Using cores and leaves of cauliflower

Because I've had to buy a lot of vegetables this summer, my grocery costs have been higher than normal. To address this, I've made sure that nothing is wasted.

Last week I bought a head of cauliflower. A lot of folks just use the tender flowerets. The cores and leaves can also be used in cooking. They tend to be tougher, so need some special attention, but nothing too complicated.

To use the leaves, thin slice them and chop fine. To use the cores, slice them into thin "coins," then julienne the coins into slivers. With both the leaves and cores sliced/chopped thin, you can saute these pieces to add to stir-fry. To ensure they are tender, add to the stir-fry early in cooking, and cook completely, with a little liquid, if possible.

The other night I stir-fried cauliflower (flowerets, leaves and core) along with sliced mushrooms, to which I added garlic and soy sauce. It was a delicious side dish and no one was even aware that I had used the core and leaves.

Cores and leaves of cauliflower are fibrous. The key is to slice across the fibers, reducing the length of each fiber significantly, and you'll have a tasty, edible extra portion of cauliflower that might have otherwise gone into the garbage.

Doing the math will save money

There are some traditional frugal activities that will save money, if all of the circumstances are right, such as canning a bounty produce. However, this venture requires a few things, in order for it to be indeed frugal, like having the canning equipment and a source of cheap or free fruits or vegetables. Most autumns I have a free source of apples, my own backyard. This year was a poor year for our garden and fruit trees. The weather just did not cooperate. I have only a handful of apples this year. That means that if I want applesauce I either have to buy apples to make it, or buy ready-made applesauce.

The last couple of weeks I have been craving applesauce, so I thought I would buy some apples and make my own. But I needed to do a price comparison between making my own and buying ready-made.

Best price on fresh apples this week is 88 cents/lb, in my area. Although the peels and cores are waste, that cost if offset by water that is added to commercial applesauce. So, I figure those as a wash in costing this out. My estimated price per pint is 88 cents, for homemade applesauce, right now, not factoring in fuel to run the stove.

At Fred Meyer I can buy the store brand of unsweetened applesauce at 10% off on Senior Discount Day (yesterday for this month). The regular price is $2.19 for 46 ounces. My cost after discount was $2. I found a digital coupon to load to my loyalty card, bringing the cost down to $1.70. That works out to 59 cents per pint.

Buying the ready-made applesauce was the money saver, this time. I went ahead and bought applesauce, instead of doing the traditionally frugal thing of making my own.

How about you? Have you ever found that DIY didn't save money after all?

I recognize that there can be other factors to consider in one of these equations, such as flavor, or organic vs. not organic. This time around, I was satisfied with the product I would have if buying the ready-made product. And now I have an idea of the price per pound that I need to find on fresh apples, to make applesauce for less than store-bought. The bonus is that I freed up valuable time to do other frugal or income-producing activities during my work hours.