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 MonthTwo delicious raw desserts for you to try out this summer!
1. Mark Antony Carrot Cake
Source: Sweet Temptations: Natural Dessert Book by Frances Kendall (Avery, 1988).
Ingredients
Method
Serves 6-8. (Double the quantities if a larger cake is required.)
Source: H.E.M.P: Healthy Eating Made Possible by Paul Benhaim (Fusion Press, 2000).
* If you can't get hulled hemp seeds try using ground hemp seeds instead.
Summer
Product Review Fito Slug Stoppa Granules
Slug Stoppa Granules can be used to protect your plants from attack by slugs and snails. They are safe to use and cause no harm to children, pets or wildlife. Made from English clay, this 100% natural product provides a long-lasting physical barrier which slugs and snails will not cross. If they do try to cross, it sucks up their slime and stops them in their tracks. All you need to do to protect your plants is to place a circle of these granules around each plant. Alternatively the granules can be used as a mulch in containers, window boxes, hanging baskets etc. You don't need to replace the granules after rain, as they dry out without breaking down. And when you have finished with them, simply dig them into the soil and they will improve the soil condition. Each 3 kg packet will protect up to 300 plants and costs £7.45, if purchased from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.
But do they work? I am pleased to report here that Slug Stoppa Granules seems to work very well. To test them out, I sprinkled a liberal amount of granules over my newly emerging pea seedlings and replaced the fleece, as it was still quite cold weatherwise. Normally, peas are very vulnerable to slug attack at this stage, as slugs just love to creep under fleeces and have a good feed! However, I saw no sign of slug damage when I removed the fleece. Now that the seedlings are all through, I have replaced the fleece with sawn off plastic bottles, placed over groups of seedlings. But the granules are still present for extra protection, just in case the bottles blow off in the wind. Hopefully I should have a nice crop of peas before too long!
Slug Stoppa Granules are available by mail order from the Organic Gardening Catalogue, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey, KT12 4RG. If you would like more information on this product, or a catalogue telephone 01932 253666 or e-mail: chaseorg@aol.com. They can also be obtained from the Natural Collection. Phone 0870 331 3333 to order or to obtain a catalogue. (See last month's issue and the Readers' Contributions section below for more ideas on how to deter slugs.)
Readers'
ContributionsMore on Slugs
Here's a couple more ideas for slug deterrents. First of all, slugs don't like copper, it creates a small electrostatic field which slugs avoid. So if you want to deter slugs create copper barriers. On our veganic allotment we're in the process of creating raised beds. We're going to put copper wire or tape around the beds to prevent slugs getting into them.
The other thing is to attract predators and create habitats for them. I believe the reason that slugs are such a problem in many gardens is because they are 'green deserts' which are so prim and tidy and so there are no homes for predators. One thing that predators need is water. On our allotment we have just dug a pond to encourage frogs and other predators such as hedghogs which may use the water source. Other examples are ground beetles which also feed on slugs - I believe they like to live under slates so it may be worth putting a few of them in the garden. If you create a suitable ecosystem which supports predatory animals then this should help keep slugs under control.
Editor's Reply:
Thank you Doug for sending in your ideas on slugs after reading Slug Control Products in the last issue. Anyone who would like more information on controlling slugs by making use of their natural predators should also read the following earlier articles in Vegan News:
What's
Happening in the Veganic Garden this Summer?May Sowings:
The seeds of many different varieties of beans can be sown outside this month. French beans are on the whole more frost resistant than runner beans and their seeds can usually be planted in early May, or even at the end of April in some areas. There are many varieties of beans that can be grown in the veganic garden. I don't have the space to cover them all in any great detail here, but you can easily find out more about them by reading my earlier article entitled Growing Your Own. Runner beans should be sown towards the end of May (or even in early June) in order to avoid late frosts. If you are unable to grow climbing runner beans, then you might like to try 'Hammond Dwarf Scarlet', a bush runner bean which is ideal for the small garden - this bean is available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue. Sweetcorn is another crop which is sown in May. It is best to grow sweetcorn in a block, rather than in rows to ensure good pollination. Courgettes, marrows, cucumbers and parsley can all be sown outside this month. Continue to make sowings of carrots, beetroot, salad onions, lettuces, radishes and peas and plant out any home-grown Brussels sprouts as soon as they have reached a suitable size. Don't forget to watch out for blackfly appearing on your broad bean crop this month. Pinch off the tips of the plants and squash any flies between your fingers as soon as they appear. In May you should also make indoor sowings of winter brassicas e.g. 'January King, sprouting broccoli and winter cauliflowers.
