20+ Zero-Waste Recipes for Spring Produce

A lot of spring produce lands in the compost before it ever gets cooked. Pea hulls, asparagus ends, carrot tops, kale ribs, lemon peels, strawberry tops, pineapple cores, and even banana peels can all become their own dish.

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Here are some recipes for the scraps, skins, stems, and tops of your favorite spring fruits and vegetables:

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Scrap Stocks, Broths, and Soups

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Fibrous bits like pea hulls, woody asparagus ends, onion papers, and mushroom trimmings give up their flavor beautifully in liquid. Keep a freezer bag going, and you'll stop buying stock.

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1. Pea pod soup with potato and mint: Use the empty pods after shelling peas. Simmer with leek, potato, and mint, then blend for an intensely green, lightly sweet soup.
2. Chilled pea pod soup: Same pod-forward idea, served cold. Sauté onion and garlic, simmer with pea pods and stock, blend, and chill for a refreshing warm-weather starter.
3. Asparagus end soup: The tough, woody ends you'd normally snap off become a creamy, herby soup. Grinding them first helps release flavor without the strings.
4. Golden onion-skin broth: Toss the papery outer layers into your next stock for deep amber color and a gentle tannic edge, like lightly brewed tea.

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Pestos, Sauces, and Dips

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Tops, leaves, and soft stems have more flavor than most people realize. Blitz them with oil, nuts, and cheese, and you've got a sauce for pasta, grain bowls, sandwiches, or eggs.

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1. Carrot top pesto: The feathery greens on a bunch of carrots taste peppery and grassy. Pulse with garlic, cashews, and olive oil for a bright, herby sauce.
2. Radish greens pesto: Don't toss the leafy tops. They're peppery like arugula. Blend with basil, pine nuts, and parmesan for a sharp, springy pesto.
3. Herb stem chimichurri: Parsley, cilantro, and basil stems carry almost as much flavor as the leaves. Finely chop with shallot, red wine vinegar, and chili flakes for a zippy herb sauce.
4. Celery leaf pesto: The pale green leaves in the center of a celery bunch carry surprising flavor. Blend with lemon, toasted cashews, garlic, and parmesan.

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Also read: 10 Recipe Ideas for Fruit Scraps‍

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Slaws, Sides, and Gratins

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Stalks and stems hold up to the oven and the skillet, often better than the leaves.

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1. Broccoli stem and red pepper slaw: Peel the tough outer skin, then shred the stems. Toss with bell pepper, herbs, ginger, and sesame oil for a crunchy, cooling slaw.
2. Swiss chard stem gratin: Those thick, colorful stalks you usually strip off and toss? Blanch them, nap with béchamel and parmesan, and bake until bubbling and golden.
3. Cumin-and-chile braised collard stems: The woody ribs of a collard bunch turn silky when slow-cooked. Braise with Fresno chiles, garlic, and cumin seeds until just tender.
4. Skillet turnip greens: The leafy tops of turnips are often lopped off and thrown away, but they cook up like kale. Sauté with onion, a pinch of brown sugar, and chili flakes.

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Pickles, Preserves, and Ferments

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Acid and salt make the toughest scraps shine. Most of these keep in the fridge for weeks.

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1. Quick-pickled kale stems: The fibrous ribs you strip out of kale leaves get crunchy and tangy in a simple 3-2-1 brine. Works for chard, collard, and broccoli stems, too.
2. Pickled chard stems: Jewel-toned chard stalks in a rice-vinegar brine with mustard seeds. Beautiful on a cheese board, in grain bowls, or tucked into sandwiches.
3. Preserved lemon rinds from spent halves: Save the squeezed-out halves after juicing. Packed in brine for a few weeks, they rival traditional preserved lemons, without the overly salty flesh to discard.
4. Salt-preserved lemon peel: Peel lemons before juicing, then layer the peels with kosher salt in a jar. Chop into chicken dishes, couscous, and dressings for a bright North African lift.

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Unexpected Mains and Curries

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Banana peels and mushroom stems can stand in for meat, veg, and everything in between.

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1. Banana peel curry: Soaked banana skins take on the texture of tender pulled meat. Simmer with onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and garam masala for a warming, unexpected curry.
2. Banana peel "bacon": Marinate strips of ripe banana peel in soy, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke. Pan-fry until crisp, chewy, and smoky.
3. Green banana peel chutney: Cooked down with mustard oil, nigella seeds, ginger, and coconut. A bright, textured chutney for rice and chapatis.
4. Duxelles grilled cheese: Spread mushroom-stem duxelles on sturdy bread with a flavored jack cheese, then griddle in butter until golden. The best reason to save every stem.

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Sweet Treats and Drinks

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Tops, peels, pits, and cores carry sweetness and perfume. These recipes turn "trash" into something you'd proudly give as a gift.

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1. Pineapple tepache: The traditional Mexican ferment uses only the peels and cores. Steep with piloncillo, cinnamon, and a few cloves for two days for a fizzy, lightly alcoholic drink.
2. Candied citrus peel: Lemon and lime peels simmered in simple syrup until translucent, then rolled in sugar. Great on their own, dipped in chocolate, or chopped into cakes and biscotti.
3. Candied kiwi slices: A clever use for ripe, softening kiwis before they go. Simmer in syrup until glassy, then dry. Chewy, bright, and beautiful on cakes and pavlovas.
4. Apricot pit noyaux extract: Crack apricot stones, toast the kernels, and steep in vodka for three months. The result is a homemade almond-like extract. Use sparingly, since the kernels contain amygdalin.

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