Stefanie Neale

I've been trying out different veggies to re-grow in water. So far leeks and celery have been the most successful endeavors! 

Yesterday I took the food scraps that I've collected over the past month to a local composting facility. It's nice to avoid sending .69 pounds of food waste to the landfill everyday, and instead know that it's being repurposed into a useful product.

Tonight's dinner features lemon pepper fettuccine made locally by the Bellingham Pasta Co, with focaccia on the side from Breadfarm. The turkey and veggies used are all organic :)

This morning I used local and organic tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños (plus non-local cilantro and onions) to make a batch of salsa verde. I toasted the veggies on the stove first for more flavor. 

Of my five challenges, I find the "only buy in bulk" one to be the most difficult to complete. I've been able to do it one day so far...

I made a delicious batch of potato and leek soup! All of the produce is local and organic. 

I made stuffed Pattypan squash (my first time using it!). The squash is local and organic. I put rice, black beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes in them. Then I topped them with some fresh bacon from the local deli. Pretty tasty!

I receive a weekly box of local produce through a Community-Supported Agriculture program in my area. I had a bunch of veggies that I needed to use up (leeks, carrots, celery, tomatos, mushrooms, etc) so I ended up cooking them down and then blending them into my very own vegetable stock paste! I can now mix 1-1.5 teaspoons of my paste with a cup of water and use it in any recipe that calls for stock. 

I made a vegetarian Shepard's Pie that features local and organic potatoes, carrots, onion, and cabbage. The cheese and butter used came from a local dairy farm. The photo doesn't do it justice- it ended up tasting delicious!

 

If you're looking to start composting your food waste in the Bellingham, WA area, I want to recommend a few options:
1) If you live on WWU's campus, you may be able to request a compost bin for your dorm (I know this applies to at least the Fairhaven dorms). There are FoodPlus! compost bins behind the Fairhaven dorms that you can put your compost into. 
2) If you live off campus and pay for your waste services, you can ask SSC (the local waste company) for a FoodPlus! compost bin for your home. It will be picked up every other week for a small fee. You may find that you'll be able to reduce the number of times your trash is picked up (a lot of our waste is food!). Go to the FoodPlus! section on this website for info or you can ask me if you have questions: http://www.ssc-inc.com/recycling_residential.php#foodplus
3) If you live off campus and do not pay for your own waste, you can ask your landlord if they would be willing to request a FoodPlus! bin for your house or apartment complex. If they refuse, and you are really motivated, you can take your food waste to Green Earth Technologies in Lynden (http://www.greenearthtechnology.com/). This is what I currently have to do. I am able to limit my trips to GET to once a month. Household food waste weighs so little that it is always free for me to take my waste there. Let me know if you have questions.