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: bury_rd@btinternet.com or fill in the form provided.
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Recipe of the MonthWaldorf Salad
This month's recipe can be found in: The Incredibly Delicious Vegan Paradigm Cookbook (Gentle World, 2000).
Ingredients
Vanilla Tofu Yogurt
Vanilla Tofu Yogurt Dressing
Method
And it really is incredibly delicious! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and I am sure that you will agree that it tastes even better the next day! I usually miss out the sweeteners, as I don't think they are really necessary. And if you don't have any apple juice, then freshly squeezed orange juice tastes just as good.
January
Product Review I previously mentioned Eco-balls in the September issue. I have just managed to obtain a set of these chemical-free, laundry balls and have been busily testing them out for myself. I'm pleased to report here that they seem to do a good job when used in a normal wash, although I haven't yet had the chance to test them out on any heavily soiled washing. I particularly like the way that the washing cycle can be shortened by missing out the last rinse. And another advantage is that I no longer have to lug packets of washing powder back from the shops on my bike. You can order a set of Eco-balls at Ecozone's website. For further information on this product see the September product review.
Condomi
produce a wide range of condoms, all of which are produced
without the use of any animal products 1 and so they're ideal for vegans. Condomis are fully
tested and surpass standards set by the British Standards
Institute, European CE regulations and the World Health
Organisation. They are also far cheaper at £1.99* for
3 than other leading brands of condom such as Durex Gossamer
(£2.39*) and Durex Select (£3.15*). Condomis are fully approved
by the Vegan Society and in 1999 they received the 'Vegan
Readers' Award' for the best new vegan product (non-food).
Condomi offer an extensive range of condoms. VVC Mail Order sell bulk packs of 36 or 50 Condomis. I expect that quite a few of you saw VVC's special offer in the advertisement section last month. Hopefully this offer should be maintained into the New Year, provided that stocks last.
VVC offer eight different types of Condomis by mail order. There's 'Super safe' for the cautious, Nature for 'down to earthers', Strong for the ultra passionate, Noppi for the highly adventurous, XXL for the very well indowed and Fruit (illustrated above) for those with discerning palates (a mixture of banana, chocolate, strawberry and tutti-frutti!). And if you're not sure which one to try first, they also offer a Variety pack for the indecisive which includes a few of each kind. At the time of going to press all of the above packs of 36 condomis cost £9.95. However, if you're prepared to pay a little extra, then VVC also offer Red Ribbon, a strong non-teat ended sort which is slightly more expensive at £10.95 for 36. Incidentally, the above prices include the UK postage. If you want to save even more money, then try VVC's 50 bulk pack of Nature or Strong Condomis for £12.50. Incidentally, if you are looking for a spermicide to use with your Condomis, then you may be interested to know that Prelude Contraceptive Pessaries are suitable for vegans.
1Other
makes of condoms usually contain casein from milk.
* Manufacturer's RRP
In the Wildlife Garden - The Fox (Vulpes vulpes)Although once associated with rural areas, foxes are now becoming increasingly common in towns and cities. And if you are really lucky you may just catch sight of one in your garden! Established foxes will even breed in gardens. So do have a good look round your garden to see if you have any resident foxes. Pay particular attention to largely unvisited areas behind sheds or fences and underneath buildings, as these are the sorts of places that the vixen will often choose as an 'earth' to raise her cubs. A fox's earth has a distinctive acrid smell and you may also notice feeding remains and chains of twisted, tapered droppings outside the earth. Foxes use their urine and anal gland secretions to mark their territory and this also leaves a strong scent which can waft for some distance. Other signs of foxes include distinctive red hair caught on wire fences and delicate four-toed tracks.
Rather dog-like in appearance, the fox is usually a deep reddish brown in colour with a light underside and has a long, pointed, bushy tail with a white tip. Traditionally the fox is a woodland animal, preferring coniferous plantations, but it's extremely adaptable and can be found on farmland and moorland, as well as in mountainous regions and in built-up areas. Foxes are active mainly at dusk and in the night, but nevertheless are often seen during the day, especially in places undisturbed by man e.g. by railway sidings. And you may even disturb a fox dozing in long grass on a sunny day!
