November is here: the brisk mornings, the gorgeous changing leaves, and (of course) the opportunity to celebrate the holidays. At earthday365, we believe in celebrations that bring joy *and* protect the planet. As we’ve discussed in our #TooGoodToWaste campaign, the average American throws out $1,300 in food each year, and the holidays are often “prime time” for over-buying and over-cooking that leads to waste. Below are some quick and easy tips that you can follow to keep food waste off the menu this season.

How many people will be at your holiday table this year? Smaller-than-usual gatherings are the new normal for 2021, as people take extra pandemic precautions. If you’re serving, say, six (rather than your usual twelve or fifteen), consider only making the *very* favorite family side dishes to serve with the turkey, ham, or vegan main course. If you do want to prepare all of the traditional sides, consider cutting recipes in half. While we always have good intentions for leftovers, we’ve all found that lonely dish of stuffing at the back of the fridge!

As you prep your holiday feast, be sure to save scraps like vegetable peels, meat trimmings, and rendered bacon fat for future recipes! Peels and trimmings are perfect for making savory broths, and you can elevate breakfast potatoes (or stovetop popcorn!) with a bit of bacon fat. Save excess chopped onions so that you can quickly caramelize them for future pasta dishes, and keep all those potato skins to season, bake, and make into chips!

Once the meal is finished, place leftover food in clear containers labeled with the contents and the date. (If you have the tools, vacuum-seal and freeze items that you know you might not consume in the next week or so.) Offer to let your visiting guests take home containers of food, and allow them to choose their favorite items and pack those into reusable dishware. Remember: If you cooked for eight, but there are only four in your family, it’s unlikely you’ll get to *all* those leftovers. So send everyone home with a box of holiday deliciousness!

Holiday leftovers lend themselves beautifully to all kinds of tasty dishes. Chop up turkey and ham as the perfect add-in for fried rice, or transform leftover mashed potatoes into latkes. If you have extra dinner rolls, make a sweet or savory bread pudding – or toss pieces of bread with oil and seasoning, and then bake for delicious homemade croutons. Leftover buttermilk or half-and-half is perfect for French toast batter. When it comes to dishes incorporating holiday leftovers, the options are nearly limitless.

Holiday meals require our money to purchase and our time to prepare, but those are not the only resources expended. The food on your holiday table is the result of many resources including fresh water, energy, land, and labor. Make every effort to keep your food out of landfills, so that you are not contributing to waste. Plus, food that rots in landfills emits a powerful greenhouse gas, so you help the climate when you avoid the landfill. Check out the FoodKeeper App, which provides great guidance on storage for 650+ food and beverage

Give your spring gardening a boost by composting now. If you don’t already compost, it’s so easy to get started! Check out resources from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or look into local community compost or collection/drop-off opportunities. So many everyday food and beverage items are compostable, including fruits and veggies, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, and nut shells. Just remember to keep things like produce stickers out of the mix!

No matter the size of your celebration, we at earthday365 hope you have a joyous time. Thank you for caring for your community and for the planet!