Join the movement to reduce waste with the Save Food, Spend Less Challenge!

Hennepin County | Ramsey County | Washington County

Save Food, Spend Less Challenge 2026

October 1 - October 31, 2026

Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Feed

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Shannon Conk 10/13/2026 10:30 AM

Abigail brough some green peppers in from her CSA. We have hummus at home, so they will be a perfect snack to go with that!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

Are there food items you have been better about using up and not wasting since you started keeping an inventory of what's in your fridge?
Abigail Hindson 10/13/2026 7:09 AM

I took an inventory of my fridge last night and while I didn't go to the grocery store, I brought some green peppers I don't plan to use to work so that others can make use of them! Since starting inventory, I'm doing better at using up the veggies that are harder for me to use from our farm box like radishes and beets.

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- Kara Lundin 10/13/2026 8:17 AM
  
  Same! I used some old potatoes and a bunch of still good but not super fresh veggies to make soup. Just having the challenge in the back of my mind when I am in the kitchen is helping me be creative with my recipes. I took an inventory of my fridge and found a bunch of salsa so I need to think about how to use that up this week.
  
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Abigail Hindson 10/12/2026 2:29 PM

Garden tomatoes and CSA potatoes made a great local veggie bake!

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Abigail Hindson 10/12/2026 2:28 PM

Tomatoes are still abundant in my garden thanks to the crazy warm fall weather! We harvested and made use of our fresh tomatoes and CSA potatoes in a fall veggie bake.

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Sam Ferguson 10/10/2026 10:06 AM

Ramsey County and The gifting Grove offered a painting class with paints made from food waste like onion skins, leftover wine, coffee, grounds, and more! It was such an amazing class, and I learned a lot.

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Shopping

If you were to only eat what is in season locally, what would be the hardest food item for you to give up?
Kathryn Jordan 10/09/2026 1:39 PM

fresh vegetables in the winter, especially different greens and herbs

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- H McCrillis 10/10/2026 6:04 AM
  
  Yeah, iceberg lettuce is misleading, sadly. 😕
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
Storage

Canning and pickling food is a great way to have delicious summer fruits and vegetables all year round. What are some foods you would like to preserve and enjoy later?
Elyse Collyer 10/08/2026 11:32 AM

Made some quick pickled cucumbers with some cucumbers that were getting soft!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Storage

Do a bit of research about foods that freeze and revive well. What can you put in the freezer that you didn't know you could?
Hannah Coyle 10/08/2026 11:15 AM

Didn’t use all my veggie broth so put it in the freezer for my next soup!

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REFLECTION QUESTION
Planning

What meal plan method works for you and why? Have you tried some in the past that didn't work?
Hannah Coyle 10/08/2026 11:14 AM

I’m a flexible planner! I plan meals at the beginning of the week based on how busy we will be or how many times we won’t be home for dinner. Always adding leftovers for lunch.

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Abigail Hindson 10/08/2026 10:23 AM

Ran out of soy sauce, so I replaced a marinade with golden mountain sauce instead. It was salty and delicious!

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- H McCrillis 10/08/2026 8:35 PM
  
  Ooh, I’ll be on the lookout for golden mountain sauce. Is it in only Asian grocery stores?
  
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