THE VEGAN NEWS THE VEGAN NEWS
The Vegan News is written and edited by P M Lloyd. Please e-mail your contributions to the editor at: pauline@bury-rd.demon.co.uk or fill in the form provided.
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Recipe of the MonthHere are some more tasty breakfast ideas:
Recipe Serves 2 - But increase the amounts if you have a big appetite!
Note: Yeo Valley Organic Fruit Compote (apple, blackcurrant, strawberry and blackberry flavour) goes well with this raw muesli and can be poured over the muesli as a special treat. It's made entirely from organically grown fruit, but does contain some sugar.
Home-made Muesli
Rather than buying ready-made muesli I usually make up my own and store it in a large jar, so that it's ready for use. I make it using Suma organic muesli base (containing wheatflakes,oats, barley and jumbo oats) and add chopped brazil nuts, sultanas (or raisins) and sunflower seeds - all organic of course and usually from Neal's Yard. It's also possible to add chopped, dried fruit - dates, apricots, figs, whatever's available and you can also add coconut flakes and vegan banana chips. The main advantage of making up your own muesli is that you can make it just how you want it and of course it's sugar-free. An even easier way to do it, is to simply provide all of the ingredients and let everyone make up their own!
Readers'
ContributionsI am a 23 year old mother of two. I have been a vegan for over 5 years now and have been pregnant and raised children, one on a completely vegan diet. My children are extremely healthy, only three stuffy noses ever and I attribute this to their vegan diet. I would like to let other young, pregnant mothers and people alike, know that it's completely safe to maintain a vegan diet, especially with children.
Simone Weaver, Fairfax, USA.
April
Product Review This Month - Hair Products:
Wooden Quilled Brush
A rather nice wooden hair brush which is ideal for grooming medium/thick hair of all lengths. Made from beech wood which has been produced in well-managed forests and certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council, this brush has flexible non-animal bristles which are set into a rubber pad. My hair is long and gets quite knotty - especially when I cycle in the wind - yet I have been really pleased with this brush, as it removes the tangles painlessly. And because the bristles are flexible they are able to take the strain and don't keep snapping off like the ones on my old brush!
This brush is available from The Body Shop and costs £7.95. Note: There are several types of beech brushes available which are suitable for different hair types.
Dessert Essence Daily Replenishing Shampoo With Tea Tree and Lavender Oil
Another animal-free hair product. This shampoo can be used on all hair types and is said to be good for the scalp because it contains Babassu oil, a cleanser obtained from the rainforest. Bursting with essential oils - lavender, rosemary, geranium and tea tree, it does leave the hair clean and shiny and has a thick, creamy texture which makes it easy to apply. I must admit I found the smell rather too powerful for my liking, but fortunately it wore off quite quickly to leave 'the sweet smelling freshness' mentioned on the bottle! This product has 'The Beauty Without Cruelty Seal Of Approval' and contains no animal ingredients, alcohol or synthetic colours/perfumes. Rather expensive at £3.99 for a 240 ml bottle. I purchased mine in Holland & Barretts.
Incidentally, if any male readers would like to review some male, vegan hair products, then any reviews I receive will be published in a later issue.
Vegan
CampaignsHillside Animal Sanctuary Appeal
From Easter, The Hillside Animal Sanctuary will be located entirely in Frettenham, on its original site at Hill Top Farm. Recently the whole of Hill Top Farm has become available for use as an animal sanctuary and so Hillside's second animal sanctuary (based at Bridge Farm in Downham) is now being closed down. Funds are urgently needed in order to build some new facilities for the rehoused animals at Hill Top Farm - for example 'a bunny haven', a fox-proof pond for the ducks and new shelters for cows and horses. If you would like to make a donation to this appeal, then cheques/postal orders should be made payable to 'Hillside Animal Sanctuary Ltd' and should be sent to: Hillside Animal Sanctuary, Hall Lane, Frettenham, Norwich NR12 7LT. Donations can also be made by visa, by phoning 01603 891227. You may also like to read my earlier review on Hillside Animal Sanctuary.
What's
Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?This month sow beetroot, parsnips (e.g. 'Avonresister'), turnips, parsley, celeriac, radishes, carrots and second early peas, such as 'Onward'. Continue to sow broad beans and spinach - as in last month's issue. Plant out chitted, second early potatoes. This year I am going to try out the variety of second early potato called 'Kestrel' which is supposed to be resistant to attack by slugs, blackleg and eelworm. I am also going to sow a bed of the green manure crop 'Bitter Blue' this month. This agricultural lupin is a good nitrogen fixer and has lovely blue flowers which are very attractive to bees. (It's available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.) Finally, if any of you ordered asparagus crowns (or seeds) last month, then plant up your asparagus beds now!
