It doesn't get much healthier than eating fresh vegetables every day. But did you know that 30-40% of the U.S. food supply goes to waste and that 60% of food waste ends up in landfills?
The zero-waste food movement has been gaining popularity among eco-minded consumers who are interested in using every part of cooking ingredients and reducing household trash.
In a viral video, Instagrammer Jen Pomeroy (@the.modern.mess) shared her hack for using the whole leek to make the most of this nutritious vegetable.
The scoop
In her video's caption, Jen asked her Instagram followers, "Did you know you can eat the whole leek?" The green part just takes a little longer to cook.
The video shows Jen cutting and cleaning a leek with minimal waste. She advises viewers to remove damaged outer layers and then split leeks length-wise while keeping the root intact. Washing leaks well is important, and then you can slice them into any size.
"Also, undercooked leek isn't nice, so take the time to cook leeks until they are soft and sweet; a lid helps speed this up," Jen advises.
How it's helping
Jen's video is inspiring because it shows how to use an entire vegetable that many people discard portions of unnecessarily.
Considering that Americans toss out around $1,200 of food every year, you can save a lot of money on grocery bills by using more of what you buy.
Reducing food waste is important for reasons beyond just your grocery budget, too.
Uneaten food still requires many resources to grow, harvest, and transport, and for no benefit to anyone. When uneaten food is sent to landfills, it rots and produces methane gas, which is much more potent than carbon dioxide and contributes to the overheating of our planet.
Using all the vegetables you prepare also complements other waste-saving strategies in the kitchen, such as doing more with your leftovers and keeping food fresher for longer.
What people are saying
The video's comment section showed that many people love leeks and were thrilled to learn about this easy and sustainable way to prepare them.
"I will be doing it this way now!" one Instagrammer commented. "This is genius!"
An Instagram user wrote, "Well, that makes my life so much easier. That's a brilliant way to clean them!!!"
"Mind blown," another Instagrammer commented on the video. " I have been wasting half the leek for years!"
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