Dandelion greens are great in salads. They taste less bitter before the flower forms.

Readers tell me that they greatly appreciate the Waste Not tips in our print magazine, so I'm keeping the ongoing compiled list here:

• Strain and save your bacon drippings in the fridge to use for flavourful sautéing, and to liven up beet greens, cabbage, sprouts etc.

• Let your coffee grounds dry; then add them to the soil around blueberry bushes.

• If your nylons run, make them into compost tea bags. Fill with compost, tie the ends closed, let steep in a bucket of water for several hours, and use to water your garden.

• Don’t throw out those coarse green leaves from leeks. Just wash them well and save them in the freezer for making stock.

• Stale croissants and cinnamon buns make extra-special bread pudding.

• Leftover pickle juice can be used to flavour savoury cocktails, tuna salad, coleslaw or potato salad. It’s also good in marinades and barbecue sauces.

• Squeezed lemon halves can be used to clean copper pots. Just dip them in salt and rub the tarnished spots.

• Dried coffee grounds are good for blueberry bushes; add them to your soil.

• If your brown sugar has gone hard and clumpy, add a slice of apple to the container for a day or two. It will soften up.

• Save shrimp, prawn and crab shells in the freezer to use for making fish stock.

• Oyster and clam shells can be scattered around your garden, face up, to collect rainwater for bees.

• If you can’t use up all of your fresh herbs, chop them fine, place in ice cube trays, cover with a bit of water and freeze them. Add to soups, stews and sauces.

• Snap asparagus ends off with your fingers, because they tend to break naturally at the point where the stalk becomes tough. Freeze the bases and save them to make a rich, flavourful asparagus stock to enjoy long after the season is over.

• Discover what’s already lurking in your fridge/freezer and pantry. Challenge yourself to use an ingredient for dinner and save it from the waste bin.

• To get more juice out of lemons and limes, immerse them in boiling water for a minute or two (or zap in the microwave for 10 seconds). Then, using the heel of your hand, roll them around on the counter a few times before juicing.

• Nuts should be stored in the freezer to keep them fresh, and toasted in a low oven to bring out the flavour before using.

• Steam or stir-fry radish leaves and serve with butter and lemon juice. They taste like radishes, only a bit greener.

• Save peelings and trimmings from scrubbed carrots, potatoes, celery, parsley stems, etc. (Don’t include cabbage, broccoli or other brassicas.) Keep in a freezer bag, frozen. When the bag is full, make vegetable stock by adding water, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, etc. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour and strain.

• Leftover wine can be frozen in ice cube trays for later use in sauces, soups, etc. (Wait a minute; you have leftover wine???)

• If you need to juice a lemon, remove most of the rind first. Grate it or peel it in fine strips, leaving the white part intact for structural integrity. Use the rind to perk up salads, pastas and yogurt with honey. Mmmm.

• Don’t throw out beet greens—they’re packed with nutrition and are somewhat spinach-like. Use steamed, in salads, or in soups.

• Many people eat carrot greens, although some sources consider them mildly toxic. Start with a small taste if you’re concerned about sensitivity. Quite carroty, parsley-ish and peppery in flavour, they are slightly bitter and suggest a hint of lemon. Recipes here.

• Salad greens, spinach and fresh herbs can quickly turn to slime when stored in plastic. You’ll extend their usability when you wrap them in a damp, terry-towel drawstring bag. (Salad Sac make one, available at Gourmet Warehouse. Or sew your own from a cotton towel).

• When you carve your Hallowe’en pumpkin, save the seeds. Clean off the stringy bits, toss them with a little oil and roast at 325ºF for 45 minutes to an hour.