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Zero-Waste Chef

produce

  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Store Produce Without Plastic

Posted on January 20, 2017by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Read aloud in a Brad Pitt drawl: The first rule of food waste is: you do not buy too much food. The second rule of food waste is: you do not buy too much food. In an ideal world—one in which you have time to shop a few times a week at a local farmer’s […]

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  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Rescue Vegetables Past Their Prime and Avoid Food Waste

Posted on January 13, 2016January 21, 2016by Anne-Marie Bonneau

For the holidays, my younger daughter and I drove to my brother Paul’s in North Bend, Washington. At the end of our visit, before we left, I went through Paul’s refrigerator and pulled out some of the produce I had bought up there since he said he wouldn’t eat it (Paul doesn’t cook much). After […]

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How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds

Posted on October 26, 2014September 29, 2018by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Did you know that in the story of the Garden of Eden, Eve would likely have tempted Adam with a pomegranate and not an apple?* I may be projecting my own pomegranate issues here, but I imagine that today’s shoppers, lured by the pomegranate’s alluring pink–red shade, plump pregnant shape and promise of juicy sweet seeds, experience that […]

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    • Food Waste

Fried Potato Skins

Posted on October 13, 2014May 2, 2018by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Ideally, my daughter would eat mashed potatoes with the skins on. But as I have usually peeled the potatoes, I have personally trained her to expect mashed potatoes with the skins off. I hate to compost the skins and waste them. Fortunately, you can never go wrong with fat, salt and potatoes, even if just the […]

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28 Comments
  • Food Waste

Three Years’ Worth of Produce Stickers

Posted on May 20, 2014January 3, 2015by Anne-Marie Bonneau

I try to buy most of our produce from the farmer’s market. But occasionally I miss a Sunday or I forget to buy something, so I end up at the grocery store. (I never forget my cloth produce bags though!) A few years ago, my older daughter MK started sticking those little annoying produce tags (never present […]

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How to Pit and Freeze Fresh Cherries

Posted on May 17, 2014May 26, 2020by Anne-Marie Bonneau

My kids love smoothies. They make them with yogurt, milk, bananas and frozen fruit. The other day, when I looked in the freezer, I found a plastic bag of frozen fruit from the grocery store. Ugh! I don’t have all that many rules here. But no plastic is one of them. So, no drugs in plastic baggies. […]

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  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Sew Reusable Cloth Produce and Bulk Bags

Posted on May 1, 2014February 22, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau

I’ve been diligent about using cloth shopping bags for literally decades now (I bought my first cloth bag in 1988). But until recently, I rarely used cloth produce bags. I’m all for plastic bag bans, but we need to address the plastic produce bag issue—those things generate huge amounts of plastic waste. So in 2011, when […]

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"Bring me back" Last week, I visited family and f "Bring me back"

Last week, I visited family and friends in Canada and Friday in Montreal at @lepetitdep, saw these delicious soups from @latina_cuisine, sold in returnable mason jars. If you look at the Latina Cuisine website, you can buy their products at many locations in Montreal, including some IGA grocery stores! (You can find them in a handful of stores in the Ottawa area also.)

We have, for the most part, a centralized food system that cranks out ultra-processed, ultra-profitable "food" that can be shipped long distances thanks in part to indestructible, chemical-leaching, single-use plastic packaging. Our health, the environment (and our taste buds) need local, affordable, real food for everyone, crafted by small producers and sold in reusable, refillable containers.

Don't these look appetizing?
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#jars #jarporn #masonjars #reusables #reuserevolution #refillable #wastenotwantnot #sustainablelifestyle #sustainablefoodsystems #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelifestyle #breakfreefromplastic #plasticpollution #plasticisfossilfuel #plasticfreejuly #plasticfreeforthesea #plasticfreeoceans #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastetips #zerowastehome #zerowastechef #climatecrisis #thereisnoplanetb #loveyourmother
I’m so excited! I’ll be at @rainbow_grocery on I’m so excited! I’ll be at @rainbow_grocery on Sunday, April 16th from 11am to 2pm, sewing produce bags out of donated fabric, handing those out and signing copies of my book.

