On a sunny Sunday in October, we cozied up in the beautiful Market Kitchen at St. Lawrence with 40 Foodism readers and spent the morning brunching and boosting our knowledge.

In a partnership with the City of Toronto’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, the event aimed to help spread awareness about how to reduce food waste and make the most of our groceries.

Guests started off with hot coffee, tea and fresh fruit smoothies – which are a great way to use up overripe produce. A bountiful brunch, provided by the Market Kitchen, was made entirely with leftover ingredients that would otherwise have been destined for the green bin. There was a savoury crêpe station, an egg strata with roasted cherry tomatoes, duck fat potatoes, a hot pasta station and more, followed by bumbleberry crumble and chocolate zucchini cake. Afterwards, any leftovers were donated to a nearby shelter.

Chef Chris Barrett from O&B’s the Carlu lead a workshop to teach guests how to pickle anything from cucumbers to cauliflower. It’s a great method for preserving your veggies and giving them a longer shelf life. And all of the produce was rescued food provided by Second Harvest.

Black Creek Community Farm offered samples of their handmade jams, and Certo supplied pectin so that guests could try their hand at making their own spreads at home.

Jars that once held Classico pasta sauce were upcycled for a a DIY pickling station lead by chef Barrett. Each guest got to choose their own veggies, get hands-on and take home their very own jar of fermenting fare.

For recipes and tips on how you can reduce your food waste, visit lovefoodhatewaste.ca