PICKLE
(ALMOST)
ANYTHING
Pickling is a savvy way to
preserve veggies on the verge
of turning for a few more
weeks. Try our test kitchen’s
go-to brine for carrots, green
beans, or zucchini.
1
In a small pot,
mix 1¼ cups
distilled white
vinegar, 1 cup
water, 4 cloves
peeled and
crushed garlic,
3 Tbsp sugar,
and 2 Tbsp
kosher salt.
2
Heat on
medium, stir-
ring, until sugar
dissolves.
3
Arrange 1 lb
desired vegeta-
bles, quartered
lengthwise,
and 3 sprigs dill
in a 32-oz jar;
cover with warm
brine. Let cool
slightly.
Replace lid and
refrigerate at
least 4 hours or
up to 2 weeks.
Plan and Prep
Now you’re ready to shop, right?
E h—not so fa st. You’re m i s si ng
something: a list, which can help
you limit impulse buys, lower your
grocery bill, and make fewer shop-
pi ng t r ips, ac c ord i ng to m a rket
research. The secret to creating a
winning list (and scoring all these
pluses) is meal planning—realisti-
c a l ly. That me a n s t a k i ng i nto c on-
sideration things like dinner with
f r iend s or la z y eve s t hat c a l l for
leftovers. “Try reserving a night,
like a Stir Fry-day or a Wasteless
Wednesday, when you use up ev-
er y t h i ng t hat ’s lef t i n t he k itchen,”
sug ge st s Gu nder s. Si mply sche du l-
ing for the week ensures you have
the ingredients for healthier choic-
es, and lowers the likelihood of
ordering in less-favorable eats.
Embrace the Freezer
There’s no denying it: We’re big fans
of st u ffi ng a c a r t w it h ton s of pro -
duce. But despite best intentions,
fruits and veggies are the number
one culprit in daily food waste at
home. So if you notice you’re always
buy i ng f re sh bro c c ol i on ly to t h row
it away, opt for frozen. “Plus, these
foods are typically flash-frozen at
their peak, which locks in the nutri-
ents that are gradually lost the
longer an item sits in the market
or kitchen,” says Abby K.
Cannon, JD, RD, CDN, a dieti-
tian and sustainability expert
in New York City. Another way to
save all those nutritional benefits:
Freeze them! Using the freezer as
short-term storage for everything
f rom m i l k to la st n ig ht ’s sa l mon
d i sh ( you c a n even f re ez e wa l nut s
and almonds) not only cuts back on
tossing but also takes the pressure
off hav i ng to c o ok a nd e at i ng re d i-
ents within a certain time, explains
Gu nder s. Pack age fo o d i n sm a l l
quantities so it freezes faster, which
helps maintain flavor and texture.
Judge Less, Eat More
We hold ou r fo o d to i mp os sible
standards of perfection, frequently
nixing safe and delish eats just
because of a scar (which, btw, is
usually caused by a nearby tree
limb) or an unusual shape. Choose
“ugly produce” at the market, which
sometimes costs less, and look for
companies like Hungry Harvest
that focus on imperfect—and
otherwise wasted—food. Unless