Gifts to Make your Foodie Friends More Sustainable

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Joel Gamoran’s Cooking Scrappy

This cookbook is so great because all its recipes are focused on putting food scraps to use in creative and delicious ways. The author, Joel Gamoran, is known for his A&E show Scraps, but even if your friend has never heard of him or the show they can still enjoy his super inventive cookbook.

Not only does cooking with food scraps reduce waste, but it also saves money and makes some bomb dishes. The most scrummy looking recipes include used coffee ground ice cream, leek top egg bake and apple core butter roasted duck. Perf.

Reusable K Cup Pods

Stop. With. The. K. Cups.

K Cups are supes wasteful because you have to throw away plastic every time you want a cup o' joe. Even the guy who invented K Cups is not cool with this anymore. For reusable pods, all you have to do is fill them with coarse ground coffee and use them as you would normally use a single-use K Cup.

(Hot tip: if you buy your pal both the reusable coffee pods and the Cooking Scrappy book, they can use their leftover coffee grounds to make Joel's coffee ice cream recipe!!! It's just meant to be.)

A CSA Subscription

A subscription to a CSA box is perf for anyone who wants to eat more sustainably. For those who don't know, a CSA is like every other subscription box but filled with fresh and delicious local fruit and veg. Your friend will get local and seasonal ingredients delivered to their door monthly, weekly or every other week depending on which box is available in your area.

To find a CSA near you, just google it or visit localharvest.org and search for your location. Local Harvest might be super useful for you, but I've found that they don't have a full list of nearby CSAs, so maybe double-check their results.

Another option is to sign your friend up for an Imperfect produce box, which will send "ugly" or rejected produce (that is still perfectly edible!) to their door. This is also a sustainable option because a lot of imperfect produce goes to waste when supermarkets reject it. I've never used Imperfect so I can't personally vouch for it, but it does seem like a super cool business.

Image credit: S’well Bottle

A Reusable Bottle

If you know someone who still chugs from single-use plastic or doesn't bring their own cup to Starbucks...sigh. Give them a head start by gifting them a bomb refillable cup.

I like cups that can work for hot or cold liquids and that match the sizing options of my fav coffee place. For example, if you know your friend frequents the 'Bucks, give them a cup that can hold 12oz (Tall), 16oz (Grande) or 20oz (Venti). This will make the whole process a lot simpler for everyone involved.

Also, try to buy a cup or bottle that's durable. A reusable cup that breaks after one week is basically no better than single-use plastic. From my bottle breaking experiences, my S’well stainless steel bottle (pictured) has held up the longest.

A Composter

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Okay, so this one will probably work best if your friend has at least some interest in sustainability. Composters can be complicated and they require a bit of science to get right.

Whether you think your friend would use a composter that sits in their backyard or a super compact composter that's built-in to a garbage can, buying them a composter could be the push they need to make their food habits a bit more sustainable.

Most def research your composter before buying because not all of them are as simple or as effective as others. Personally, I use the Yimby Tumbler composter (pictured) and it's great, but I've heard that smaller composters can be just as effective! For more info, check out this helpful list from The Spruce!