Edible Read: Good to the Last Bite
Two books offer tips on ways to waste less
For the average consumer, finding ways to reduce food waste in the kitchen can seem daunting. We have found two books that offer easy-to-follow strategies for smarter grocery shopping, wiser ways to store food and creative recipes to take advantage of leftovers.
Eat It Up!:
150 Recipes to Use Every Bit and Enjoy
Every Bite of the Food You Buy
By Sherri Brooks Vinton
Da Capo Lifelong Books, 256 pages, Paperback, $18.99
Available at Carmichael’s Bookstores in Louisville and The Morris Book Shop in Lexington. Have you struggled with what to do with beet greens, cauliflower 
leaves or bones from Sunday’s roast? Sherri Brooks Vinton helps you make the most out of the food you bring home with Eat It Up! Filled with practical tips for reducing food waste — including how to reduce spoilage, organize fridge space and determine whether food is past its edibleness — the book includes 150 delicious recipes for using apple peels, parsley stems, carrot fronds and more. Brooks Vinton is also the author of the Put ’Em Up! series of books on home food preservation techniques for all levels.
In her latest book, Vinton explores another path to help cooks use ingredients more efficiently and cost effectively, to save time by getting more meals from the food they have and to reduce food waste: Don’t toss those leftovers or pitch your beet greens! Brooks Vinton is a former governor of Slow Food USA and is a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Chefs Collaborative.
Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook:
A Guide to Eating Well and Saving
Money by Wasting Less Food
by Dana Gunders
Chronicle Books, 200 pages, Paperback, $18.95
Despite a growing awareness of food waste, many well-intentioned home cooks lack the tools to change their habits. This handbook is filled with checklists, simple recipes, practical strategies and educational infographics to help consumers reduce food waste. The everyday techniques require minimal adjustments: from shopping and portioning to simple preservation methods including freezing, pickling and cellaring. The handbook includes 20 “use-it-up” recipes for over 85 common foods. Gunders is a project scientist working on food and agriculture with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
She is based in Berkeley, California.
RECIPE
Broccoli Slaw