Rainbow is bulk heaven. If you ever visit San Francisco and are into zero waste at all or low waste or whatever you want to call it, you must visit. One year for my birthday, I asked to go there.

After I sew and sign, I’ll stock up on all the stuff I’ve run out of, like looseleaf puerh tea and cacao nibs (I brew them together... OMG... I will have to post a Reel about that). My friend @debrabaida says if Rainbow doesn’t have it, it doesn’t exist. I think she’s right! 

I hope I can meet some of you in person that day. I’m really looking forward to it. Can you tell?
Thank you for asking for my food-waste busting adv Thank you for asking for my food-waste busting advice, @kristinhos of @outsidemagazine!

"I decided I needed to tackle my food waste problem at its source, so I hit up the Zero-Waste Chef Anne-Marie Bonneau for some tips. The good news? Her advice was not daunting. I didn’t have to make big, wholesale changes to my diet or lifestyle, and I immediately started saving money at the grocery store. And that silver scrap bin on my countertop? These days, it’s been much slower to fill."

Link in profile for full article.
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#nofoodwaste #stopfoodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerofoodwaste #savefood #reducefoodwaste #wastenotwantnot #sustainablelifestyle #intentionalliving #plasticfreelifestyle #breakfreefromplastic #fermentedfoods #ferment #kitchentips #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastetips #zerowastekitchen #zerowastehome #zerowastechef #climatecrisis #thereisnoplanetb
Even your carnivore eaters will devour this beanie Even your carnivore eaters will devour this beanie shepherds pie. And you’ll reduce wasted food when you make this highly adaptable recipe with what’s on hand.

You’ll need random beans, vegetables and potatoes. This tastes really good with tomatoes and mushrooms but don’t worry if you don’t have those. A bit of miso or spoonful of soy sauce will add umami if you don’t have mushrooms. Maybe you have a bit of red wine. Add a generous splash of that. Get creative with what’s on hand. And taste as you go!

Here is the non-recipe recipe:
💫 If you have mushrooms, sauté those in olive oil until they have released their water and browned. Set aside.
💫 In the same, now-empty pan, sauté random, bite-size vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if necessary. I used two small carrots and all the parts of a bunch of broccolini (you can eat all the parts, including any leaves). Set those vegetables aside.
💫 Next, sauté an onion or shallots or a small leek until softened. Stir in herbs. I used previously fresh sage I had dried after Thanksgiving.
💫 Stir in tomatoes if you have them. I have a few jars of frozen roasted tomatoes left from the fall. I added half a jar.
💫 Stir in cooked beans. I used pinto and white beans cooked a couple of days earlier in my pressure cooker. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
💫 If you’re using an oven-proof pan, spread the beans into an even layer. Or move them to a baking dish. Layer on sauteéd vegetables.
💫 Boil bite-size pieces of potatoes (skin on if organic), drain when cooked, add milk and butter of choice, salt and paper to taste and mash. You can make these a day or two in advance. Layer over the vegetables. 
💫 Place the shepherd’s pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes. Broil the top for the last few minutes to brown the potatoes.

This large shepherd’s pie feeds us for a few meals. Cook less, eat more. Enjoy!
"The most important thing an individual can do is "The most important thing an individual can do is be a little less of an individual and join together with others in movements large enough to make change." — Bill McKibben, 350.org founder

Yesterday's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report is a summary of the previous sections of the IPCC's mammoth sixth assessment. It shows we haven't done enough to address the climate crisis but also that we have never been better equipped to tackle it.

