My mother used to say “waste not want not” all the time. Born in 1929, she grew up during The Great Depression. Her parents were born around an earlier depression in the late 1800s. And so the phrase was not only said but put into action for a few generations before I ever heard it.
As a teen, I would roll my eyes whenever mom would say “waste not want not” but now, quite a few years older, appreciate her words and the wisdom behind the phrase.
How easy is it for us to hop in the car and pick up what we need at the grocery store?
It took me awhile to learn how to use what was in the fridge and pantry to their fullest. I can’t tell you how much I threw out because it was forgotten or became a mini lab experiment or I just didn’t know how.
Growing up, I was not encouraged to hang out in the kitchen. That is another story for another day. Despite my lack of know how in the culinary arts department, I kept pressing on. Lots of mistakes…err…experiences later, I’m still trying!
I am currently putting that “waste not want not” theory into practice by taking the end pieces of our bread loaves, cutting them into cubes and freezing for use later.
- croutons
- bread crumbs
- casseroles
- bread pudding
- stuffing
Traditionally, I make a sage sausage casserole for Christmas morning. I prepare it the night before – it is better that way and allows for all the goodness (sausage, eggs, milk, cheese and bread cubes) to soak up and play well together.
I think my mother and grandmothers would be proud of my waste not want not ways.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul.”
– John Muir