THE VEGAN NEWSTHE VEGAN NEWSThe 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 Month
Ingredients
For the dumplings:
Method
Recipe Serves 2
Readers' ContributionsThe following email was sent in by Sharon Holdstock of Cambridge.
Just thought you might like to add somewhere that Linda Mac's Southern Fried Grills are no longer vegan. I've written a begging letter and maybe other people should be encouraged to as well?
January Product ReviewSeven Seas Multivitamins Plus Minerals for Vegetarians and Vegans
These vitamin tablets contain a combination of fourteen vitamins and minerals and are specially formulated for vegetarians and vegans. Approved by the Vegetarian Society and registered with the Vegan Society, these vitamins do not contain any sugar/sweetener, artificial colours, lactose, flavours or preservatives and can be used by both adults and children over seven. Each tablet contains the vitamins A, D, E, C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folic acid, B12, pantothenic acid and the minerals: calcium, iron and zinc. A packet of 60 vitamin tablets costs about £5.09. (One tablet to be taken daily.)
Sanatogen One-A-Day Vegetarian
A special vegetarian vitamin and mineral supplement which is approved by the Vegetarian Society. Sugar and lactose-free, these vitamins do not contain any animal ingredients or artificial colours/flavours etc. Each tablet supplies: vitamin D, B2, B6, folic acid, B12, calcium, iron, zinc and copper. A 60 tablet pack costs £4.89 (One tablet to be taken daily.)
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Travelling Tips
To drink (from 4 weeks):
Most of the products listed above are sold in glass jars. The glass can either be recycled after use, or the jars can be reused to store home-made baby food in the freezer. You will find a more comprehensive list of the products which are suitable for vegan babies in the Animal-Free Shopper which is available from the Vegan Society.
What's Happening in the Veganic
Garden This Month?
| VEGETABLE | VARIETY | REC. PLANTING DATE | COMMENTS | CROPPING DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Bean | Aquadulce Claudia | November or February/March | Fixes Nitrogen | June/July |
| Broad Bean | *The Sutton | Mid February/early March | Fixes Nitrogen | June/July |
| Pea | *Feltham First | February | A compact plant but crops well | June |
| Garlic | Printanor | Nov-February | Only available Oct-Feb | August |
| Beetroot | Detroit Globe | April-June | Nice pickled, but can be grated and eaten raw. | Aug-Nov |
| Runner Bean | Painted Lady | Sow indoors and plant outside beg/mid June | Has pretty flowers | Aug-Oct |
| Runner Bean | Kelvedon Marvel | Sow indoors and plant outside beg/mid June | Can go stringy in dry summers | Aug-Oct |
| Lettuce | *Tom Thumb | Sow indoors in March | Good dwarf variety | June onwards |
| Lettuce | Saladini | Sow outside from beg June | A cut and come again lettuce | July onwards |
| Cress | Land Cress | Sow outside in August and in April | Tastes like watercress | Available for most of year |
| Onion | Stuttgart Giant | Plant onion sets in Feb/March | Stores well | Harvest in August |
| Pumpkin | Baby Bear | Sow indoors in April, plant outside in June | This variety has hulless seeds which can be eaten | Harvest August/September |
| Peppers | I use seeds from shop-bought peppers! | Sow March, indoors | Can be grown in containers indoors | August onwards |
| Radish | Black Spanish Round | Sow in August outside | Has a strong flavour. Nice grated in salads. | Winter - Spring |
| Radish | Summer Cross F1-(Mouli) | Sow outside from July | Worth growing if you want to try out some Japanese/Chinese recipes | Harvest from October |
| Tomato | Alicante | Sow indoors, beginning of April, plant out beg June | Reliable cropper | Ready end August-September |
| Sweetcorn | Kelvedon Glory F1 | Sow indoors, plant out mid may | Likes a sunny position | August |
| Strawberry | Temptation F1 | Sow indoors Jan/Feb and plant out in April | Should fruit in first year | Harvest Aug-Oct |
| Parsley | Champion Moss Curled | Sow outside in May and August | Very nutritious! | Available for most of year |
| Basil | Bush Basil | Sow indoors in April, plant out beg June | Grow in container to reduce slug damage | July/August |
| Green Manure | Field Bean | Sept-Nov | A good nitrogen fixer | Grow to 18" then compost or use as mulch |
| Comfrey | Bocking 14 | Buy as plants, April-August | Use as a mulch, a compost activator, or as a feed for tomatoes/pepers | Harvest 3-4 times/year |
If you are having difficulty finding any of these varieties of seeds locally, then they can all be obtained from the Organic Gardening Catalogue, apart from the pumpkin seeds which are produced by Mr Fothergill and are available from some garden centres/shops.
