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Zero-Waste Chef

zero waste

  • Food Waste

Donate-What-You-Feel Cooking Workshop: Make Soup, Not Waste

Posted on September 21, 2020September 22, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef
Dutch oven with minestrone soup

Bring a pot and the random vegetables you find in your refrigerator and pantry. We’ll make soup together in this interactive workshop.

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  • Fermentation

Bake Sourdough Bread Without the Expensive Tools

Posted on March 29, 2020January 12, 2021by The Zero-Waste Chef

Don’t let a want of fancy tools squelch your dreams of baking delicious sourdough bread. You may have most of the gear you need.

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19 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

I’m Quitting Plastic. What Do I Do With My Plastic Stuff?

Posted on March 12, 2020March 12, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef
food stored in jars reduces food waste because you can see what you have on hand

You’ve decided to wean yourself from single-use plastic. But what do you do with all of the plastic stuff you still have in your home?

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13 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Will the Coronavirus Kill the Zero-Waste Movement?

Posted on March 5, 2020March 5, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef
empty toilet paper roll

Should we abandon the low-waste lifestyle during the coronavirus outbreak, avoid reusables and choose single-use throwaway items?

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23 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How Does Recycling Work and Should I Bother?

Posted on March 1, 2020March 2, 2020by Mary Katherine Glen
baled cardboard at the recycling center

What gets recycled? What doesn’t? Why does recycling differ from place to place? A waste management student reveals these mysteries and more!

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6 Comments
  • Climate Crisis

How to Keep Caring

Posted on February 26, 2020February 26, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef

Asking the question, “How do I keep caring?” shows not that we don’t care about the planet but that we may not be caring adequately for ourselves.

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8 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

7 Staples I Stock at All Times

Posted on February 3, 2020February 3, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef

With these 7 basic staples on hand, I have the foundations for a variety of delicious, healthy dishes. When any of these run out, it’s time to shop.

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7 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

7 Ways to Spot Greenwashing and How to Avoid It

Posted on January 30, 2020January 31, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef

We consumers want to do the right thing and marketers know this. Hence the vague language, fuzzy animals and other greenwashing tactics.

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9 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Wash Laundry, Not too Much, Hang to Dry

Posted on January 22, 2020March 1, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef

Wash dirty laundry in cold, use as few products as possible and hang to dry. You’ll save money and your clothes will last longer.

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20 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Plan to Reduce Waste

Posted on January 19, 2020January 26, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef

When in human history have we ever not had to plan ahead for our needs? Overnight shipping is only a recent development.

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12 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How Do I Make My Parents Live More Sustainably?

Posted on January 15, 2020January 15, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef
food stored in jars reduces food waste because you can see what you have on hand

“I’m a teenager living at home with unsupportive parents. What can I do to make them stop using so much plastic and be more sustainable?”

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16 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

A 9-for-1 New Year’s Resolution

Posted on December 30, 2019January 19, 2020by The Zero-Waste Chef
unpackaged produce from the farmers' market

Have so many vices that you can’t decide on a new year’s resolution? One resolution automatically covers many others.

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9 Comments
  • All Recipes

9 More Foods to Make not Buy

Posted on December 16, 2019February 12, 2021by The Zero-Waste Chef

These 9 easy-to-make staples will save you money and they taste delicious.

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10 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

7 Simple Gifts to Sew for Your Favorite Zero Waster

Posted on December 6, 2019December 7, 2019by The Zero-Waste Chef

Sew handmade, zero-waste gifts for the favorite zero waster on your list. These easy projects will help you help yours divert trash from landfill.

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8 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Zero-Waste Babies and Toddlers

Posted on November 24, 2019November 25, 2019by The Zero-Waste Chef
infant baby girl

Like all things zero-waste, with a bit of planning, you can drastically reduce waste with babies and toddlers.

