The Sustainable Table is a guide to living untethered to conventional food sources. PEI author Tracey Allen says she wrote the book “to give a starting point for people looking to simplify and save, while being mindful of the environment.”

A chapter called “Condiment Hell” encourages readers to reduce their reliance on commercial, processed products, and demonstrates how easy it is to make many of your own such foods. “Food Free-For-All” explains the lost art of foraging, and suggests that it is a viable option for sourcing food for your family—if you know what you’re looking for.

The book also features recipes for healthy, hearty fare, and many are gluten- and lactose-free, with a good selection of vegan recipes; they include such fare as black bean burgers, curried vegetable stew and “monk soup”—a simple soup of turnip, carrot, cabbage and rice. The Sustainable Table is available in both print and electronic versions, via simplifyandsave.ca. ~Alain Bossé