With November upon us, it’s time to think about Thanksgiving. Given the current pandemic, most of us will opt for a smaller group meal this year, impacting what we cook and bake for one of our favorite days of the year. Americans love feasting – especially around Thanksgiving, but this can also mean wasted food ends up in the garbage disposal, potentially creating plumbing problems.
Never ever
Some foods should never go in your garbage disposal. Bones are a big no-no, as they can damage the blade and cause clogs in your plumbing system. The same goes for fats, oils and grease. Fibrous vegetables and pits from fruits can likewise cause a nasty clog, as can coffee grounds. All of these things should instead be thrown into the trash, or even better, composted. If you have problems with your plumbing at any time, make sure to call an expert plumber from Service Plus to unclog your drains and get your disposal back up and running.
What a waste
Now that we have that little lesson out of the way, let’s talk about the much larger problem of food waste. Thanksgiving has become our most wasteful holiday, with 200 million pounds of turkey wasted in a single day. Add to that mounds of side dishes piling up in landfills and we have a planet problem. So, what can we do? Don’t worry, we have some ideas!
Preplan
Take stock of your pantry after creating your Thanksgiving menu to determine how much additional food you will need. Consider the number of family members that will be joining you, as it’s probably significantly less this year. Roasting a turkey breast is easier and less wasteful than a whole turkey and still makes great leftover meal options. Then you can be thankful for enjoying a bit of Thanksgiving for days (better yet – freeze your leftovers and spread out the meal for weeks!).
Don’t touch me
We mentioned that fibrous veggies shouldn’t’t go down the garbage disposal; the same is true of their trimmings. Keeping the peels of potatoes and carrots intact as well as snips and stems of green beans attached gives side dishes a more rustic look and also provides more nutrients. Your mom was right: the nutrition is in the skin!
Be creative
Even die-hard Thanksgiving-grub fans struggle to stomach day #4 of turkey, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Look for creative recipes to use up those leftovers. Country Living and Food Network have a ton of ideas. Mashed potato pizza anyone? How about turkey and stuffing tacos? Who knows, maybe you’ll create a new tradition!
Count your blessings
Even if Thanksgiving is a bit “less” this year, it’s important to be grateful for the abundance of food with which we are blessed in this country. There are people in every community who go hungry; if we’re able to feed our family a feast of any size, we should give thanks for all we have.
Lessons learned?
Buy what you need, take care of your plumbing and appliances, and if you end up in trouble, don’t hesitate to call our Service Plus professionals at (317) 434-2627. We provide high-quality customer service and repair to meet all your needs, even during the holidays.