The holidays usually leave you with more food than you can fit in the fridge. If you find yourself in this position even after making meals with leftovers, the best solution might be to turn to preppers for guidance.
One Redditor did that very thing when they found themselves with Thanksgiving turkey remains even after making broth and bonemeal.
"Any ideas on what to do with the pile of meat, gristle, small bones, and skin?" the original poster asked in the r/preppers subreddit. "It's only shreds of meat so not worth digging through to get anything substantial, but we were wondering if it could be ground up and made into something. Does anyone have any knowledge to share on this? Or where to start looking?"
Food waste skyrockets over the holidays. ReFed estimated that across America in 2024, about 316 million pounds of food were wasted over Thanksgiving, representing more than $556 million worth of groceries thrown away in a single day.
Every holiday is reportedly guilty of excessive food waste. One report detailed by Waste Mission found that 7 in 10 people admit to buying more food than they need for Christmas, resulting in 230,000 tons of food waste during the holiday season.
The world wastes about 2.5 billion tons of food every year, according to Recycle Track Systems, with the United States at the top of the list for food waste, throwing out nearly 60 million tons of food annually. RTS likens this to "every person in America throwing 975 average-sized apples right into the garbage."
Preppers are known for their emergency preparedness methods in case of disasters. The subreddit was filled with solutions to help the OP reduce their food waste.
One Redditor suggested composting or grinding it into a paste for chickens, pigs, or dogs.
Many upvoted dog treats as the "best option."
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Saving money 💰 "To start mix the paste with eggs to help hold the dog treats together think of it like a meatball," one commenter wrote.
Others noted that the lifespan of the leftover turkey can be extended.
"Bag it, mark it, freeze it, and toss [it] into your next batch of bone broth," one person commented.
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