.

Many fuel types, including methane, can be produced from food scraps. I do not know or understand the process as of yet, so I will not comment until I am sure of the safe methods.

Citrus fruits are unbelievably versatile. But I’ll stick to topic and suggest zest. Zest is the coloured (or darker) part of citrus fruits grated, which is great for seasoning. Cutting citrus fruit in half and keeping the peels “cupped” means they can be used as cups for added flavour to water to help with hydration. Also by placing the “Cups” around your garden you can catch grubs, bugs and slugs to feed your chickens or grind up and give to animals. Or by cracking an egg into the "cup" and placing over coals you can create yourself some cooked and flavoured eggs. Citrus peels burn a lot longer and are a lot more flammable than wood shaving or dust and the ashes of the fire can be used in the compost. Aphids are attracted to citrus but it kills them, so throw them around in the garden. Last tip is to boil the citrus peels and then mush them up with water, strain them into a bottle and you have your own handy insect repellent. Use the left over pulp by drying it in a container. You can use them as “fire bricks”.

The smell of lavender can deter pests like flies, moths or even fleas³.

Any hollowed out food with a sturdy shell like watermelon, pumpkin, orange, lemons, grapefruits and even egg shells can be used as a carafe. This also helps with hydration; a tinge of flavour to water will help your body absorb the necessities. Alternatively, you can throw in your moonshine for added taste or as a Molotov cocktail for those who are fire-happy against zombies.

Watermelon rind can be sugared, pickled or dried. You scrape away the green shell of the watermelon, add sugar or dried mint and you have a tasty snack. Dried watermelon (as my grandparents used) has a sweet taste to it and can be added to anything you want slightly sweetened. I've eaten a 4-litre jar of watermelon, including its juices as a “Barmans” challenge and it did not agree with my bowels. But for those of you that have the bowels that can handle homemade pickled products, read on.

Place dried banana peels 3-8cm under your plants to discourage aphids¹.

Egg shells can be used as a Grub deterrent around your ground-grown vegetables, herbs and fruits. Scrap onions, garlic and other pungent foods can be placed into a spray bottle and used as a natural pest deterrent. Coffee granules (if you’re lucky to have them) are great for compost, reducing odours of compost when spread over the top, and by placing a circle around a tree or plant, creating another natural herbicide².

Vinegar is a guaranteed method of killing weeds that grow through cracks in flooring, wall-climbing vines and those persistent weeds that grow through any crevice. Mixing vinegar with water 50/50 and spraying around the area of ant infestations will move the ants on (not kill them). Vinegar (or brine) is also used in pickling as mentioned in Eliot’s article "Food Storage”. ⁴So the process is pretty simple, all you need to do to start is put your ingredients, including herbs and spices, into a sterilized jar. Let it ferment for a couple of months and you can have stored food for up to 6 months and in some occasions a few years, but be sure to do your research about storage capabilities of local food.

Disclaimer: home brewing of alcohol may be regulated or forbidden within some jurisdictions. Be sure to check all local laws before attempting to brew alcohol in your home or anywhere but a licensed distillery. We bear no responsibilities that result from your decision to use this information.

Over ripe berries, grapes or plums can be made into wine. I have no idea how my grandmother did it, so instead goto Make Delicious Homemade Wine without yeast published by benjiman, eHow user. Luckily in Australia we have vegemite, promite, and marmite, which all contain high amounts of yeast. If there is enough demand for those recipes I will submit an article for all.

Banana skins are used for a variety of things, including warts. You simply tie some banana skin over your wart and leave for a day or two. Rubbing banana skin on insect bites will help remove irritation better than some creams. Inflammations, sprains, strains and bruising can be healed faster if banana skin is applied and then a bandage or clean rag is used to tie it on. Facial masks can be kept up in dystopia by simply adding a small portion of honey spread over the skin and laid evenly over you face and neck. Please note that you keep yellow side up for all suggestions. Fresh ripe bananas can also help with gastritis³.

Using the apple core to make apple tea can not only help with sore throats but also help with fevers⁴. Rubbing the soft parts of the apple core on swollen eyes (while closed) helps reduce swelling³.

Onions, leeks and garlic are commonly used to relieve blisters and wasp or bee stings. When these pungent bulbs are cut in half or quartered they draw in bad germs, reducing risk of infections. If the bulbs are juiced they are great for bronchitis and scurvy³.

Blackberries and raspberries cure diarrhoea, where as brazil nuts are best for constipation when consumed³.

You can scrape a potato into a paste, place on burns and watch the healing process quicken.

Strawberries are natural teeth whiteners. Cucumbers placed over eyes can help reduce those baggy eyes and dark rings. Use the water used to boil cabbage leaves to wash your face and body for a smoother feel from rich vitamins and minerals.

You can heal ulcers with a poultice of carrots³. Keep in mind carrots are a great antiseptic³. Fresh coconut gets rid of worms in the intestine³.

Citrus fruit can reduce the risk of influenza, scurvy, gout and kills diphtheria³. Lemon juice helps soothe sore throats when gargled. Lemon juice is commonly rubbed on blackheads, corns and blisters. Citrus fruit peels absorb odours which is handy when you’ve worn your boots for a week. Throwing them in with your washing process can eliminate odour and also help sterilise (to a point) your clothes.

Vinegar can eliminate body odour, even after you’ve eaten all the pickled onions.

There are many uses from almost every seed including beauty, medicinal, decorative and growing. I highly advise growing. Planting every seed will grow your crop substantially. This allows you to start storing for those bad winters, tropical storms, plant diseases and a growing population.

Saving the seeds for the next year's crop is simple. Simply fold them in paper loosely, place them in a container and store in a dry open space. Airflow is important for storing seeds. For those who live in constant snow, use the same system just mentioned but instead bury them in the snow , thus increasing the lifespan of your stored seeds. If the snow melts below the stored seeds, plant as soon as possible. Please mark the area in which the seeds were stored.

I would like thank my wife, mother, father, grandparents and numerous mates for valuable information over my life. These were the ideas for 99% of my suggestions. I just used the following bibliographies to fill in the gaps.

Books and Magazines:

¹ The New Oxford Book of Food Plants
Written by J. G. Vaughan & C. A. Geissler (Printed 1997)
² Various Better Homes and Gardens Magazine articles.
(Various publishers)
³ Food Remedies Facts About Food And Their Medicinal Uses
Composed by Florence Daniel (Released June 2006)
⁴Back to Basics (Reader’s Digest)
Composed by Readers Digest, Sydney & Auckland. (Printed 1997)