You may be asking yourself what you can do. One thing we can all do is find our people by joining a climate-focused group such as @350org, @sunrisemvmnt, @indigenousclimateaction, @nrdc_org, @earthjustice ... There are many. And if you have eco-anxiety, working with other concerned citizens can help.
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#IPCC #IPCCreport #globalgoals #keepitintheground #loveearth #noplanetb #strikeforclimate #thereisnoplanetb #plasticisfossilfuel #climatecrisis #climateemergency #extinctioncrisis #climatechangeawareness #climatecrisisisreal #climatechangeisreal #environmentalactivism #climatechangesolutions #climatesolutions #climatejustice #climateactionnow #globalwarmingisreal #drawdown #drought #wildfires #environmentalracism #climateaction #actonclimate #loveyourmother
I’m out of dish blocks and dish soap 😮 No pro I’m out of dish blocks and dish soap 😮 No problem! I can make dish soap! Here’s how:

🫧 Heat 2 cups of water.
🫧 Turn off the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of shredded bar soap.
🫧 After the soap melts, stir in 1 teaspoon of washing soda. 
🫧 Let the soap sit for several hours or overnight. Add 15 drops of essential oil if you’d like scented dish soap.

If it’s too thick to use, give it a whir with an immersion blender. Store in a pump and use as needed. I made this batch with Good Soap. Dr. Bronner’s is good.

This is not super sudsy like the commercial stuff but it gets the job done and doesn’t cost very much to make.

If you can’t find washing soda, you can make it by heating baking soda. See my recipe index for that and this dish soap.
Out of baking powder? If you have cream of tarter Out of baking powder? If you have cream of tarter and baking soda on hand, you can “make” it. Sift together 2 parts cream of tartar and 1 part baking soda. Sift and use immediately. Here, I’ve used the baking powder to bake sourdough discard biscuits.
 
Lemon juice mixed with baking soda can also replace baking powder. Mix 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder the recipe calls for and use immediately.

Link in profile for 8 more staples that are easy to make yourself.
A lower waste lifestyle should save you money, not A lower waste lifestyle should save you money, not bankrupt you. Yes, some aspects of zero-waste living cost more (unpackaged farmers' market produce versus a discount grocer that packages everything in plastic). But others aspects will save money—eating all the food you buy instead of throwing some out, eating lower on the food chain, buying in bulk when you can (for many items, not all). These nine ideas are just some of the ways to reduce waste and save money.
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#frugal #thriftlife #secondhandfirst #makedo #buyless #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #foodwaste #zerofoodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelifestyle #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreejuly #plasticpollutes #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastetips #kitchentips #zerowastechef #climateemergency #thereisnoplanetb
UPDATE: The 200 spots have filled! Thank you to ev UPDATE: The 200 spots have filled! Thank you to everyone who registered. Keep an eye out for the next starter class in a couple of months. 
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Every time I pull a loaf of sourdough bread out of the oven, I'm amazed that it contains only three ingredients: flour, water and salt. (Okay, this raisin loaf contains four ingredients.)

Before you can witness this amazing transformation, you need to start a sourdough starter. Learn how in my next free online sourdough starter class, Friday, April 7th at 9am PT/12pm ET. Bring a jar, some flour and your questions!

Want a gluten-free starter? The starter method is the same. Teff or buckwheat work well. (And if you use teff, you can also make injera.)

Link in profile for more info and to register. This class tends to fill up pretty fast.
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#sourdoughbaking #sourdoughbaker #sourdoughlove #sourdoughstarter #sourdoughdiscard #flourwatersalt #fermentedfoods #fermented #wildfermentation #wildyeast #kitchentips #foodmadewithlove #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #wastefreeliving #intentionalliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelifejuly #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastekitchen #zerowastetips #zerowastechef #thereisnoplanetb
Clean rust from jars and lids with DIY citrus scou Clean rust from jars and lids with DIY citrus scouring powder!

This jar had been filled with hair conditioner and sat in the shower, where the jar mouth and lid developed rust. If you ferment anything, you may have some rusty jars and lids.

Clean those jars up easily with homemade scouring powder with citrus zest. It easily removed all the rust from this jar and lots from the lid.

To make it, combine 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup washing soda and 1 to 2 tablespoons ground dried lemon and orange zest. See my website for the full instructions (link in profile).

Don’t have washing soda? You can make that too! Simply bake baking soda to transform it into washing soda. See yesterday’s post for the abbreviated instructions for that or my website for the full recipe.

Get more out of the citrus you eat. Put the scraps to work and keep your jars clean.
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