Ideas to Make Your Own Natural Food Coloring

Go Green in 2014: Week 46

We don't really use food coloring in our house, but it can be helpful when it comes to adding a touch of color to your food; cupcake frosting and colored eggs are a couple examples. However, many store-bought food dyes have been linked to various health issues (source). Wouldn't you rather know what is in your food coloring? You certainly will if you make your own!

Here are some ideas for natural, homemade food coloring.

Red

For red or pink food coloring, you can use a number of different red colored foods, but if you're looking for a flavorless dye, beets are your best bet. You can either use juice from canned beets or you can juice the raw vegetable. Raspberries and pomegranates are a couple other ideas, both of which will add a little flavor to your food.

Orange

Some people use orange juice to make natural food coloring, but they don't have much color. Try carrots instead for a nice orange hue. And don't worry about the flavor if you are coloring frosting; carrots are naturally sweet.

Yellow

Use turmeric powder or saffron flowers to make yellow food coloring. The yellow is pretty intense, so start small and add a little at a time. You may also want to taste test each time you add these spices since the flavor could potentially overpower a sweet food.

Green

Spinach will impart a pretty green hue to a natural food coloring. You could either juice them or use a food processor to get your green dye. And as with carrots, spinach will not affect the taste.

Blue (and purple)

To make blue and purple food coloring, try some cabbage. For purple, boil the cabbage until the water is a dark purple, and use this water as a natural dye. To make blue food coloring, slowly stir in a little bit of baking soda at a time until you have the desired hue. The baking soda and cabbage water will react, creating a nice blue.

Have you made natural food coloring before? What did you use to make it? How did it turn out?

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Clever Cupcakes

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Your challenge: This week, consider making your own non-toxic food coloring rather than using store-bought dyes.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

How to Start Composting

Go Green in 2014: Week 22

In this post:

* Indoor/outdoor compost collection containers
* What can and cannot be composted
* What to do with your homemade compost

In this post about how to reduce food waste, I mentioned that I hadn't yet started composting, but that I planned to start. Well, I can finally say that we have started a compost pile!

To get started composting, you will need an indoor collection container and a larger one outdoors. You will need to learn what can and what cannot be composted. Finally, you will need to figure out what you're going to do once the compost is ready.

Indoor collection container ideas

You can use anything with a lid to collect your kitchen scraps for the compost pile. I like the idea of using a decorative bowl with a cover to sit on the counter, but until I find one I like, we are using a mason jar as an indoor collection container. You could also use a food storage container, an empty pickle jar, or even an aluminum can with something to cover the opening. You probably won't want to use anything that doesn't have a cover, due to the smell and the fact that it might attract fruit flies.

Outdoor collection container ideas

You will also need somewhere to dump the kitchen scraps and yard waste where it can all decompose. My husband built me a homemade outdoor collection container using a small slab of concrete and some bricks that were lying around. He built three walls with the bricks, and left the fourth side open so we can easily turn the compost each time we take out our kitchen scraps.

As the pile has grown, it has become slightly more difficult to turn the compost; I have been using a shovel to move it from one side to the other. It does take a bit of strength to get underneath the compost!

If you build your own compost area, you will want to make sure that water is able to drain after it rains. If you like, you could even section off an area of the yard where you want to plant a garden and use that area to build your compost pile. Then, after a couple months, your garden should be ready to plant.

Or maybe you would prefer to buy a plastic compost bin, rather than making one. A large barrel will make it easy to turn your compost on a regular basis because it can be rolled over with little effort.

Tip: When turned regularly (at least once a week - preferably every day), you compost could be ready to use within a few months. If it is never turned, it will take two years to decompose.

My homemade collection container is inside an old dog kennel on our property

What can be composted

• leaves
• grass clippings
• hair clippings
• popcorn
• produce peels
• eggshells
• paper napkins
• paper towels
• brown paper bags
• peanut shells
• chicken/rabbit manure
• earthworms (to speed the decomposition process)
• and more...

163 Things You Can Compost (link)

Tip: For richer compost, add a mix of both kitchen and yard scraps to your pile.

What cannot be composted

• bread products, baked goods
• pasta, rice
• cooking oils
• diseased plants
• human or pet feces
• meat products, bones, fat
• dairy products
• sawdust
• personal care products
• walnuts
• stubborn plants (dandelions, ivy)

What can you do with compost?

Once your compost pile has finished decomposing, what exactly are you supposed to do with it? First, you should know how to tell when your compost is done: When it's ready to use, your compost will be dark brown, and it will smell earthy. You might still have twigs and bits of eggshells, but you can either remove them or simply leave these larger pieces in the compost.

Of course, you can always use up your compost to fertilize a vegetable garden. But it can also be used to grow indoor plants, feed your fruit trees, feed your lawn (mature lawns only; newly seeded grass can be scorched by compost), and to mulch flower beds and shrubs.

Do you already have a compost pile? What have you done with it in the past? Please share your composting experience in the comment section below.

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Your challenge: This week, consider starting a compost pile for your food scraps and lawn trimmings.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Green Challenge: Unplugging the Microwave

Go Green in 2014: Week 16

Jason V / https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmv/

Unplugging the microwave...and other household appliances

This past week, my challenge was to unplug the microwave and to find alternative ways to cook and reheat all of our food - then to decide whether it was worth it.