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11 Comments

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I had wanted an electric grain mill for years and I had wanted an electric grain mill for years and resisted buying a new one. Then one day, my neighbor gave me this beauty! She was moving and no longer ate bread. This Excalibur grain mill is at least 40 years old and works very well. I saw one on eBay the other day for $100. A new wooden grain mill costs about $800.
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Here you see it with some teff I ground up. (To grind small grains, you reduce the distance between the grinding stones.) I somehow didn’t record the grinding of the teff, but you can swipe to see the result and a video of some mystery grains being ground up. I put those mystery grains into sourdough discard cracker dough last night. 
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If you are looking for a grain mill, a pasta machine, a sewing machine or other small appliance—or really, anything at all—ask around, post your request in your Buy Nothing group, check Nextdoor, look at Facebook Marketplace and so on. Put it out to the Universe.
In my quest to squeeze as much goodness out of lem In my quest to squeeze as much goodness out of lemons as possible, I started a batch of limoncello, a lemon liqueur. With a vegetable peeler, I removed the peels of a bunch of organic, unwaxed lemons and am steeping them in vodka.
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My lemons were massive so let’s say I used the equivalent of 7 medium lemons. I carefully removed the peel (not the pith) from the lemons using a vegetable peeler, placed the pith-less peels in a clean jar, poured 500ml of vodka (a generous 2 cups) over top and closed the jar. After this steeps for a month, I’ll strain the infused vodka and add a simple sugar syrup to it. I’ll start with 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water and add more sugar syrup to the lemony vodka to taste if necessary.
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I plan on using a little bit of the finished limoncello to bake biscotti and a grown-up lemon cake. I think those will taste fabulous. The majority of the limoncello will go into the freezer. One day—soon, I hope—I’ll ply guests with it!
These pics for #EasyWhenYouKnowHow Sourdough Bread These pics for #EasyWhenYouKnowHow Sourdough Bread come from my book, which includes an entire section devoted to sourdough.
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The book comes out April 13th and you can preorder now via the link in my profile (US, Canada and international). Thank you to everyone who has preordered! I am very grateful 🙏
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📷: Ashley McLaughlin @edible_perspective
Good news! . Victoria will ban single-use plastics Good news!
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Victoria will ban single-use plastics by 2023, beginning by phasing out banned items in its own government systems within a year.
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The ban includes plastic straws, cutlery, plates, cotton ear bud sticks and polystyrene cups and containers. When announcing the ban on Saturday, the environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, said that these items account for about a third of litter in Victoria.
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The ban includes bars, cafés and restaurants but not medical or scientific equipment and exemptions will apply for emergency, disability and aged care services as needed.
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Plastic contributes to the climate crisis all along its life cycle and Big Oil is currently ramping up production of the stuff. Regulations like these will make a big dent in preventing plastic pollution at its source—production.
Our lemon tree didn't produce much this year so I Our lemon tree didn't produce much this year so I asked around and received 30 pounds of free lemons on Sunday 😮
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Earlier this week I made a large dent. I peeled 4 giant lemons with a vegetable peeler to start a batch of limoncello. I then juiced those peeled lemons to add to the jars or preserved lemons I also started. I needed more juice for those preserved lemons, so I zested all the additional lemons that I juiced and stashed the zest in the freezer. My kitchen smelled amazing!
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I chop up preserved lemons to serve on the side of Indian dishes (or simply put them in the dishes, often when I've run out of fresh lemons), make dressing, start cultured cashew cheese or add to dips for some intense lemon flavor. Someone of Facebook told me today that she adds preserved lemons to pastry. I’m trying that next! Link in profile for the preserved lemons recipe.
Pasta that prevents food waste! . We had some wate Pasta that prevents food waste!
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We had some watermelon radishes on hand with lots of greens attached so I used the leaves to make green pasta. Earlier in the week, the green leaves of mild white Japanese turnips turned our pasta green. MK made some kale pesto to go with this. So good! This pasta is perfect if you’d like to serve green food on St. Patrick’s Day next month—or if you like pasta. 
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I did run this through my pasta machine but you can make pasta by rolling it out and cutting the noodles by hand. And if you are on the market for a pasta machine, check thrift shops or your Buy Nothing group. People often buy these with great intentions but end up never using them.
