Last week brought a beautiful and intense thunderstorm, followed by hail and an abundance of rain. The storm brought much needed moisture, but also knocked most of our green tomatoes from their plants. Not wanting to waste the food I’ve spent the last several months cultivating, I got to work finding a way to use the produce.
After a few minutes of searching I decided to make a batch of green tomato salsa to enjoy. Looking through my fridge and pantry I opted to pair it with some leftover golden rice, black beans, pickled (local) red onions, locally made red salsa in a returnable jar, an avocado, and sauteed (local) yellow onions and colorful bell peppers.
Dinner was delicious and surprisingly easy to make. The food was made of mostly pantry staple ingredients and it came together surprisingly easily. With meals like this I feel thankful for the time I’ve taken to learn some basic cooking strategies, and the inspiration that comes from something as simple not wanting to waste underripe tomatoes.
Limiting food waste doesn’t have to mean limiting options or flavors. In fact, it can even encourage us to embrace opportunities we may never have sought out prior to living a low waste life.