Blackbird - About 25.5 cm in length, the female blackbird is brown and the male is black with a yellow bill. Blackbirds eat earthworms, caterpillars, slugs and berries. During the autumn and winter, blackbirds will visit the bird table and eat household scraps. (They are particularly fond of apples - so don't throw away those bad apples.) They will also eat strawberries, so keep your strawberry plants well-netted!
Thrush - There are two types of thrush - the song thrush and the mistle thrush. They are both very similar in appearance, although the mistle thrush is usually bigger than the song thrush which is about 23 cm long. However, you are most likely to see the song thrush in your garden, as the mistle thrush prefers the open country. Both types of thrush are brown in colour with a paler, spotted breast. Their diet consists of worms, snails, slugs, caterpillars and fruit and berries in the autumn. If you hear a song thrush hammering a snail against a stone, in your garden, then consider yourself lucky, as slugs and snails can do an awful lot of damage.
Wren - Are great insect eaters. I have several wrens which rummage in my ivy looking for insects. The wren is a tiny brown bird with a short cocked up tail and measures only 9.5 cm. It eats insects, insect larvae, spiders and small seeds.
Wood Pigeon - Large grey birds of about 40.5 cm. Their diet consists of seeds, green plants and small invertebrates. They adore Brussels sprouts and other brassica leaves and will take peas and beans and also the buds off your soft fruit bushes. They do a lot of damage in the veganic garden, particularly in spring and early summer. If they are a problem in your garden, then you will need to use netting, or even a scarecrow!
Your CommentsThanks very much for answering my last email. I will order the Animal- Free Shopper when it comes out. I sometimes have difficulty reading ingredients, as I'm blind, so I'll be able to browse it with my scanner and store it for future use.
I am gradually working my way towards the style of life which doesn't make me feel bad. I became a vegetarian seven years ago. Five years ago the fish went and two years ago all the dairy stuff. This year it's time to concentrate on the toiletries and clothing. I think the smellies will be easy enough but I am an avid knitter and so have closed my eyes a lot to the wool trade. I can no longer do this but can't give up my craft although I'll go a long way to adapt. Perhaps you could do something on this subject one month?
I do love your magazine and I'm looking forward to reading some of the back issues. You are, in fact, the first vegan I have ever been in touch with. Perhaps other readers may be interested to know that if for any reason they can't read print, they can receive the official vegan magazine, read onto audio cassette in full, for a yearly fee of £20 which also entitles them to about 170 other general titles including some health and vegetarian magazines. A letter from a doctor is required but further information can be obtained from Talking Newspaper Association (UK) at: 101761.167@compuserve.co Thanks, and look forward to next issue.
Hope that you like this month's article on wool, Shell!
Vegan Organisation Review
Other Interesting Websites
January Book Review
Cooking Without. By Barbara Cousins. (Thorsons)
Cooking Without is a collection of recipes free from added gluten, sugar, dairy products, yeast, salt and saturated fat. Barbara Cousins is a nutritional therapist and the book is about improving your health through what you eat (and provides proof that a dairy-free diet is good for you!). Although the book is not a vegan cookbook, many of the recipes are suitable for vegans, and several more can be adapted by using an egg substitute (the book contains a recipe for an egg replacer). The recipes are easy to prepare and tasty.
There are some interesting breakfast recipes such as: Pear and Carob Delight and Banana and Maize Cereal; starters such as Carrot and Cashew Nut Paté; soups such as Fennel, Celery and Leek; main courses such as Polenta Pizza and Vegetable and Fruit Kebabs with Orange and Ginger Sauce and desserts such as Almond Fruit Bake and Banana and Mango Ice Cream. A useful book to borrow from the library, even if you don't want to buy it yourself. Price £6.99.
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