For many years, I have been contacted by subscribers who are looking for original and delicious ideas to help them cook the contents of their basket without wasting a bite! The demand is so great that I even created a conference on the subject! 

I have developed a real passion for showcasing the fruits and vegetables that are abundant throughout the season. My goal is to demonstrate that it is possible to cook them in a different way, without ever getting tired of them! Over the next few months, I will have fun discovering the contents of my basket with you, and sharing my best tips and tricks, or my zero waste recipes. 

For those of you who are not used to a zero-waste lifestyle, let me introduce you to my three main guidelines:

Assess your cunsumption

I am often asked where to start to reduce food waste? The answer is simple: by doing a self-diagnosis. 

Before reorganizing your kitchen, you need to identify what you waste the most. This step will allow you to evaluate the areas of improvement, without going in every direction. This action will allow you to connect with your current habits and needs, without falling into the trap of performance. 

The key to overcoming food waste is to focus on ONE food at a time. So, which one should we start with? You know your tastes, you know what you like to cook, so challenge yourself to reduce your waste with your favourite foods. It's always more motivating to cook with foods you know well. This way, you will develop your creative reflexes and little by little, your zero waste reflexes. 

You should take some time to analyze your consumption and make an inventory of the foods you buy each week... even if they often end up in the brown bin. But what about the new vegetables you discover in your basket? Or the ones that are abundant, week after week, and that we don't succeed to eat all of them before the next basket arrives? 

For the new ones, ask yourself one question: what does this food look like? Are they related to a food you know and love? Does the texture remind you of a vegetable you cook with regularly? 

By evaluating the different possibilities, you will discover the full potential of the products in your basket.

How to organize the contents of the basket?

Ever since I realized that poor food storage is often the trigger for our food waste, I have been having fun organizing my food when I get home so that I can eat them properly later on.  In my opinion, this is the most important step, as it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the generous contents of your basket. By developing the reflex to organize or plan your consumption, you avoid wasting. 

Think of the delicious fresh herbs that we so often waste! If we got into the habit of organizing or planning the different ways of eating them, we could store them for the cold season instead of throwing them away. I wrote an article on the subject on my blog chicfrigosansfric.com. I explain everything you can do, in just a few minutes, to plan the different ways to eat or store fresh herbs, without wasting a single bite! 

Another life-changing tip is to dip all the herbs that tend to dehydrate or wilt in a small centimeter of water. You'll extend their life considerably! 

I could give you hundreds of tips like that! I will do so over the next few months. 

These little zero waste reflexes have become a second nature for me. This is the essence of my latest book, Zero-waste challenge, which I invite you to discover. They will help you to see the contents of your basket differently. 

Creating recipes for the garden

I'm a fan of an empty fridge kitchen. I like to cook with the food I have on hand. That's why I don't create recipes, but rather "recipe outlines", in other words, recipes with holes in them that I adapt according to the foods available. I love substituting ingredients because it allows me to challenge myself and eat better. 

I'm already looking forward to discovering the contents of my baskets to cook in garden-vacuum mode. I promise you that freshly harvested produce will be featured! I will prepare express meals that can be cooked in a few minutes, or freezable meals that can be enjoyed during the cold season, so you can eat local all year long! 

My challenge will be to explore with you the full potential of my basket, month after month! I hope my ideas will inspire you. I'm looking forward to discussing them with you, so don't hesitate to contact me on my social networks @florenceleasiry so that together we can cook the good vegetables grown with love by our family farmers.