New ice cream is made from trash and tastes like treasure
It's no secret that ice cream in the summer is going to be a big hit each and every time.
What might, however, be a surprise is that the Portland-based ice cream purveyors Salt & Straw will devote the month of June to ice cream flavors made from refuse food that may otherwise have ended up in the dumpster.
The United States' problem with food waste is well documented and there have been worldwide efforts to combat throwing away food that would be tossed just because it's considered undesirable for some reason (often aesthetic) unrelated to its actual ability to be consumed.
Salt & Straw plans to play its part by making Second-Steeped Rum Spices and Apple Butter ice cream with spices that were first used in Portland’s East Side Distillery. Salt & Straw plans to re-steep the rum-soaked spices (including peppercorns, vanilla, and orange peel) in cream and will use apple butter made from bruised apples that would have otherwise ended up in the trash bin.
During the month of June, the ice cream company is working with different local organizations who work to save food that might otherwise be thrown out and give it to the people who most need it.
Salt & Straw founder Kim Malek tells Fast Company, "We thought: What if we use our menu in June to shine a light on those agencies and tell their story, and see if we can get our customers and the community at large to be more aware of and supportive of these organizations and the work that they’re doing. We want to show that an apple might be kind of ugly, but that doesn’t mean it’s not perfectly tasty and should be thrown away. We could use it.”
And, more importantly, we should use it.
[H/T: Fast Company]
Sarah Spigelman Richter is a contributor to Mashable's Food channel. Sarah covers everything edible, from the food industry to D.I.Y. recipes. She was previously the community manager for Tastemade NYC and her writing has been seen on The Today Show's food blog, Refinery 29, the Food Network, and Gothamist. She has also developed recipes for Tabasco and other nationally recognized brands and has blogged for 5 years at "Fritos and Foie Gras." Sarah is obsessed with "Orphan Black" and chili-cheese Fritos and is still depressed that Loehmann's closed.
