Delicious Kumquat Chutney Recipe (Waste Not, Want Not Challenge)

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Delicious Kumquat Chutney Recipe (Waste Not, Want Not Challenge)

What a pain in the citrus!

When we left last off, I was drowning in a heap of delightful miniature fruits. Backyard grown (no pesticides or fertilizers), packed with vitamins, and destined to fall and rot, I committed to not letting any of the 37 cups of kumquats go to waste.

So today we explore the wonder of chutney! Click through for a delicious kumquat chutney recipe, which will extend the shelf-life of excess fruits for more than a month.

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Fight Fast Fashion: SWAP Don't SHOP

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Fight Fast Fashion: SWAP Don't SHOP

Some years, you ask your family for PYREX for Christmas, but instead get SPANDEX.

Do you...

A) retire and pursue a career as a backup dancer?

B) repurpose said metallic clothing as bicycle reflectors?

or 

C) host a clothing swap?

Today on the blog: how and why sharing and swapping is caring, and some terrifying facts on fast fashion. 

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Low Fat Spiced Kumquat Ice Cream (Waste Not, Want Not Challenge)

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Low Fat Spiced Kumquat Ice Cream (Waste Not, Want Not Challenge)

News Flash: homemade ice cream is a perfectly legitimate way to extend the shelf life of your excess fruit.

My fridge can only fit so many jars of jam and pickles before my boyfriend calls Homesteaders Anonymous. I passed that limit about 2 batches of marmalade ago - shut up and hand me my bonnet.

Here's my favorite new recipe: Spiced Kumquat Ice Cream. The peels are naturally sweet, and they take on a delicious candied texture when frozen. It's sinful, it's easy, it's a foodie-approved way to use up extra fruit. 

 

 

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The Waste Not, Want Not Challenge, and Why It Matters (Kumquat Edition)

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The Waste Not, Want Not Challenge, and Why It Matters (Kumquat Edition)

Kumquats are basically citrus' wild party girl: the peels are sweet, the fruit is sour.

When I stumbled on a small tree covered in unused kumquats, I decided to do another Waste Not, Want Not Challenge. "What does it matter, it's just one tree?" I was asked.

With 925 million people hungry worldwide, it matters. Here's how much food that one tree generated, and here's why taking the Waste Not, Want Not Challenge will change your relationship with food.

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Falling in Love with Nature with Grit & Pixel Photographer Marisa Jarae

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Falling in Love with Nature with Grit & Pixel Photographer Marisa Jarae

Photographer/activist Chris Jordan made a point that deeply resonated with me: You cannot save this planet without also falling in love with it over and over again.

Conservation is hard work. Going green is hard work. Caring is incredibly hard work. 

So, taking that moment to breathe, to connect to the epic masterpiece that is Mother Nature, is vital. Let yourself wonder and fall in love, remember that we are of this wonderous and majestic planet. That love is what sustains us through the work.

No one's photography reminds me to take that moment more than bad ass adventure photographer Marisa Jarae. I could sing her praises all day long, but I'd rather let the work speak for itself. 

I'm taking a moment this week. Will you take it with me?

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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lentil Stew with Egg from The Fresh Beet's Ashley Thomas

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Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Lentil Stew with Egg from The Fresh Beet's Ashley Thomas

This weather has me craving hearty, nutritious food, and this delightful slow cooker recipe from The Fresh Beet's Ashley Galloway Thomas is perfect for a chilly Sunday evening.

The best part? You can make it without generating any plastic packaging waste! Bon appetit!

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Kitchen Waste Woes: Let's Talk About "That Drawer"

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Kitchen Waste Woes: Let's Talk About "That Drawer"

Did you know an estimated 10% of all plastic bags created annually end up in our oceans?

It's time to talk about "That Drawer" - the one filled with waste-producing food wraps.

This week we head back to the kitchen to streamline plastic waste with Ecotopia's reusable sandwich bags. 

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Sour Orange Jelly (Waste Not Want Not Challenge)

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Sour Orange Jelly (Waste Not Want Not Challenge)

A super easy Seville orange jelly recipe that will brighten your morning, and is the perfect counter recipe to the Sour Orange Limoncello post, leaving you with only the seeds and a thin husk of pith as food waste! 

And some final thoughts on my first Waste Not, Want Not personal challenge.

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