THE VEGAN NEWS 

MARCH 1998

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  In This Month's Issue:

Recipe of the Month

Tacos and Refried Beans

Ingredients

Method

  1. Cook the beans according to the instructions on the packet.

  2. Liquidize the drained beans with 120 ml of water.

  3. Fry the onion in the olive oil for 2-3 mins.

  4. Add the grated carrots, red pepper and the herbs and spices and cook for a further 4 mins.

  5. Remove from the heat and add the bean paste, tomato puree and miso. Mix well.

  6. Cook the beans on a fairly low heat until they are well-heated (about 15-17 minutes). Stir frequently so that they do not stick to the pan or burn.

  7. Warm 6-9 taco shells in a microwave or oven.

  8. Place the refried beans inside the warmed taco shells. Serve with a mixed salad and grated vegan cheese. Guacamole, a famous Mexican avocado dish, makes a good starter. 

Recipe Serves 2-3

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March Product Review

Smokey Snaps

These smokey bacon flavoured crumbs are made from TVP (Texturised Vegetable Protein) and can be eaten straight from the packet for a tasty snack. Entirely meat-free, they are suitable for vegans and are a very good source of fibre, protein and the vitamins B1, B2 and B12. Smokey Snaps can be used to garnish salads and are particularly nice when sprinkled on top of pea soup. Mix them into scrambled tofu, or add them to tofu omelettes or quiches, for extra flavour. My favourite way of eating them, however, is sprinkled on top of an avocado open sandwich. Look for Smokey Snaps in your health food shop - they are produced by Direct Foods.

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Pest Control Tips

Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle and can damage root crops and flower bulbs. They can be kept under control by sowing green manure crops, such as buckwheat or white mustard, in wireworm-infested ground. Many birds will eat wireworms so encourage them into your garden. You can also set wireworm 'traps'. Traps can be made from pieces of potato, put onto sticks and pushed into the ground, but don't forget to examine your traps regularly and to remove the wireworms from the potato.

Red Spider Mites attack strawberry plants, apple and plum trees and most greenhouse crops. Infestation, in the greenhouse, can be controlled by using a predatory mite called Phytosieulus persimilis which can be obtained from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.  It is available from mid-April and can also be used on outside crops in warm weather. Symptoms of spider mite infestation include: leaf mottling, bronzing of the leaves and in a bad attack the leaves can shrivel up and fall off! You can also try spraying infested crops with jets of water or soft soap solution as this can sometimes dislodge spider mites.

Pea moth caterpillars eat peas in the pod. Sow pea seeds before March or after April to avoid attack.

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What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?


  1. Sowing and Planting

    March is a busy month in the veganic garden. This month, continue to plant out untreated onion sets/shallots and to sow early peas (e.g. Feltham First) and broad beans as mentioned in last month's issue. In March, it is usually possible to make outside sowings of parsnips, carrots, turnips, parsley, salad onions and lettuces such as 'Winter Density' or Little Gem'. Cauliflowers, cabbages, brussel sprouts and leeks can all be started off indoors, or in a cold frame, this month. If you need more information about what to plant in March, then visit the Gardening Diary.

  2. In the Wildlife Garden

    This Month - The Hedgehog - Erinaceus europaeus

    The European hedgehog belongs to the family Erinaceidae and is widely distributed throughout Europe. It is also found in New Zealand. Hedgehogs are Insectivores. They eat beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, millepedes, earwigs, slugs and snails and are, in fact, one of the veganic gardener's best friends. Every attempt should be made to encourage them into your garden, particularly if you have a lot of slugs and snails!

    Hedgehogs are essentially solitary creatures except when they are courting. They breed from May to September, producing two litters a year, with an average of four babies per litter. The young are reared entirely by the mother and are weaned after about 41 days, leaving the nest to live independently, when they are between 6 and 8 weeks old.

    In order to conserve energy, hedgehogs hibernate between October and March/April. They build a domed nest, made of plucked grass and dried leaves which can be built in bramble bushes, hedges, old rabbit burrows, compost heaps, log piles, underneath sheds or even inside a pile of autumn leaves or an unlit bonfire! When hibernating the hedgehog's metabolic rate and respiratory rate slows down so that the hedgehog can look as if it is dead, however, it is curled up and usually responds when touched. During hibernation, the hedgehog lives off its fat reserves and in order to hibernate successfully, it must weigh at least 600 g before going into hibernation. Unfortunately, some hedgehogs, particularly if they are born late in the year, fail to achieve this weight and it is common for them to die whilst hibernating.

