Author(s): Annie Berthold-Bond, Mothers for a Livable Planet, Meryl Streep
Publisher: HarperCollins (paper)
ISBN: 0060951869
Order From: Amazon.com
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The Green Kitchen Handbook: Practical Advice, References, and Sources for Transforming the Center of Your Home into a Healthy, Livable Place
Paperback, 304 pages
Publication date: March 1997
From Booklist , 03/15/97:
Berthold-Bond’s practical guide answers dozens of questions environmentally conscientious and curious cooks have wondered about for years, such as the geographic origin of common healthful foods, their processing or production, and what makes them healthful or not. High points are the detailed discussion of oils and their uses, fatty acid profiles, and smoke points; the microbiology and biochemistry of food preservation in lay language, along with step-by-step procedures for freezing, drying, canning, and preparing a root cellar; a survey of organic agriculture and its standards; and suggestions on how to reduce food packaging and its attendant toxins and nonbiodegradable waste. The last section covers nonfood issues, including household hazardous waste, alternative and safe cleaning supplies and pest control, water purity and conservation, energy-saving appliances, and equipment choices. Well formatted for easy reference, this handbook offers numerous charts of equivalencies, substitutions, and cooking times and concludes with a resource list and an index. Copyright© 1997, American Library Association. All rights reserved
Synopsis:
Featuring everything from lessons on reading labels on packaged foods to buying organic, from canning and community gardening to creating a root cellar, this unique handbook offers suggestions for economical and environmentally conscious alternatives which make keeping a green kitchen a viable, practical option.
Card catalog description
Maintaining an ecologically sound kitchen makes cooking and eating more enjoyable and contributes to the well-being of the environment and your health and family. The Green Kitchen Handbook offers a wealth of practical advice, references, and sources for turning your kitchen into a healthful, livable space. It contains simple tips for immediate use: how to buy organic foods as inexpensively and conveniently as supermarket foods, how to clean and control pests with nontoxic materials, what to look for on food labels, and how to reduce packaging. It also offers advice for more ambitious solutions, including information on canning, creating a root cellar, foraging, and joining community environmental projects. In addition, there are valuable insights on how to buy seasonal, fresh, local foods; how to avoid processed foods and refined sugars; how to recognize the hidden costs in commercial packaging; the best way to prepare and store foods; and how to embrace the new green diet without wasting time and money.
From the Publisher:
The Green Kitchen Handbook contains basic tips on and simple solutions to: what to look for on packaged food labels, how to recognize which food additives to avoid, and how to buy organic foods as inexpensively and conveniently as supermarket foods. And it offers advice for more ambitious projects including information on canning, creating root cellars, buying kitchen appliances, and joining community gardens. The Green Kitchen Handbook also includes valuable insights on how to buy local foods in season; how to avoid excess fat, sugars, and salt; where to locate the best food sources; preparing and storing foods; and integrating the principles of keeping a green kitchen with your daily routine. This unique handbook offers economical and environmentally conscious alternatives that make keeping a green kitchen simple, sensible, and delicious.
Table of Contents
Foreword By Meryl Streep
Preface By Wendy Gordon
1. Introduction
2. The New Green Diet
Step 1. Eating Organically Produced Food
Step 2 and 3. Eating Local, Seasonal Food
Step 4. Eating a Variety of Foods
Step 5. Eating Low on the Food Chain
Step 6. Eating Whole Foods with Adequate Fiber
Step 7. Avoiding Processed Food
Step 8. Reducing Packaging for Public Health and the Environment
3. The New Foragers: New Ways to Shop and Acquire Whole Food
Conventional Stores
Alternative Ways of Finding Whole Foods
Food Packaging
4. The Green Pantry
Grains and Flours
Dried Beans and Peas
Nuts and Seeds
Herbs and Spices
Teas
Whole Food Sweeteners
Healthful Oils
5. Preserving the Foods of the Harvest
The Secrets of Food Preservation
Freezing Food
Drying Food
Root Cellars
Canning Food
6. The Ecological Kitchen
Under the Kitchen Sink: Household Hazardous Waste
Cleaning
Pest Control
Water
Energy Use in the Kitchen
Equipping the Green Kitchen
Dealing with Garbage
Appendix. Nutritional Data
Resources
Index