Crops Available in May: Asparagus, broad beans, spring cabbage, lettuce, rhubarb, spinach and salad onions.
June Sowings:
In early June plant out tomato plants once frost danger has past. Plant them about eighteen inches apart in a sunny, sheltered position. Stake and water in well after planting. Sow pumpkin and sunflower seeds now too. Continue to make sowings of French beans, lettuce, beetroot, salad onions, swedes and carrots. For an autumn crop of peas make a sowing of the variety 'Little Marvel' before the end of June. Plant out young leeks if they are pencil thick.
Crops Available in June: Asparagus, peas, broad beans, lettuce, spring onions, spinach, radish, broccoli, spring cabbage, potatoes, turnips, gooseberries, strawberries and rhubarb.
July/August Sowings:
A further sowing of perpetual spinach can be made in July/August for autumn and winter pickings. And another sowing of parsley made at the beginning of August (either outside or in a pot indoors) will provide you with a supply of fresh parsley throughout the winter months. Plant out any young leeks by the middle of July and winter brassicas can also be planted outside whenever they are large enough. Make indoor sowings of spring cabbages in trays of compost by early August. Throughout July and August feed tomato plants regularly with comfrey and SM3 seaweed solution and water well as the fruits start to swell. By August onion sets should be ripening well. Stop watering them and loosen the roots with a small fork. When they are completely dry they can be lifted and stored by hanging them up in a dry, airy place.
Crops Available in July: Cucumbers, spring onions, lettuces, peas, radishes, potatoes, globe artichokes, spinach, broad beans, marrows, blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, red currants, rhubarb and strawberries.
Crops Available in August: Beetroot, carrots, onions, shallots, tomatoes, runner beans, French beans, sweetcorn, garlic, cucumbers, cherries, loganberries, pears and plums.
Your
Queries
I was wondering if you could help me find a supplier of black sesame seeds. I have had no luck with any health food shop in my home town, Bournemouth.
Sent in by Tom of Bournemouth.
If anyone knows where Tom can find some black sesame seeds, they can e-mail the information to him at: raw_trader@yahoo.com. And if a copy is e-mailed to me I will publish the information in Vegan News, in case anyone else wants to know.
In the Wildlife Garden The Badger (Meles meles)
Badgers, like foxes, are usually associated with rural areas. But in the last few decades, as their natural nesting sites have started to disappear, badgers have gradually started to move into suburban gardens - especially into large gardens. However, you are still much more likely to find badgers in the countryside, where popular natural sites for badger setts include hedgerows, deciduous woodlands and areas of scrub. A badger's sett consists of an extensive network of tunnels and chambers and often has several entrances. The sleeping chamber is lined with bundles of straw, bracken, grass, leaves and moss. At the entrance to the sett there is usually a spoil heap and this can be enormous, consisting of mounds of earth and piles of discarded bedding. There is also usually a latrine nearby. Badgers are sociable animals, living in groups and successive generations may occupy and enlarge a particular sett.
Diet
Badgers feed on a wide range of plant and animal matter. Their main natural food is earthworms which they 'slurp' noisily, but they will also eat small mammals, hedgehogs, amphibians, grubs, cabbage white caterpillars, wasps, the grain from farmers' fields, invertebrates, carrion, windfall fruit, nuts and berries such as elder, rowan, raspberry and blackberry. Grass and clover can be eaten in winter and larger mammals such as rabbits are also eaten occasionally.
Signs
Because badgers are nocturnal animals you won't necessarily see them in your garden, but they will leave many obvious tell-tale signs, so you'll know they've been there. The discarded bedding and excavated soil at the sett entrance is one such obvious sign. You may also find scratched claw marks on nearby posts and tree trunks (elder and soft-barked trees are favourite scratching posts) and tufts of black and white fur left on wire. Badgers leave their droppings in latrine pits and these have a mild musty odour. And the badger's footprints are distinctive with five toe prints and five claw marks. Badgers also leave obvious paths and you can usually see piles of disturbed leaves where they have been foraging or digging for wasps and grubs. They may even strip the bark off sycamore trees to reach the sweet sap inside.
