Mom shares brilliant way to make use of common kitchen scraps: 'Not sure why I never considered this'

As grocery bills continue to rise, making the most of all the food you buy and avoiding waste is going to be more important than ever. 

Thankfully, a mom on TikTok has a simple, clever hack for making juice at home from leftover scraps.

The scoop

Anne Arabov (@annearabov) shared a video recalling that as a child, her family's fridge always had "vibrant" and flavorful drinks on hand, thanks to repurposing scraps of fruit from the week. 

@annearabov ❌We don't do store-bought artificial juices around here🙅🏻‍♀️ Growing up we used to make this "fruit juice" out of whatever fruit was around. Today I do the same repurposing with all the stuff my kids leave behind. Full circle parenting Every week I toss all the fruit scraps—apple peels, squishy strawberries, half eaten apples and any unfinished fruit—into a pot and make this magical, old-school drink my kids actually beg for. Perfect for summer. Perfect with breakfast or dinner. Here's the lazy mom version that never fails: 👉 throw your fruit scraps (anything goes) into a pot 👉 cover with water 👉 add a spoonful of honey, maple, or brown sugar 👉 boil & simmer 5-10 min 👉 strain & chill (my fav served over ice) Lmk if you'll be trying!!🥰🌹 #momhack #kompot #momtip #easyrecipe #healthy ♬ Carefree Days - Peaceful Reveries

As Anne explained, she takes any unfinished fruit, from apple peels to strawberries on their last legs, throws them into a pot, covers them with water, adds a spoonful of sweetener (honey, maple syrup, and sugar are all her recommendations), and boils them for about 5-10 minutes. Then she just strains the juice, lets it cool, and then enjoys it all week.

How it's helping

Anne's hack is a great way to save money on store-bought juice. According to Statista data, Americans spend around $13 billion on juice annually, making it an expensive addition to any grocery budget. 

By making the juice at home, you can save money, ensure a healthier product by controlling the amount of sweetener, and reduce food waste.

The food waste issue is a big and expensive problem in the United States, with the average American spending $788 on food that goes uneaten, according to ReFed. 

With prices for items like bananas and other produce going up around the world, it's more important than ever to keep your hard-earned money from ending up in the landfill. 

Speaking of landfills, 92 billion pounds of food end up there every year, according to Feeding America, where it rots and contributes to the production of planet-warming gases. 

The Environmental Protection Agency reported that the impact of food waste pollution is equivalent to more than 42 coal-fired power plants.

Would you buy juice or yogurt made with bruised or misshapen fruit? If I couldn't tell the difference 🤔 If it were cheaper 💰 If it were healthier 🍎 I'd never buy it 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

While keeping grocery bills low is a great benefit of the hack, there are other ways to keep more money in your pocket after the weekly food shop.

For example, Martie takes overstock and surplus inventory of food products and offers those items to customers at a significant discount. Shoppers can save up to 80% off brand-name goods with Martie.

What everyone's saying

People in the comments of Anne's TikTok loved the hack and had additional ideas to spread the repurposing even further.

"Totally going to try this!" one person wrote. "I save all my veggie scraps for stock. Not sure why I never considered this. Thanks!" 

Another suggested, "If you continue reducing it down after it could be a syrup for your coffee or matcha?"

Several people noted that the juice blend is known as "kompot" in many places, and as one person put it, "an easy crowd pleaser and always stocked in the fridge but also a tasty way to reducing food waste."

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