On our Bookshelf this Month

August 2024

The average US household of four tosses away $30 in food per week, adding up to over $1500 per year sent into the trash. Household food waste is the #1 material thrown into landfills where, covered or buried in plastic trash bags, it breaks down without oxygen and releases methane – a greenhouse gas up to 80x more powerful than carbon dioxide. Globally, food waste, if measured in terms of a carbon footprint, would have the 3rd largest carbon footprint after China and the US. It stands to season, errr, reason that reducing food waste is good for your pocketbook and good for the environment! In Zero Waste Melrose’s monthly series, What’s on our Bookshelf this Month?, we highlight books on the subjects of zero waste and sustainability.

One wrinkly pepper, a gazillion summer squash from the CSA, a carton of almost expired buttermilk (minus two tablespoons used in a recipe last week), and absolutely no idea what to make for a meal today. Enter team Hero Recipes! Frittatas, soups, stir fries, omelets, stocks, pestos, stews, smoothies, pickled veggies – recipes that are flexible and appear when needed, much like a superhero team in the movies – to turn that wrinkly pepper into a tasty treat. In Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking, authors Margaret Li and Irene Li, the sisters and chefs behind Mei Mei Dumplings in Boston, mix together insider tips, adaptable recipes, and clever storage ideas in this book to make the most of the food in your kitchen. Mei Mei Dumplings has been certified as a sustainable business and recognized for its food waste reduction efforts.   

Available online through booksellers and Audible, as well as hoopla, which is accessible for free through the Melrose Public Library.