Breeding
Badgers are at their most inactive throughout November and December. They don't hibernate but stay underground for extended periods and can sleep for periods up to four days. In January, as the breeding season approaches, they become more active again. The main breeding season occurs between January and March, most cubs being born around mid-February. The sow (female) come into oestrus soon after giving birth so mid-February is also peak mating time. After fertilisation the eggs are held in the uterus and implantation is delayed, not usually occuring until the following December. Six or seven weeks after implantation the cubs are born, the average number of young in a litter being three. The cubs remain underground for the first eight weeks and then stay with the female for about a year.
Badger Conservation
For many hundreds of years badgers were hunted and their numbers fell sharply. In 1992 the Protection of Badgers Act was passed, making it illegal to disturb or ill-treat them and as a result badgers are now a much more familiar sight. However, many tens of thousands of badgers are still killed on the road each year and of course development of roads and housing causes loss of their natural habitat, reducing their territory and feeding areas. Badger baiting, although now illegal, still goes on and despite the fact that there has been no proven link between TB in badgers and TB in cattle many badgers are being killed for this reason. Some badgers also die after eating poisoned bait designed to kill other animals e.g. foxes and badger cubs can be killed by dogs and foxes.
There are many groups dedicated to badger conservation, perhaps the most famous one being the National Federation of Badger Groups. If you would like to find out whether you have a badger group in your area, do contact them. Their address is: The National Federation of Badger Groups, Conservation Officer, 2 Cloisters Business Centre, 8 Battersea Road, London, SW8 4BG. (Tel: (020) 7498 3220.) Your local Wildlife Trust may also be able to tell you if you have a badger group nearby.
Feeding Garden Badgers
If you do have badgers living either in your garden or nearby and would like to feed them, they will take many household scraps. Try offering them peanuts and raisins, mixed with molasses which they are supposed to particularly like. Or you could offer them some cooked potatoes, chopped apples, acorns, or blackberries. In addition CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd sells specially formulated badger food, made from peanuts, locust beans and micronized maize. To find out more about this product phone freephone 0800 731 2820 and ask for a copy of the 'Handbook of Garden Feeding. Alternatively you can obtain a copy of this handbook by visiting the CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd website. But be prepared to stay up late, if you want to see your badgers feeding!
Further Reading: Badgers by John Darbyshire and Laurie Campbell (Collin Baxter, 1998).
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.
A good site if you want to find out about vegetarian restaurants and health food stores worldwide. Covers Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia etc.
Another useful site, similar to the one mentioned above and covering vegetarian restaurants around the world.
A market place for ethical organisations and trading. Don't miss the ethical shopping centre. Here you will find lots of interesting shops including the Otter shop, the Ecoshop and shops specialising in fairtrade. And there's also jobs, news and much more.
Freerangers offer an exciting range of animal-free products, all made by skilled craftsmen especially for you. Their shoes are made from Lorica, a revolutionary breathable material. They also sell purses, bags, fleeces and kids footwear and fleeces. All of their products are registered with the Vegan Society. For a free catalogue e-mail: info@freerangers.co.uk.
Sells plants, bulbs and seeds by mail in the UK. Interesting conservatory plants include the cherimoya tree, Seville orange and a lemon tree. There's also a listing of companies offering biological pest controls by mail order.
Summer Book Review
Organic Living: Simple Solutions for a Better life by Lynda Brown (Dorling Kindersley, 2000)
This informative and nicely illustrated book will inspire you to make many positive changes to your lifestyle. It covers all aspects of the organic lifestyle and includes sections on organic food, baby products, health and beauty products, gardening, clothing, pets, pesticide-free pest control and organic products for the home and office. In addition, the book clearly explains the environmental advantages of organic farming and also covers the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle), genetic engineering, fairtrade and ethical finance. It's not a vegan book, but is nevertheless an interesting read for anyone who is interested in eco-friendly living. Look out for a copy in your public library. ISBN 0-7513-2906-1. Now all we need is for someone to write a vegan version!
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