First, let's go over how the week went:

Not long after unplugging the microwave, I needed (wanted?) to warm up a cup of coffee. I walked straight to it before remembering that it wasn't plugged in. In an attempt to creatively reheat my coffee, I ran another small cup through the Keurig using the same K-cup (Yeah, I know, K-cups are not very green. I'll tackle that problem later.). It was a little watery, but it worked. The coffee was at least a little warmer.

A couple days later, Dan went to the microwave to heat up some bacon for breakfast. Unfortunately, he had to waste a clean pan to fry it up on the stove instead. Throughout the week, we have had to cook our veggies on the stove and either bake our main dishes in the oven on throw them on the grill. I ended up reheating all my leftovers in the oven.

All in all, it is definitely possible to live without a microwave - people did it for a long time before their invention!

If you don't have a microwave, read this article I wrote on How to Survive without a Microwave.

What are the benefits of unplugging the microwave?

*Some people are concerned about losing nutrients by cooking food in the microwave. From what I have read, it doesn't seem to have a profound effect. Vegetables will lose some nutrients no matter how they are cooked; the key is to avoid overcooking them. However, it's up to you to decide whether you feel comfortable using the microwave or not.

*You can save a little money by keeping it unplugged. It's not a significant amount, even when on standby. However, if you find yourself able to keep it unplugged all the time, every penny saved is an extra penny in your pocket. On the other hand, you will need to use other sources of energy to heat up your food.

*You might be concerned about the radiation emitted by microwaves. Some research suggests that there may be a link between microwave radiation and cancer, while other studies cannot find one. If you can live without it, all the better for you.

Sure, I can live without a microwave. But we will be plugging ours back in simply because it does save a lot of time when reheating leftovers at lunchtime on workdays. Still, I tend to lean toward other methods for reheating certain types of food, simply because the microwave can turn them into a pile of mush.

There is one thing this challenge did inspire me to do, though: I have been consciously starting to unplug some of our appliances and household items, such as the toaster, to save energy when they aren't in use.

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Your challenge: This week, attempt to make everything without the use of a microwave; unplug it to save energy.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Green Fruit & Veggie Wash Recipe

Go Green in 2014: Week 7

I'm going to keep this week's post short and sweet with a simple recipe for homemade fruit and vegetable wash.

Why make homemade fruit and veggie wash?

It can be expensive to buy a cleaning spray for your produce at the store, and you can make your own at home for just pennies. Plus, it's easy! This spray will aid in the removal of dirt and - with non-organic produce - it will help wash off pesticides (sorry, it will only remove them from the outside of your food!).

How to make and use fruit and veggie wash

Gather your supplies: one part vinegar, one part water, and a spray bottle. Simply fill the spray bottle halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water. Shake and spray onto your fruits and veggies before each meal or snack, scrub, and rinse well. I have used this solution on apples, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, and more.

Alternatively, for extra cleaning power, you can soak your fruits and vegetables in the sink; fill it with water, then add your produce and a cup of vinegar.

But won't my fruit and veggies taste like vinegar? Nope, but your hands might smell like it! If you don't want to smell vinegar on your hands while eating, make sure to wash them well.

Your challenge: This week, make your own produce cleaning solution and try it out. It's easy and inexpensive!

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Home

A few small changes that can make a large impact

After coming across this article about food waste, I started brainstorming the various ways I already avoid wasting food at home, and ways I can further reduce how much food gets thrown out.

The amount of food waste in America is shocking - approximately 40% of the national food supply is wasted every year (National Resources Defense Council). And this doesn't only occur in the homes of consumers; it happens on virtually every step of the way from the original source to your home. Not only does this mean the food itself is wasted, but also the resources used to get it from one step to the next, including water, gas, and so on.

It doesn't seem like one person can make a difference in such a widespread problem, but you actually can make a positive impact with a few small changes.

1. Buy locally

Local growers often use sustainable practices to conserve energy and reduce chemical exposure, and buying locally helps to reduce transportation costs. This is one area I need to improve upon; I can start to buy food locally by visiting farmer's markets and shopping at locally-owned stores.

Copyright: garussell11 / http://www.flickr.com/photos/garussell11/

2. Plan your weekly menu

By planning out your menu, you can make sure not to over-buy and subsequently end up with more food than you can eat. Buy enough perishables to last a week, and immediately freeze anything that you know will not be used right away. I typically buy a week's worth of groceries, although I occasionally end up with a little more produce than we can eat.

3. Use your eyes and nose

Expiration dates and "best by" dates are not set in stone. You can usually use dairy products up to a week after the sell by date. Of course, you should always use your best judgment by carefully looking over food - and smelling it - after passing its expiration date.

4. Keep leftovers

I have heard of people who don't like leftovers and throw them away, and it surprises me because we love leftovers at our house. It makes lunchtime so much easier! If you don't want to eat them right away, you can always freeze leftovers, or use them to create a whole new dish for the next meal. For example, use mashed potatoes to make Shepherd's Pie, or save leftover chicken breast to make a casserole.

5. Start composting

A few days ago, my husband and I were using our new juicer when we realized how much of the fruit and vegetables we were wasting. We will always have some type of food waste, but that doesn't mean we have to toss it into the garbage. One of my green challenges for the new year will be starting to compost in the spring, and to use the compost as a fertilizer.

Copyright: karimian / http://www.flickr.com/photos/karimian/

We don't waste much food in our house, but there is always room for improvement. I feel guilty when something goes bad, and we have to throw it in the garbage. I'm hoping by implementing a couple changes into our lives, we will be able to further reduce the amount of food waste in our home.