Foxes eat most things including lambs, poultry, waterfowl, rabbits, rodents, birds, beetles, earthworms, eggs and refuse. Fruit and berries are also eaten in the autumn. When a fox has been feeding you will often find telltale signs such as feathers, crushed bones, eggs with the ends neatly bitten off and half-eaten carcasses.
Mating takes place in midwinter, peaking in January and this is the time when you are most likely to hear foxes in your garden. Listen for ear piercing screeching, interspersed with chattering. A single litter of 4-5 cubs is born in late March. The vixen stays with the cubs for the first three weeks and then rests away from them during the day.
On the 29th of November, I spotted a fox in my own town garden. It was a truly amazing sight! The fox, a most magnificent creature, came over the fence at the bottom of my garden just before midday and went into the garden next door. At the same time a cat came matching through my neighbour's garden and when it spotted the fox, its hackles rose up. In fact I was rather fearful for the cat's safety, but I needn't have worried as it soon became apparent that the fox was more frightened of the cat and it quickly made its way back into my garden! I think that the fox could have been after my local population of magpies, as they were making a terrific chattering noise and were obviously alarmed by its presence.
What's
Happening in the Veganic Garden this MonthAlthough January and February can be cold and wintry months, at least the days are now starting to lengthen again and spring may not be too far away. But then who knows! Indeed now that Christmas is out of the way, it's important to make a start in preparing for the new growing season that lies ahead. If the ground is frozen solid, or if it is simply too cold to do much outside, then make a start indoors instead. Work out your crop rotation plans, for example. And fish out copies of the latest seed catalogues and decide which varieties of crops you are going to grow this season. Complete orders for mail order seeds and other necessary gardening items and post them off as soon as possible, as seed companies can be quite busy at this time of year and this can mean a wait of several weeks in some cases. You will also need to complete orders for any seed potatoes, shallots, garlic and onion sets that you require. Don't forget that it's still possible to plant garlic cloves in January and February. Purchase the variety Printanor which is suitable for planting at this time of year - it's available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue. And if you want to try growing some fruit in your garden this year, many types of fruit bushes and trees can still be planted out in January, so why not visit your local nursery and find out what they have to offer?
This year, I am going to start up a new strawberry bed. My old strawberry bed had reached it's third season and was no longer very productive, especially after last year's dry summer. I usually use the variety 'Temptation F1' which is available as non-organic seeds from the Organic Gardening Catalogue for £2.36. This variety is not an exceptionally heavy cropper, but I like it because it produces fruit for a long period of time and often crops well into the autumn. It's also far cheaper than buying ready-grown plants, if you are on a tight budget. One packet of seeds usually provides at least 40 plants. Sow seeds indoors in a warm place between January and March and plant out young plants from April onwards. You should get a small crop of strawberries from your new plants during the first season. Well-established strawberry beds should be cleared of weeds and given a top dressing of of sulphate of potash and a liberal dressing of compost, sometime in January.
I usually also start to make indoor sowings of lettuce in January and February. For early sowings try a fairly hardy variety such as 'Winter Density'. Plant young plants outside when conditions are favourable and when the plants have reached a reasonable size. Cover with plastic bottles to protect them from frost and slugs.
If the weather is fairly mild, an early sowing of a hardy variety of pea such as 'Feltham First' can be made around mid-February. I usually cover early peas with a fleece to aid germination. Then when the peas start to come through, I remove the fleece and cover the young shoots with plastic bottles to protect from them attack by slugs. Such a sowing usually produces a nice crop of peas around mid-June. This year as an experiment I also made a autumn sowing of this variety of pea in late October. The peas were just through by mid-November. Damp autumn conditions meant that the slugs got some, but it will be interesting to see if these peas survive the winter and how much earlier they crop. Finally, I would just like to say that it's also a good time to order a mail order bee's nest - see this month's article for more information. Then your new nest will be positioned in time to attract newly emerging spring bees!
