SEPTEMBER 2000

In This Month's Issue:

• Recipes
• Vegan Product Review
• Readers'Contributions
• In the Veganic Garden
• The Wildlife in My Garden
• Vegan in Wales
• Websites
• Book Review
• The Wildlife Database

Recipe of the Month

Did you know that frozen fruit makes a wonderful, healthy dessert? An excellent alternative to bought ice cream which tends to be full of fat, sugar and artificial additives. Below you will find a simple but nevertheless delicious recipe for banana ice cream which is taken from The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon. However, many other fruits can be frozen and processed in this way e.g. chunks of mango. And it's even possible to combine several different kinds of fruits together such as mango with banana, or peach with banana.

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1-2 ripe bananas, frozen

Method

1. Peel the bananas and freeze them, either in a plastic bag or in a Tupperware box placed in your freezer compartment. Then in a heavy duty juicer, using the blank screen, process the frozen banana, catching it in a chilled bowl. Eat immediately. Variation: Before serving top with Ice Cream Parlor Sauce (recipe given below) or some chopped nuts for a sundae. Serves 1.

Note: This banana ice cream can also be made in a food processor, but slice the bananas before freezing them. As an approximate guide freeze the banana slices for about 4 hours, then defrost them at room temperature for about 10 minutes, or until slightly softened*. Process the banana slices until smooth and creamy using the S-shaped blade. If it is easier, then you can freeze the bananas the night before, but you will probably need to defrost them for a longer period of time before processing. *Be aware that frozen banana slices can take 20-30 mins (or sometimes longer) to soften up in cold weather. Do make sure that they are not too hard before processing, or you may damage your food processor.

Ice Cream Parlor Sauce

Source: The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water
• 4 tablespoons of tahini
• 4 tablespoons of honey*
• 3/4 cup raw carob
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of sea salt*

Method

1. Put the water into a blender and add the tahini one tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition. If using a sweetener, add the sweetener one tablespoon at a time and blend after each addition. Add the carob powder a 1/4 cup at a time, blending each time. Add the vanilla and the salt; blend. Yields 2 cups. This sauce will keep for several weeks in a refrigerator - that is if you can leave it there for that length of time!

*Note: If you do not want to use honey in this recipe, then use an alternative vegan sweetener e.g. maple syrup. However, when I make this sauce I do not add the salt or any sweetener and it is still tastes absolutely wonderful!

And here is my own recipe for peach ice cream, if you fancy a change:

Pauline's Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 peaches (or nectarines) washed, stoned and chopped into chunks
• 2-3 bananas, peeled and sliced

Method

1. Freeze the prepared fruit in a plastic bag or Tupperware box for about 4 hours. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until slightly softened. Using the S-shaped blade, process the fruit in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

If you don't own a food processor or a suitable juicer (e.g. a Champion Juicer or Green Life) and therefore can not make any of the above recipes, you might like to try serving frozen berries as part of a dessert. Raspberries and strawberries, for example, taste delicious when frozen. And on p. 208 in Sweet Temptations Frances Kendall gives a recipe for frozen seedless grapes. The grapes are simply frozen on their stems until solid, then served. The author serves them on kale leaves, but this isn't essential. An experience not to be missed, try it! Another easy way of eating frozen fruit is to simply peel and mash up some bananas, then freeze the mashed banana in ordinary lolly moulds. If desired the frozen lollies can be dipped into melted carob, or rolled in chopped nuts or desiccated coconut before serving.

Further Reading:

• Sweet Temptations: Natural Dessert Book by Frances Kendall (Avery, 1988). This book contains many lovely recipes for ice creams, sherbets and other frozen desserts. (See p. 185-222.) Well worth purchasing if you own a blender, food processor and/or juicer. If you would like to buy a copy, then Sweet Temptations can be purchased from the FRESH Network at PO Box 71, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4GU for £9.99 plus £1.20 UK postage. (Tel: 0870 800 7070 for more information.)

