Cooking For One or Two - A Guide to Budget Meals and Stretching Your Money

Above, a large globe eggplant from my mother's deck garden.

It's probably a bit late this year to grow anything more than a few herbs indoors, unless you live in some nice sunny climes. But for next year, if you decide to set up a small barrel to grow a few veggies and herbs in, here are a few things that you should consider saving:

(1) Egg shells, crushed
(2) Used tea bags or coffee grounds (plain, no flavoured coffee)
(3) Any fruit or vegetable cuttings that you don't use

The first two items, at least, can be saved in a large, air-tight cannister without smelling too bad. For vegetable cuttings, if you're saving them until next summer, you'll need to get yourself a composter and the necessary compost worms - in which case, get one that locks up or you may have racoons visiting if you're within 5 miles of a forest. Eggshells and tea bags/coffee grounds add rich nutrients to soil, which helps your garden grow faster and healthier. Fruit and veggie cuttings are break down and get converted to soil by compost worms.

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