Flavored Cubes: Reduce Food Waste by Using Scraps to Flavor Ice
Ice seems pretty straightforward and isn’t usually something to think twice about—unless you open the freezer to find the trays empty on a scorching hot summer day—but there’s an easy way to both brighten up your drinks and make them look gorgeous: keep flavored ice cubes in the freezer and ready to go at all times.
If you’re not focused on adding flavor and simply want to liven up a glass of plain water, keep a tray of floral cubes (making sure to only use flowers that have been grown to eat and have not been treated with chemicals) on hand. Add berries, pitted cherries, or other fruits to cubes for juices or fruity summer cocktails. To make lemonade a little bit more interesting, add basil or tarragon cubes.
The process could not be simpler: just fill your ice trays as you normally would and plop in a small amount of whichever ingredient you choose. If you’d like to have more control over how they turn out and want to suspend things right in the middle of the cube, it takes a little extra effort: fill your trays a bit less than halfway with water, freeze, add your ingredient, fill with water, and freeze again. Bonus tip: freeze leftover coffee into cubes, which you can use for iced coffee or cold brew and it’ll never be watered down! Get the kids into it, reduce food waste, and utilize the best of summer’s beautiful produce.
EDIBLE FLOWERS
choose whole flowers or petals
nasturtiums
pansies
orchids
roses
BERRIES
whole or sliced
raspberries
blackberries
blueberries
sliced strawberries
CITRUS
use the peel or a small wedge
lemon
lime
grapefruit
orange
SOFT HERBS
use whole or chopped leaves
basil
mint
tarragon
thyme