If you’re not used to incorporating veggies into your doggos diet it may seem daunting at first — what veggies can I feed? How do I prepare them? Will it be expensive?

I’m here to tell you that it’s way easier and cheaper than you think. And a great way to give your pup a fabulous boost of nutrients and get the most out of the produce you buy #thatsustainablelifetho

Here’s how to do it. Grab a mason jar or any kind of glass Tupperware — no need to purchase anything special, simply repurpose a glass nut butter, kefir or pickle jar if you don’t have any glass storage containers on hand.

For those who love to food prep it’s a super easy transition, and for those who cook as they go, simply collect your ends and leaves in the glass jar in the fridge over a couple of days. 

All you have to do is chop and put any combination of discarded stems (kale, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, spinach) cooked sweet potato ends, celery leaves (and if you want, any extra low glycemic fruit like apples, dark berries or peaches not getting eaten in the fridge) into a pot and gently steam. Then toss the softened mix into a blender (or mash with a potato masher if you don’t have a blender) and pulse until it resembles mulch. Throw the mixture back into the mason jar for storage and keep it in the fridge to use for the following few days.

Start with a teaspoon for small dogs and a tablespoon for medium-large size dogs, per meal, per day — feel free to add a bit more, here and there, as your dog gets used to the veggies in their meals.

Be mindful to test out what types of vegetables your dogs like as what may seem like a snub to your mixture could simply be the dislike of a single vegetable or fruit in the mulch. I also like to rotate fruit and veg so my dog doesn’t get bored or have too much of one thing in his system, repeatedly. So, one week might be broccoli stem with sweet potato ends and mushy blackberries, and the next week might be kale stems with some wilted spinach, celery leaves and green apple. When deciding what foods to combine (from whatever you have in your fridge) try and think of it like what you’d combine for a child, or even yourself.

Once you get the hang of it and flavour/ingredient combinations that your dog likes, you can get creative — add a tsp of ghee, a quarter of avocado or a tbsp of organic nut butter for healthy fat. Toss in some sea vegetables like kombu, dulse or nori or a tsp of raw honey, kefir or bee pollen.

Super easy, super cheap, super nutritious! If you decide to make upcycled mulch for your pupper, feel free to tag us @thecaninenutrish so we can see your beautiful creations!