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September Product Review

Squeaky

Squeaky is a gel-paste handcleaner designed to remove contaminants such as oil, grease and paint safely from your hands. I also find it useful for getting the dirt out of my nails after I've been gardening! Produced by Bio-D, this handcleaner is made from coconut oil, hemp oil, citrus fruit- derived soaps and crushed hemp seeds. It's not tested on animals and is Vegan Society Approved. I paid £2.75 for a 500g tub in my local fair trade shop, but it's also available direct from Bio-D Co Ltd in Hull. (E-mail: bio-d@ecodet.karoo.co.uk for more information.) I would certainly recommend this environmentally-friendly product. But when using this product it is best to scoop it out of the jar rather than trying to pour it out, otherwise the crushed hemp seeds tend to get on to the pot's screw thread, making it difficult to screw the lid back on properly after use.

Trip Trap

Another vegan-friendly product that some of you may be interested in is Trip Trap, a live catch mouse trap by Procter. Trip Trap is a new humane mouse trap which safely traps mice and other small rodents without killing them. Designed like a long plastic tunnel, you place the bait at the top end of the tunnel and the idea is that the mouse goes in to collect the food, trips over a small bar and closes the door behind it, thereby locking itself inside. You can then release the mouse, far away from home, by detaching the bait compartment. I mentioned this mouse trap in an earlier edition of Vegan News, but have recently had the opportunity to test it out for myself after discovering a mouse under my kitchen sink. Afraid though, I have to report that I didn't have any success with this trap. What I found was that the mouse tends to take the first bit of bait out of the trap and seems to know that it must leave the bit that triggers off the trap behind! However, if you would like to try it out for yourself, then Trip Trap is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue for £6.35. They also do a larger version for Field Mice for £9.95. To order write to: The Organic Gardening catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey road, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG or telephone: 01932 253666

Eco-balls

Eco-balls are chemical-free, refillable laundry balls. Place three eco-balls in your washing machine instead of detergent and let this environmentally-friendly product get to work on your wash. Eco-balls work by producing ionised oxygen which activates the water molecules and allows them to shift the dirt away naturally without the need for harsh chemicals and without damaging the fibres or causing bright colours to fade. Eco-balls are suitable for sensitive skins, perfect for babies and are good for people with allergies. And by using Eco-balls you'll save money too! A set of three Eco-balls will last for over 1,000 washes and costs about 3p per wash, whereas a wash using a normal detergent costs around 20-30p. With Eco-balls you won't need a second rinse cycle either, so you'll use less water and electricity too. And by ordering a set of Eco-balls you can help to put an end to detergent pollution of our rivers and streams. Approved by Action for Allergy and listed in latest edition of The Vegan Shopper, Eco-balls can be purchased by mail order from: Eco-Co Products Limited, Birchwood House, Briar Lane, Croydon, Surrey CR0 5AD. (Credit card line: 020 8777 3121.) You can also order Eco-Balls online at: http://www.ecozone.co.uk. A set of Eco-balls costs £29.95, plus £1.50 postage (Europe £3.50). For more information e-mail: Info@ecozone.co.uk

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Readers' Contributions

I wish to entertain the notion of a travelling garden. I recently travelled across Canada on the train, from the east coast to the west. The idea of eating train food did not appeal to me at all, as I am vegan. So what I devised was a plasic bag with air holes, allowing a variety of sprouts to grow along the trip. I had started the sprouts a few days prior to the trip and so they continued to grow along the way, allowing me to have a freshly grown dinner everyday. The only thing I wish to add to this is that I wish that I had a bit more variety in this week long 'sprouting' trip! Best wishes to all the fellow vegan travellers out there.

Sent in by: David Sutton, Whitehorse, Canada

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What's Happening in the Veganic Garden this Month?

• Sowing and Planting Outside

  This month, sow 'Broad Leaf Prickly' spinach and winter lettuces such as 'Imperial Winter', 'Winter Crop' and 'Winter Density'. I usually start my lettuces off indoors, but if you don't have too many slugs in your garden, then it should be possible to sow seeds directly outside. Towards the end of August (or even at the beginning of September) make a sowing of landcress. Landcress is a very nutritious salad crop, resembling watercress in flavour and is ideal for use in winter salads. Other useful winter salad crops for sowing this month include radishes, corn salad and rocket.

