THE VEGAN NEWSTHE VEGAN NEWSThe Vegan News is edited by P M Lloyd.
Do you have a favourite vegan recipe that you would like to share with other vegans? Or perhaps you know of some useful vegan products that we can buy? If so, please e-mail the details to me at: pauline@bury-rd.demon.co.uk I will try to publish some of your contributions in the next issue of The Vegan News.
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Recipe of the Month
Ingredients
Method
November Product ReviewAppleford's Crude Black Strap Molasses
Appleford's molasses can be bought in Holland and Barrett and some other health food stores and cost about £1.39. They are unsulphured and of superior quality and can form their own molasses yeast. Use them in cooking or just as a food supplement. They are an excellent source of the minerals calcium and iron.
Recycling TipsBefore you throw anything away think! Can it be reused? Here are some suggestions:
Try not to buy these bottles unnecessarily as most plastics cannot be recycled and are not biodegradable. Some companies do now recycle plastic bottles by using them to make fleece jackets (Ethical Wares) and as fillings for duvets and pillows (Friends of the Earth), both of which are suitable for vegans.
If, however, you do have a supply of unwanted bottles then they can easily be reused in the garden. Cut each bottle in half widthways and place one bottle half over a small plant. They are particularly useful for covering small lettuces as they reduce slug damage and act like a miniature greenhouse. The top halves of the bottles are better as they allow more air to reach the plant. Condensation inside the bottle means that plants do not need to be watered quite so often when covered in this way. Press the bottle down into the soil slightly when covering the plant as this will help to prevent the bottle from blowing off when it is windy. Transparent and pale green bottles can be used but avoid the brown plastic bottles as they don't let enough light in. Plastic bottles can also be used to store unused compost activator or comfrey solution. Label them clearly and keep them away from children!
The Organic Gardening Catalogue sells a maple wood potmaker which can be used to make small (2.25 inches wide) plant pots from old newspapers. These pots can be planted outside and allow the plant's roots to grow through the newspaper before the paper rots away. Price £10.25
It is also possible to recycle newspapers by purchasing a log maker (price £25.00) which can be used to turn waste newpapers into fire bricks. These bricks can be burned in the fire grate or in a woodburning stove. The log maker can be ordered by mail from: The Natural Collection 1996/97
Most local councils now also offer facilities for recycling unwanted newspapers.
What's Happening in the Veganic
Garden This Month?
It is possible to start building a compost heap at any time of the year. Use fruit and vegetable trimmings, plant thinnings, grass mowings, annual weeds, tea and coffee grounds etc. Jute string, cottonwool, paper and sawdust can also be composted. The heap should always be built directly upon the soil. This is to allow the soil organisms to enter and for good drainage. Build the heap up in 4 to 6" layers and do not put all the grass cuttings together in one layer; it is better to mix the grass material up with other kinds of more fibrous vegetable waste before putting them in the composter. If you have some Comfrey leaves these can also be mixed in with the compost. Thicker materials such as twigs and branches can still be used but will need to be shredded before composting. Keep a wet hessian sack on top of the compost in order to prevent any heat from escaping and cover the composter with a waterproof lid to keep out the rain. A summer heap will take about 4-6 weeks to mature. A heap made now should be ready by spring/early summer. It is ready when it resembles loam in texture and smells pleasant. Veganic compost does not need to be turned.
As you complete each layer in the heap, sprinkle Q.R. herbal compost activator solution over the surface. Complete the next two layers in a similar way and then when you have sprinkled on the activator, cover the top layer with a thin layer of soil. Continue to build up the heap in this way, adding more layers to your heap as it sinks. When your compost is ready it can be added to your vegetable patch, where it will improve the fertility and humus content of the soil. The compost should not of course be dug in! Simply place it on the surface of the soil or in the planting holes when planting out seeds and plants. It can also be made into compost water.
This veganic compost, along with some SM3 and Comfrey liquid and a little lime should be all that is necessary to grow wonderful vegetables. The Organic Gardening Catalogue supplies SM3, Comfrey solution, QR herbal activator and Comfrey plants.
Any Queries?Do you know if it is possible to buy good non-leather shoes?
S. Towning. Cambridge.
Vegetarian Shoes sell a good selection of 'animal friendly' sandals, shoes and boots which are suitable for vegans. They are made from a breathable, synthetic material called 'Vegetan' which looks and feels like leather. The goods can be bought by mail order from: Vegetarian Shoes, 12 Gardner St, Brighton BN1 1UP. Tel:01273 691913.
November Book ReviewCompassion: The Ultimate Ethic. (An exploration of veganism.) By Victoria Moran.
This can be obtained from:The Vegan Society. Price £6.99
A well written and informative book which will be useful to anyone who is thinking of adopting
a vegan lifestyle or who wants more information on how to rear their children as vegans. Topics
covered include:
What makes people adopt a vegan lifestyle? What characteristics do vegans share as a group? It
also examines the animal suffering which can occur when animals are farmed intensively, transported
in overcrowded conditions and are finally slaughtered and looks at how adopting a vegan diet
can help to reduce this suffering and also reduce the amount of land needed for food production.
Advice is given on how to change gradually to a vegan diet and the four main vegan food groups are introduced. Nutritional information is provided on the foods which are of particular importance to vegans and also the minerals and vitamins that they contain. Sample vegan menus and lists of the food ingredients which are commonly found in the vegan kitchen are given. The health aspects of the vegan diet are discussed including the probable link between animal food consumption and diseases such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer.
This book is very good for general background reading and covers most aspects of veganism including compassion and the need to avoid exploitation of humans, animals and the earth. I particularly liked the example set by Harold and Jenny Bland from Stevenage. On their two and a half acres they produce some of their own food by growing fruit and nut trees. They have also reduced the amount of power they consume by constructing a windmill and a solar oven and produce very little waste by living simply and recycling. I hope that reading this book will encourage many others to follow their example.
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