Making sure you get the most out of each beetroot — and using parts of the veggie that we typically throw away — begins with having the right tools. So, we recommend you grab your best beetroot slicer or knife, as well as a handy vegetable peeler and cutting board.

With your beetroot slicer or knife, cut the root and stem ends off the beetroot and peel the skin using your vegetable peeler. But remember, don’t throw the root and stem ends out! You’ll want to dice those up and include them in your recipe in one way or another.

Place the beetroot flat-side down on the cutting board and cut into slices. Once you have your slices, stack them next to each other and cut them crosswise to dice. And just like that, you’ve got plenty of beetroots to use in a salad, on a sandwich, or for something totally different and unexpected (beetroot hummus, perhaps?).

To prep your pumpkin, simply cut your pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds until you have a bowl shape and set your seeds to the side. Preset your oven to 350 degrees and proceed to the next step.

Once your pumpkins are cooked, the skin will be tender, edible, and delicious.To make this recipe your own, add in a mixture of spices, veggies, and rice to create a no waste stuffed pumpkin. If you’re not sure where to start, try using wild rice, mushroom, sage, and vegetable stock.

Don’t throw out the seeds, pumpkin seeds make a great healthy snack. Wash your seeds and preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place your pumpkins onto a baking sheet and add oil, salt, and seasoning to your liking and bake for 20 minutes. Now you have two dishes and no waste.

Getting the most out of this veggie doesn’t require more than a knife. Like beetroot, the entirety of a carrot is edible so save and don’t shave the skin. You will, however, want a knife to cut the tops of your carrot off. But don’t throw them away, you can still use them to create a delicious pesto sauce.

Since we’re no longer shaving our carrot make sure you wash it thoroughly to get off any dirt. Time to cut your carrots to your liking. You can slice, dice, or cut your carrots into chunks. Add your carrots to any meal for a perfect dose of vitamin A and sweetness.

Carrot tops are loaded with vitamins so don’t throw them away. Instead, blanch your tops for three minutes or until they’re tender. Then add them to a food processor with some garlic, tree nuts, olive oil, and a bit of lemon juice and voila, you’ve made pesto with no waste along the way!

Like beetroot and carrots, you can eat the entire vegetable — skin and all. You’ll want to have a peeler to get the make the skins thin like a chip, a knife for cutting up the potato, and masher (or a fork if you don’t have one) to mash up the insides. You could also use a spoon to scoop out the insides if you decide to leave the skins on.

Roast the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes at 180c — you should be able to stick a fork in the potato and pull it out easily. Once cooled, cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Prepare them the same way you would with regular mashed potatoes and mash. Then fill the skins, top with cheese, and bake at 180c again for 10-15. Voila!

Peel the skins from the potato and put them in a bowl. Toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil and spread them out on a baking tray. Put them into an oven heated at 200 degrees and bake for 20 minutes (time may differ depending on how thick or thin the skins are). Take them out of the oven, let them cool, and enjoy.

Like beetroot, getting the most out of your red peppers requires the right kitchen tools. So, you’ll want to be prepared with a good, sharp kitchen knife in addition to a cutting board and bowl.

There are four common ways to cut peppers to get as much as possible from the veggie. You can dice them up, slice them into long strips, slice them into rings, or simply cut the top off if you’re making stuffed peppers.

Besides simply trying to replant your red pepper seeds, there are a number of fun ways to add them into your food recipes. Our favourite is to include them in a variety of tasty salads — from your traditional garden greens to quinoa and couscous salads — for a subtle crunch and revitalizing kick.