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Link in profile for the recipe.
THREE copies up for grabs of the book “Plastic F THREE copies up for grabs of the book “Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters”...
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One person can make a difference! In July 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz (founder of @plasticfreejuly) challenged herself to go plastic free for the whole month. Starting with a small group of people in Western Australia, the Plastic Free July movement has grown to an estimated 326 million strong community across 177 countries, empowering people to reduce single-use plastic consumption and create a cleaner future.
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From the book description: “This book explores how one of the world’s leading environmental campaigns took off and shares lessons from its success. From narrating marine-debris research expeditions to tracking what actually happens to our waste to sharing insights from behavioral research, it speaks to the massive scale of the plastic waste problem and how we can tackle it together. Interweaving interviews from participants, activists, and experts, Plastic Free tells the inspiring story of how ordinary people have created change in their homes, communities, workplaces, schools, businesses, and beyond.”
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TO ENTER:
1. Like and comment on this post and tell us about one single use plastic item you are choosing to refuse. 
2. Follow @plasticfreejuly
3. Follow @zerowastechef
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Conditions: This giveaway is open internationally and prizes will be shipped to all countries excluding Australia and New Zealand. There are 3 books in total to be given away. Entry closes on Saturday, February 27th at 11:59pm PST. I will randomly choose the winners and notify them by DM. This giveaway is in no way administered, sponsored or endorsed by Instagram.
This weekend’s shopping includes a smallish farm This weekend’s shopping includes a smallish farmers’ market haul on a new-to-me background. Total cost of the background: $0.
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On Saturday, I “shopped” at something like a moving sale or estate sale where everything was free. A friend of a friend left town just as the lockdowns began last year and hasn’t been back since. She has decided to stay on the East Coast and from there is co-ordinating the move of her belongings from here on the West Coast. She’s leaving behind loads of stuff, a lot of which would go to landfill. So, on the weekend, several of us descended upon her home—masked and socially distanced—and cleared out boxes and boxes of useful stuff. I’ve posted just some of the things I grabbed.
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I’ve wanted a table to put in the window for taking pictures and voila! (The burlap sac came from a local café that roasts its own beans and tosses these bags out.) We had no glasses; now we do (not shown: half a dozen more that I need to wash still). The little teabag rest is smaller than the ramekin I’ve been using (and it frees up a ramekin). My oven mitts are shot and this pair still has the tag on them. Charlotte needed a desk lamp; one magically appeared. Finally, I grabbed this never used, unopened Blu-ray player to post in my Buy Nothing Group (we don’t own a TV). Several people asked for this right away and I need to randomly pick a recipient today.
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I say this all the time on here but when I need or want something, if I’m patient, it eventually shows up. I can’t tell you how often this happens.
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I hope everyone’s week is off to a good start.
I haven’t made kimchi for about four months. I s I haven’t made kimchi for about four months. I spent $7 on the vegetables and already had on hand the ginger, garlic, kimchi spice and a small amount of dried kelp granules (dried kelp is optional but does add a nice fishy flavor).
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For this new batch, I decided to swap out the daikon radishes for small Japanese turnips (and I found a use for one of the twist ties—swipe to see that). I couldn’t find green onions, so I used a small white onion instead. You can also use other types of cabbage, although I do prefer Napa. As long as you have gochugaru (the dried hot pepper flakes), the kimchi tastes amazing.
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I reserved the turnip tops and am making green pasta with some of them today. We also make pesto or sauté the greens with a bit of olive oil and garlic. They taste delicious and you can sometimes get them (as well as other varieties of greens) free at the farmers' market. At ours, when customers ask vendors to remove the tops, they put the greens in a free bin for people to take who have chickens or humans at home to feed.
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Link in profile for the simple kimchi recipe.
More book news! Canadian retailer @Indigo has sele More book news! Canadian retailer @Indigo has selected my book (shown here with the Canadian cover) as one of its most anticipated books of the spring and is featuring it in another Most Anticipated promotion, this time as a Most Anticipated COOKBOOK! Preorder now through Sunday and get 30% off plus 500 plum points. Link in profile to preorder from Indigo. The book will be out in less than two months, on April 13th 😮
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Thank you very much to everyone who has preordered in the US, Canada and overseas! I really appreciate your support 🙏😊
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