Leeks, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage (e.g January King), kale and Jerusalem artichokes.
Your
Queries
A friend of mine is vegan and she's not sure if she can eat white granulated sugar or not, so can she?
Sent in by: Caitlin
Editor's Reply:
Personally, I would avoid eating white sugar if at all possible because it's not terribly good for your health, or for your teeth! Be aware that white sugar may not be vegan either because bone char is sometimes used as a decolourant. However, if you want to consume white sugar, then the Tate & Lyle and Billington brands do not use any animal ingredients (except in Tate & Lyle Traditional Royal icing which contains dried egg white) and Merryfield granulated sugar is also suitable for vegans.
(Product information taken from The Vegan Shopper which is available from the Vegan Society.)
HDRA Vegetable Kingdom
Appeal
The Vegetable Kingdom is a two part project. The aim of the first part of the project is to build a new visitor centre at Ryton Organic Gardens. Here visitors will be able to learn about Britain's wonderful heritage vegetables, to discover why vegetables are so good for their health and to find out more about the many thousands of vegetable varieties that this country has lost since the 1970s. The importance of genetic diversity and the history of UK vegetables will also be covered and there will be plenty of hands on activities too - from interactive computer databases, to guessing vegetables by smell and touch. The aim of the new visitor centre is to make everyone (but especially children) go away feeling excited about vegetables! But that's not all. The funding for the Vegetable Kingdom will also be used to expand the Heritage Seed Library's seed conservation facilities, creating a larger research laboratory, better seed storage facilities, a larger seed store dispatch room and a bigger administrative office.
In order to create 'The Vegetable Kingdom' HDRA need to raise £1,120,000 by August 2001. So far they have received promises of funds and donations worth £1,040,000, but still need to raise a further £80,000 in order to be able to claim £810,000 of this money from the Heritage Lottery Fund. If you would like to help, please send your donations to: Jackie Gear, 'The Vegetable Kingdom Appeal', Ryton Organic Gardens, Coventry CV8 3LG. (Cheques should be made payable to: 'The Vegetable Garden Appeal'.)
Other
Interesting 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.
Read about Advocates for Animal's current campaigns and find out how you can help. Visit the library section where you can read their newsletter and their annual reports. Here you will also find many interesting leaflets on topics such as animal experimentation, live exports, the fur trade and circuses.
The one stop vegan shop! Well worth a visit if you want to purchase footwear, wallets, belts, jackets, t-shirts, candles, groceries or books. There's also a newsletter and a recipe and a new product section.
The Barefoot Doctor (The Natural Health Service)
All of these natural healthcare products are vegan and GMO free. Their range includes sun cream, muscle balm and an antiseptic called 'Kiss it Better'! Oh and if you've got nits, then I expect that you'll be itching to pay them a visit!
Another interesting hemp site with plenty of articles and a nice collection of hemp images.
January Book Review
The Vegan Cookbook by Nicola Graimes £9.95 Lorenz Books, 2000
This
beautifully illustrated cookery book contains over 50 animal-free
recipes, all of which look very tasty indeed. The introductory
section contains much useful information for the new vegan,
including a summary of the main reasons why people opt to go
vegan and useful lists of the animal by-products and animal
ingredients that you should avoid. Following on from this there
are more general sections on the vegan kitchen, vegan nutrition
and vegan sources of nutrients and Nicola Graimes also offers
some advice on eating out, entertaining, pregnancy and children.
And the recipes really do look quite mouthwatering, some having a distinctly Oriental feel, whereas others are more mediterranean or eastern in origin. The Vegan Cookbook contains recipes for soups, stir-fries and salads, plus a nice selection of main meals, elaborate desserts, breads and other baked goods. Nutrition notes are provided for each recipe.
The Vegan Cookbook is available from
the Vegan Society for £9.95, plus £1.50
postage.
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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 2001
