Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was not as I was expecting at all. It was neither a cool book or any help at all in my zero waste journey 😢

Very interesting book, it makes you rethink you current habits. Which could be turned more zero waste friendly. Would have loved a more friendly cover.

I enjoyed reading about the tips and tricks for going zero waste and it was in general a fascinating read.

I enjoyed all the tips and tricks provided for zero waste. I enjoyed reading about the tips and tricks to run a restaurant zero waste as well. This book was unfortunately more biography than zero waste tips which I was hoping for. While it had some valuable information to it, most of it is too difficult to incorporate.

Part cookbook, part manifesto, part autobiography - this book was interesting but also a bit difficult to get my head around. McMaster's story feels like a study in "flying by the seat of your pants," and he tells it with a warts-and-all honesty that is at once refreshing and cringe-inducing. The zero waste parts were the reason I chose this book, and while there were some interesting tidbits about Silo's own zero waste methods, I would've liked more detail (where do they get some of their bulk ingredients and equipment? Where did they find the best instructions for milling flour or what plants are safe to forage? Any statistics or scientific study information?). The recipes, while they make beautiful photos, are not anything I would ever make - here where I live we don't have many of these ingredients, the flavor profiles are not appealing to me, and they seem very complicated to a home cook. But still, good food for thought.

Silo: The Zero Waste Blueprint is ostensibly a part philosophy and part DIY book by Douglas McMaster. Due out 27th Aug 2019 from Quarto on their Leaping Hare imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in ebook and hardcover formats. The ebook version is available now.

This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, the idea of zero waste and putting a stop to our out of control consumerism is admirable, necessary, and absolutely vital. On the other hand, there's something weirdly dichotomous about a professional restaurateur (however well meaning) whose products the public pays for, using the platform to condemn consumerism.

The subtitle is 'A Food System for the Future' which led me to expect some sort of blueprint for making steps toward implementing measures for reducing or eliminating waste in our daily lives. The book seems to mostly be a memoir of the difficulties of opening Silo, the restaurant, and adhering to his original vision of a zero waste establishment. There's a fair bit of reminiscing about his educational and training path as a chef, his encounters with other chefs and the cooking competitions in which he took part (and won or lost spectacularly). The first part of the book is fairly self indulgent, rambling, egotistical, and full of sentence fragments. It's quite literally difficult to read. In addition, each of the first sections are accompanied by high contrast sidebars with koans such as LIMITATION BREEDS CREATIVITY, FOOD IS PRECIOUS, and PROGRESS IS MESSY.

The second part of the book (roughly 19% of the content) contains a rambling discussion of distribution webs and gigantic waste in the forms of fossil fuel use, energy, packaging, time, etc. There are numerous diagrams showing different methods of transport and delivery.

The third part includes recipes for buying in bulk and cleaning supplies minimizing packaging and using reusable compostable sponges, cloths, etc. This section also contains a year's worth of recipes in menu form which utilize local seasonal ingredients. Some of the recipes are really odd (potato skin ice cream), most all of them are 'way out there'. Quite probably adventuresome foodies will find something to titillate (Hokkaido pumpkin, forced rhubarb & British sumac?).

The fourth part of the book draws together many of the ideas in the earlier sections. There are no definite hard and fast conclusions, however there is a lot of food for thought. There are no quick fixes for healing the planet, or sustainability, or any overarching plans to get started on. This section of the book also includes intriguing, slightly surreal, visual art.

It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the final release version.

I did not winnow out a lot of useful information from this book. There is a huge amount of enthusiasm and burning fervor here and especially foodies who would know where to source sea beets and pineapple weed locally and in season will doubtless find usable recipes and philosophy. This would make a good read for people who really enjoy restaurateur and food culture biographies.

Two stars for me, three+ for serious foodies.

I absolutely hate to give a bad book review, but this book was just not for me. I’m a novice gardener. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love vegetables. I don’t always buy organic, but I am a firm proponent of the ‘buy local’ and ‘farm to table’ movements. I don’t (hopefully) spend a lot of time preaching about what other people should do. I take responsibility for my actions, and I try to do what I can to maintain and enhance the little slice of the world in which I live.

I was attracted to the book based on the ‘zero waste’ concept. And while it is definitely a blueprint for going all-in on this movement, it is overwhelming and not easy to replicate. There is a whole team in place making Silo work. There’s little advice regarding small steps one can take to nudge towards zero waste – nor are there any kudos for trying to take small steps. There is a lot of self-justification for why certain things are allowed – such as the use of meat and dairy. I don’t have a problem with meat and dairy (I love meat and dairy!) … I just have a problem with people trying to justify why it’s okay for them to have those components as part of their overall food plan. All the ‘rationalizing’ sections are off-putting. The recipe/food section tries to provide too many options with not enough detail. Again, for me – I would approach this with baby steps, focusing on foods that people might already have available.

If this book had been written as a memoir or an overview of Silo, the approach to the book and the reception by the reader would have been different. I could have spent time appreciating their efforts to create this zero waste world. In the ‘blueprint’ format, the book reads as a ‘how-to’ guide that has an air of superiority. This team is not the only one to strive for zero waste. One only needs to look towards poor populations or Native Americans to find people who use every part of the plant and animal, and do so without the help of many modern materials. Necessity and heritage cultivate environments of zero waste.

The one exciting point that I’m taking away from this book is the knowledge of Fairtransport – a small fleet of traditional sailing ships that includes the world’s only engineless sailing cargo ship. Fairtransport focuses on transporting organic or traditionally crafted products while raising awareness regarding the pollution created by the modern shipping industry. This intrigues me, and I hope to explore it more as I blog at www.Patch405.com.

I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions express here are my own.