Ouch! Grocery shopping is getting increasingly expensive, especially now in the winter when everything must be shipped in. We have a few local farms here still growing greens and cabbages, but for the most part, we have to rely on produce from California or Florida.

So, when I check the fruit basket or the crisper drawer and find some fruits and vegetables that aren’t looking their best, I have two options – compost or find a way to use not-quite-perfect specimens. I hate to lose the money spent on groceries so I’m finding ways to use that produce.

For example, it’s usually less expensive to buy a bag of apples instead of a few loose ones, so I buy that bag. By the time we get to the end, we’re all a little tired of apples so we end up with a few that don’t look so good. Rather than toss them, I peel and slice them and gently simmer them with cinnamon and a little water for a delicious topping for yogurt. You can certainly add a little brown sugar if you like. Or if I have a lot of apples, I quarter them, peels and all, and cook them down with cinnamon. A quick run through the food mill or mash with a potato masher makes great applesauce.

Apples simmering for sauce

I know tomatoes aren’t great this time of year but sometimes I simply must have one. I buy Campari tomatoes which tend to have better flavor than others. But again, if I don’t use them all and they start getting wrinkly, I quarter or chop them and toss with hot cooked pasta, a bit of garlic and basil if I have it. Voila! Instant supper.

Tomatoes and onions ready to roast

The same principle applies to anything that gets wrinkly – mushrooms, peppers, carrots, zucchini. You can chop as you want and add to a stirfry. No one will ever know they were in danger of passing on to the compost pile. Add a little fresh chopped onions, crisp celery and you have the base for almost any type of soup.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Asian stirfry for wrinkly vegetables

Any slightly wrinkled vegetables you have on hand, chopped to whatever size you prefer
½ onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Protein of choice – leftover cooked chicken, ground pork, tofu
Cooked rice

Wrinkly zucchini

Sauce – any bottled stir-fry sauce will do but if you want to make your own, here’s my favorite Asian sauce:

Spicy Szechuan sauce

¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1 tablespoon black vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper or ¼ teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1 t. chili paste (or more or less to taste)
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Heat 2 T. olive in wok or high-sided skillet. Saute protein until done (if using cooked chicken or tofu, simply stir until heated through. Add the vegetables, 1 T. toasted sesame oil and saute until tender. Dress with sauce, heat through and serve over hot cooked rice.