Make indoor sowings of kale (e.g. 'Nero di Toscano' and 'Tall Green Curled'), calabrese, sprouting broccoli, tomatoes, autumn/winter cauliflowers and late Brussels sprouts. Continue to sow lettuces and other salad crops, such as landcress and spring onions. And don't forget that you can also grow many vitamin-packed salad crops (e.g. alfalfa, mustard and cress etc.) on your windowsill, so get sprouting!
Many herbs (e.g. mint, basil, chives, hyssop, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano) and a lot of butterfly plants (e.g. buddleia) can also be sown indoors this month. Herbs are well worth growing, even if you do not intend to eat them yourself, for many are very attractive to bees or butterflies and some herbs can also be used as companion plants in your vegetable garden, where they will help to deter pests from your crops. Alternatively, if you don't want to sow seeds, buy some ready-grown herb plants from your garden centre.
Last year my herb patch was home to many snails. Very nice for the snails - but not terribly good for my runner beans at the back of the herb bed, or my vegetable patch nearby which had to provide their dinner! So this year I am going to convert the herb garden into a butterfly area. It will still contain quite a few herbs, but any herbs which have become old, overgrown or 'woody' will be replaced. New herbs will include: sage, hyssop, lavender, wild thyme and oregano and any spare ground, left in between the herbs, will be used to grow butterfly plants, such as ice plant (Sedum spectabile), aubretia, candytuft etc. Many herbs are very attractive to butterflies - wild thyme, oregano, hyssop and lavender, all appear in the top 100 butterfly nectar plants, as listed in the book 'Gardening for Butterflies' (see book review). Bees also adore the herbs lavender, mint and of course chive's bright pink flowers. I am sure that it will make a very successful butterfly area, for it's sunny, sheltered and has the additional bonus of being right outside my kitchen window, so that I can get a good view of the butterflies feeding! April, incidentally, is a very good month to create a butterfly area in your garden. So why don't you have a go too? And if you don't have a garden, you may be interested to know that many butterfly plants can be grown quite successfully in window boxes, or in containers, placed on a patio or balcony. If you're not sure what to plant you will find a good butterfly gardening book mentioned in this month's Book Review. And don't miss this month's article Butterflies in April which has been written especially for Vegan News by Lynn Fomison and contains links to other butterfly gardening sites on the web. Finally, you may also like to read 'Creating a Butterfly Pub' which you will find in the April 1997 issue and to study the list of the Top Ten butterfly nectar plants given below.
Sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, spring greens, turnip tops, kale, leeks, asparagus and winter lettuces such as 'Imperial Winter'.
Top Ten Favourite Butterfly Nectar Plants:Other good butterfly nectar plants include: *Ivy, hyssop, scabious, privet, dandelion, teasel, globe thistle, statice, lilac and bird's-foot trefoil.
*Note: I have lots of ivy in my garden and it is always covered with feeding Red Admirals in the autumn; birds like the berries too.
Vegan
Organisation ReviewThe following organisations have been reviewed in earlier issues:
Other
Interesting Vegan WebsitesAn excellent site and a particularly good starting point for obtaining information, for the new or intending vegan. You can now visit their online shop or become a member.
World Animal Net produces the World Animal Directory - a worldwide listing of over 6,000 animal welfare organisations. You can also find out about their campaigns nd read their book reviews.
Find out all about the second vegan festival which is being held at the Camden Centre in London, on the 15th August 1999. Write the date in your diary now and don't miss it!
Ever wanted to know how ethical a company is? Well now you can find out at this site. It's also possible to read a sample of Ethical Consumer magazine here, or visit the 'Clean Clothing Directory' - a directory which lists a variety of fairtraded and/or ecologically-friendly clothing outlets in the UK. (Please note: this is not a vegan website and that not all of the products offered are vegan.)
Plants for a Future is a resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses. Read their on-line leaflets on plant use, or browse the database of over 7,000 species of useful plants.
This site is maintained by Friends of the Earth and has plenty of energy-saving tips, as well as information on sources of renewable energy. You may also like to visit Friends of the Earth's Genetically Engineered Food site.
Gardening For Butterflies by Dr Margaret Vickery (Butterfly Conservation).
This concise and nicely illustrated booklet clearly explains why we need to provide habitats for butterflies and why we should garden organically. Containing plenty of tips on how to set up a butterfly area in your garden, this book details the most popular butterfly and caterpillar plants and provides colour photos and information on many of the butterflies which are likely to be seen visiting gardens in the UK. It includes planting plans for gardens of various sizes, as well as information about the butterfly plants which can be grown successfully in containers, tubs or window boxes, perhaps on a patio or balcony. If you would like to set up your own butterfly area, then a copy of this booklet (plus a copy of the John Chamber's Wildflower Seed Catalogue!) will be all you need to get started. Gardening for Butterflies can be purchased from Butterfly Conservation and from the Organic Gardening Catalogue (£5.50). (See this month's article for address details.)
Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1999
April
Book Review 