My daughter MK made me some homemade toothpaste a couple of years ago that I really liked. It was very similar to this recipe but she added calcium powder to it. She bought calcium supplements and emptied the contents of the gelatin capsules into her toothpaste concoction. I have wanted to make her toothpaste recipe […]
DIY
How to Make Simple and Effective Zero Waste Mouthwash
This easy-to-make mouthwash passes the don’t-put-anything-down-the-drain-that-you-won’t-eat test. It contains only vodka, spices and water.
18 Time-Saving Tips for Cooking From Scratch
Unless you already do cook everything from scratch, you’ll cook more when you decide to cut down on—or eliminate—your waste. That’s because you’ll cut packaged, processed food from your diet and replace these food-like substances with home-cooked versions. I can do without a lot of stuff in my life—piles of clothing, cosmetics, the latest gadgets. […]
My Zero-Waste World: The TMI Post
In recent interviews, people have asked me if I follow zero-waste practices in aspects of my life other than food. The short answer: Yes but besides food, what else is there? The long answer follows. Food I’ve got this one covered on this blog. Essentially, to go zero-waste in the kitchen: Put together a shopping […]
My TV Debut!
Earlier this year, I was interviewed about zero-waste living on The Better Part, a show on KMVT, my city’s community television station. The show aired yesterday here in Mountain View and also in Cupertino and Los Altos. It will air again in several other towns near me over the week. But you can watch below […]
An Oven That Saves Lives
I love low-tech solutions. An oven made out of cardboard boxes will likely garner less attention than will a refrigerator that alerts its owner via Apple Watch of eggs on the verge of spoiling. At least, it would attract more attention here in Silicon Valley—and probably gobs of venture capital to boot. (Wouldn’t it be […]
7 Easy Foods to Make Not Buy
Updated 09/25/19 I do like to cook but I also love easy. Big Food has convinced us that cooking is very difficult, best left up to professionals, time-consuming, beneath us…and on and on. I understand that not everyone will want to bake their own bread (it tastes SO much better than store-bought though!) but the […]
Plastic Microbead-Free Toothpaste
Click here to jump to the recipe Please don’t tell my dentist… For many years (probably about a decade) too many of my teeth had hurt when I ate not just hot or cold foods, but when I drank a mere glass of water or rinsed my teeth with water after brushing them. Then last year […]
Fermenting Versus Canning
Updated 06/11/17 fermentation noun fer·men·ta·tion \ˌfər-mən-ˈtā-shən, –ˌmen-\ “[The] process by which microbes consume sugars and produce acid, alcohol and gases.” — from The Good Gut “The transformative action of microorganisms.” — from The Art of Fermentation Often when I discuss fermentation, people say to me “Cool! I’ve always wanted to try canning.” Before I started fermenting […]