  If you would like an early crop of onions next year, then consider ordering and planting sets of varieties such as 'Senshyu Yellow' and 'Radar'. Both of these varieties will produce a crop in June/July, maturing slightly earlier than the spring-planted varieties. Finally there is still time to sow many Oriental vegetables. Try Chinese Celery, Choy Sum or Mustard Greens such as 'Green in the Snow', 'Indian Mustard' and 'Giant Red'. This month you should also order seeds of autumn-sown legumes such as Aquadulce claudia (a broad bean), Feltham First (a pea) and field beans (a very useful green manure crop) all of which are usually planted in November. Finally plant out any indoor-raised spring cabbage plants sometime between mid-September and mid-October.

* All the varieties of seeds mentioned above can be obtained from: The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey road, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG. (Telephone: 01932 253666 for a catalogue.)

• Harvesting Your Crops

  Onions should be harvested urgently this month. You will also need to harvest any remaining green tomatoes at the first sign of frost. Tomatoes will ripen well indoors if left in paper bags in a fairly warm place such as in a warm room, or in an airing cupboard.

• Other Garden Tasks

  Start to collect up any leaves that fall off the trees at the end of this month. These are useful for making leaf mould. The autumn is also a good time to plant new fruit trees and soft fruit bushes. As your beds empty of summer produce, clear up as much garden rubbish as you can before the cold weather sets in. It is not a good idea to leave garden rubbish lying around in any case, as it attracts pests such as slugs.

• Crops Available This Month:

  Tomatoes, sweetcorn, onions, potatoes, marrows, carrots, spinach, runner beans, celery, beetroot, hazelnuts, blackberries, apples, pears, damsons and plums.

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In The Wildlife Garden

Well I have had a lot of youngsters in my garden this year! My first sighting was of a young thrush which looked in great danger from our local cats, as it sat forlornly in my tomato patch one evening. Quite convinced that it was unable to fly, I persuaded my husband to climb up a ladder in order to place it back inside its nest. Mother thrush in the meantime made her displeasure quite plain. What a racket she made as she watched our antics! However, after being placed safely back in its nest the youngster only stayed there for a few minutes before, to our astonishment, flying right across the garden! Next I spotted a young Jackdaw which seemed quite tame. But that evening I heard a terrible racket in my back garden. The parent birds (plus some of their friends) were flying round frantically. I raced outside just in time to see a cat only a few feet away from this young bird. Well the baby Jackdaw escaped when I frightened the cat away, but only just. And towards the end of June I heard the noise of baby Robins singing towards the base of one of my greengage trees. The noise grew louder and louder that week and one evening I spotted one of the young robins out for its first flying lesson. Quite a sight. A few weeks later I saw it again, now as big as its parents, but still without its red breast.

At the end of July I found a baby hedgehog in my garden, but unfortunately it was dead - it looked like a cat had had a go at it. And a few days later one of its brothers or sisters was seen walking round my neighbour's garden in broad daylight and several days later it appeared in my garden. We fed it on dog food, but something was wrong. A few days later I found it in a rather sorry state, curled up on my patio and obviously unwell. So I put it in a box in my shed for the night to give it a chance to recover away from the cats, but sadly it was dead by the morning.

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Vegans in Wales - A Few Suggestions for Your Trip

Supplies

If you're travelling through Wales and need some supplies, then a good place to stock up is in Vegonia Wholefoods, located at 49 High Street in Porthmadog, Gwynedd. Vegonia Wholefoods is run by vegans and offers a wide range of vegan products at very reasonable prices. Also worth a visit is The Quarry Shop, Maengwyn Street, Machynlleth, Powys, if you are over that way. The Quarry Shop offers an extensive range of organic foods, fair trade products and wholefoods and is run by The Centre for Alternative Technology.

Sights

For an interesting day out I would recommend a visit to The Centre for Alternative Technology which is located in an old slate quarry in Machynlleth, Powys. Here you can explore sustainable ways of living in great detail. You can for example walk round the display circuit and see the lake that supplies the water-balanced cliff railway with water. Or you can learn how to build your own house from straw bales or from timber. You can even phone your friends from the solar and wind-powered call box! Continue round the circuit and you will find out all about wind, wave and solar power and discover how to reduce the cost of your energy bills by insulating your house properly and by using energy efficient light bulbs. When you visit the various gardens you will learn about organic methods of gardening, herbs, composting techniques and how to make your garden more attractive to wildlife. Or why not test out the toilets and see for yourself how little water they use? Or try out the composting toilet which doesn't use any water at all! The centre also has a well-stocked shop offering eco-friendly products and a wide range of books on sustainable living. Many of these items are also available by mail order. (Ask for a mail order catalogue in the shop.) And if you start to feel hungry half way round, then the restaurant sells vegetarian wholefood meals (vegan option provided) and snacks, or else you can take your own picnic lunch and eat it in the picnic area. Entrance is £6.90, but their are various concessions available. Note: If you just want to visit the shop and cafe, then you don't need to pay an entrance fee. The Centre for Alternative Technology is located 3 miles north of Machynlleth on the A487 to Dolgellau. For more information or a copy of their mail order catalogue phone 01654 702400.