    In the wild, the average hedgehog lives for about 3-4 years, although hedgehogs are, in fact, capable of living for as long as eight years. Well protected by their coat of prickly spines, death is often caused, not by the hedgehog's natural predators - badgers, foxes, owls and buzzards, but by man-made problems. Hedgehogs, as their name suggests, like to live in hedges and these are rapidly being destroyed as fields are made larger and as more of the countryside is lost to make way for new housing estates and roads. Hedgehogs, nevertheless, are very adaptable and have responded to this destruction of their natural habitat by moving into towns where they are frequently found living in parks, gardens or even on golf courses! In fact they will live wherever there are deciduous trees and bushes. Every year, many hedgehogs are killed by cars and serious injuries can also be inflicted by lawn mowers or strimmers as hedgehogs like to hide in long grass. Other common causes of death include being burned in bonfires or being poisoned by pesticides or other toxic chemicals such as the metaldehyde in slug pellets. Many also get tangled up in garden netting and starve to death.

    How to Make Your Garden More Hedgehog Friendly!

    1. Don't use pesticides or insecticides in your garden. Always choose safe and non-toxic methods of pest control and particularly avoid using slug pellets. (See Pest Control Tips in last month's issue for safe ways to control slugs.)

    2. Provide a garden pond. This will encourage insects to come into your garden and will provide a supply of water for hedgehogs and other animals to drink. The pond should have gently sloping sides (or a slope or ramp) so that if hedgehogs fall in, they can easily climb out again.

    3. Don't keep your garden too tidy! Leave piles of autumn leaves, stacks of old logs and brambles for hedgehogs to make their nests in. Patches of nettles will attract caterpillars and these will provide food for hedgehogs to eat. If you want to, you can purchase special hedgehog nesting boxes from The British Hedgehog Preservation Society - address below.

    4. Hedgehogs are very inquisitive creatures and often die (or get into trouble) because they get stuck or caught up in things. So, keep drains covered and check bonfires before lighting them. Long grass also needs to be checked carefully before mowing it or using a strimmer on it. Don't discard the plastic holders off drink cans in your garden and keep bean netting, strawberry netting and tennis nets well away from the ground as hedgehogs frequently get tangled up in them and can then starve (or freeze) to death. Check all netting daily.

    5. Hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures and do not normally walk around in the daylight. So if you see one doing this, then it may be in trouble and could need your help. Hedgehog babies can be orphaned if the mother hibernates, suddenly, before they are weaned. Also, if late born hedgehogs have not reached the required minimum weight when they need to hibernate, they can sometimes be seen walking around in the daylight, in late autumn. They are looking for extra food. If you want to help them, they can be given: live meal worms, crickets and worm compost worms (brandlings) which can all be obtained from live food suppliers. You can also give them earthworms, slugs, snails and beetles from your garden, crunchy peanut butter or chopped peanuts (not whole nuts), small amounts of muesli, chopped banana and watercress and a supply of fresh water. Hedgehogs will thrive on dog food, but after last month's article, I am not going to recommend that you give them any!

    Help and Further Information

    During March and April, (as early as February, this year) hedgehogs start to come out of hibernation and are often very hungry. You can help by leaving out some extra food for them at this time. And, if you find a sick hedgehog and need some advice about how to take care of it, then the following organisations should be able to help you:
    hedgehog

    The Natural Hedgehog by Lenni Sykes and Jane Durrant (GAIA) is a good book to read if you want to know more about hedgehogs. Look out for a copy of this book in your public library. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society sells many hedgehog-related products such as books, leaflets and ready-made hedgehog boxes. Dried hedgehog food is also available by mail order, but as it contains meat and other animal products it is better to purchase bags of peanut granules, which are ideal for vegan gardeners to feed to their garden hedgehogs! Contact the BHPS and ask for a copy of their Hogalogue' - a catalogue of all their mail order products. 

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