Cafes

The Quarry Cafe, Maengwyn Street, Machynlleth, Powys offers wholefood meals and snacks and has vegan choices available. It's also run by the Centre for Alternative Technology.

B&B/Guest Houses

If you are looking for somewhere to stay near to the Centre for Alternative Technology, then you could try The Tyglyn Guest House in Machynlleth. Single room: £16.00/double: £32.00. (Tel: 01654 781348.) Note: I have not stayed at this guesthouse personally, but it is listed in The Vegan Travel Guide. Also listed is a small vegetarian run B&B called Gwalia. Price £15/£30. So if you would like to stay on a small farm not far from CAT, then give Gwalia a call on 01650 511377.

Further Information

A more detailed list of places to stay and places to eat in Wales can be found in The Vegan Travel Guide (p.162-177) which is available from the Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Road, St Leonards-on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA. It costs £4.95 plus £1.50 postage. I also have an e-mail list of nearby B&B's (some vegetarian) sent to me by CAT.

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Other Interesting Websites

The Vegan Society (UK)

An 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.

The Centre for Alternative Technology

If you can't get to Wales to visit CAT personally, then try taking a virtual tour of the site online. You can also access useful tipsheets, do a quiz to find out how green your lifestyle is, or find out about CAT's courses and job vacancies. Or why not help CAT to raise funds, either by making a donation or by purchasing some of their green products and books online? Well worth a visit.

The Organic Gardening Catalogue

Will soon be online! Full e-commerce site available here soon (probably in early October). At the moment though, you can only e-mail Chase Organics for a copy of the Organic Gardening Catalogue from this website.

Lush

Offers a wide range of vegetarian products, many of which are suitable for vegans. To find out more click on the product's photo and if you see a small green V-sign at the top of the page, then it's vegan. Lush offers a wide range of animal-free perfumes and soaps, as well as hair, shower and skincare products. All products are hand-made using essential oils and fresh fruit and vegetables and many look good enough to eat! Lush products are not tested on animals and are available both in the UK and abroad. Visit the website to look up your nearest stockist.

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September Book Review

The Vegan Shopper (Vegan Society, 2000)

Just published, the 5th edition of this useful little book (previously known as The Animal Free Shopper) covers the main reasons why people choose to avoid animal products, before going on to list a multitude of products which have not been tested on animals and which are completely free of animal ingredients. It covers food, drink, toiletries/cosmetics, health care, childcare, footwear, clothing, gardening & leisure, home & office and animal care. At the back of the book there's a useful glossary of animal substances, a list of additives that may be derived from animals, a suggested reading list and a list of vegan-run shops. This book contains many useful contact addresses, including the addresses of companies selling vegan products by mail order and now includes a small 2001 diary. Look out for the new GM free symbol!

The Vegan Shopper can be purchased from The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA for £5.95, plus £1.50 postage. It can also be ordered from: Animal Aid, The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1AW for £5.95, plus £2.50 postage.

The Seed Savers Handbook by Jeremy Cherfas and Michel & Jude Fanton. (Grover Books, 1996).

Another very useful book, ideal for anybody who would like to have a go at saving their own vegetable and herb seed. The Seed Savers Handbook clearly describes why we should save our own seed and indicates which seeds are worth saving. It then runs through the practicalities of seed saving, teaching you how to select, harvest, clean and dry various kinds of seeds, with particular attention being given to the Cucurbit and Brassica Families. The final part of the book provides a detailed alphabetical listing of instructions for saving the seeds of eighty varieties of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers.

The Seed Savers Handbook can be obtained by mail order from: The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG. (Telephone: 01932 253666 for a catalogue.) Price £13.55.

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