THE VEGAN NEWSTHE VEGAN NEWSThe Vegan News is written and edited by P M Lloyd. Please e-mail your contributions to the editor at: pauline@bury-rd.demon.co.uk or fill in the form provided.
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Recipe of the MonthYou can if you wish purchase a special yogurt maker to make your yogurt in and there are many types of yogurt maker available for this purpose. If you experience any difficulty obtaining one locally, then a yogurt maker can be obtained by mail order from: Real Foods (Price £14.95 + carriage.)
Yogurt, can however, be can be made just as easily in a vacumn flask. In fact this method of making yogurt saves energy because the yogurt does not need to be heated by electricity while it is being made. When purchasing a flask, it is better to choose one with a wide neck if possible, as it is easier to remove the yogurt from it after it has set. However, yogurt can still be made in an ordinary narrow-necked flask if you loosen the yogurt with a spoon before pouring it out.
The quantities given below will make one litre of yogurt. If this is too much, then adjust the quantities of ingredients used. (For a small flask 1/2 Litre may be sufficient.)
Readers' ContributionsThe following contribution has been sent in by I-A
This is in response to a request in this forum about how some of us handle "Why are you vegan?" I like to keep things simple, without a lot of explanation (that can be misconstrued as defensive, offensive, preachy, holier-than-thou, faddish, new age nutty, mad-female disease etc.)
I just say "I have no choice". And in fact, that is the truth. I refuse to elaborate unless the person is honestly curious. I'll say, "I lost my taste for meat and dairy". If asked to explain, I say "It happened after I went on a cleanse". Then some say "Why don't you see a doctor" to which I reply "The doctors I see applaud my dietary change". Some say, "why don't you try some meat occasionally - your taste will come back." To which I reply: "I don't ever want it to."
My story is that all my life I knew all the reasons to be vegan. But I really had no guidemap to get there. I had a lifetime's worth of eating and social habits which intertwine with work, and no time to play games with my nutrition, protein intake etc. I felt it would be like switching airplanes at 30,000 feet. I also didn't really believe that premium "thinking protein"could come from non-animal sources. Right after a cleanse I did, my body took charge and refused to let me go back to any meat or dairy. They smelled poisonous, vile, rank, and nauseating. I didn't know of the word "vegan" - when someone asked me what kind of vegetarian I was, and I said what do you mean, and he said "vegan" I thought he was referring to some alien cult diet from Vega.
I starved while I re-learned how to eat. I learned a lot about myself. For the first time in my adult life, I'm cooking regularly. I do think more clearly. I do feel calmer and lighter. I did make terrible nutritional mistakes along the way. I feel re-born in some way because I'm now out of the insanity. This way of becoming vegan is more like being thrown out of a plane at 30,000 feet, rather shocking, but one does flourish eventually.
May Product ReviewMiso
What is miso? Miso is a savoury paste, made from soya beans which have been fermented using traditional methods. In Japan, a wide range of products are created by mixing the spores of the fungus Aspergillus oryzae with cooked soya beans and/or grains. A substance called 'Koji' is formed, which is then fermented a second time in order to create miso (and other condiments such as shoyu and tamari sauce).There are many different varieties of miso available, which vary in both taste and colour according to what they are made from and the proportion of salt and sugar used. Hatcho Miso is the strongest tasting miso and takes 18-24 months to ferment. Milder tasting varieties of miso include: Mugi Miso which is made from Barley, Genmai Miso which is made using brown rice and Shiro Miso made from sweet rice. Miso can contain quite a lot of salt but it is rich in vitamins and minerals and has many uses. Add it to soups, sauces, dips, dressings, spreads, casseroles, or rice and vegetable dishes. I even use it to make a pizza topping! (See Leah Leneman's quick pizza recipe on p.46 in 365 plus one Vegan Recipes, or try her miso soup on p.19.) Miso is frequently used in Japanese vegetarian cookery.
Sanchi produce a range of miso products including: Hatcho, Mugi, Genmai and Shiro Miso. These cost about £2.65 for a 345g packet and are available from most health food shops. If you have any trouble finding a supplier then miso can also be obtained by mail order from: Real Foods. And, if you fancy making your own miso, then Future Foods also sell miso kits for £7.50 each (includes p&p). Mugi or Hatcho Miso kits are available and each kit will produce either 3 kilos of koji or 8 litres of shoyu sauce.
Recycling tipsBefore you throw anything away think! Can it be reused? Here are some suggestions:
What's Happening in the Veganic
Garden This Month?Sweetcorn can also be started off indoors in a similar way. I usually put sweetcorn plants out at the beginning of May and cover them with cloches made from plastic bottles which have also been cut in half, but if you live in a more northern area of Britain, then the middle or end of May would probably be a more suitable planting time. Sweetcorn needs a sunny, sheltered position in order to grow well. Trailing courgettes, melons or pumpkins will all grow well in the same bed as sweetcorn.
Keep making sowings of broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, main crop peas and radishes this month. Ridge cucumber plants can also be sown outside, or alternatively you can plant out indoor grown ones. May is also the month to sow many of the butterfly nectar plants mentioned last month. Make sowings of Honesty, Wallflowers, Sweet William, Alyssum or Aubretia.
Unfortunately though, birds also like to eat fruit and can devastate fruit trees and bushes quite quickly, as well as eating up your earthworms! They also eat caterpillars which can be an advantage if you are trying to grow cabbages, but isn't so good if you have just planted special plants in order to encourage caterpillars to breed in your garden!
On balance though, having more birds in the garden is a tremendous asset to the veganic gardener, so if you would like to increase the number of birds visiting your garden, then try planting some of the plants or trees listed in the tables below. (If you would like to obtain more information on a particular plant, then clicking on the link will take you to the appropriate plant file in the Wildlife Database. Press the back button to return to this issue and collect the next link.)
| Apple | Berberis | Bramble |
| Burdock | Chickweed | Dandelion |
| Evening Primrose | Fruit Bushes! | Groundsel |
| Hawthorn | Hogweed | Holly |
| Honeysuckle | Ivy | Knapweed |
| Michaelmas Daisy | Nettles | Snapdragon |
| Strawberry | Sunflower | Teasel |
| Thistle |
| Alder | Ash | Beech |
| Birch | Bird Cherry | Oak |
| Pine | Rowan | Yew |
As well as providing food plants for the birds, you can also attract birds into your garden by providing good nesting sites for them. Evergreens and thorny plants are both very good for birds to nest in as they offer some protection against cats and other predators. And of course bird baths, bird nesting boxes and bird feeders will also increase the number of birds coming into your garden.
If you want the birds to eat your garden pests, but would also like to
grow your own soft fruit and/or fruit trees, then you may have to deter the birds from
eating the fruit, if they become too much of a nuisance. One way of doing this is to plant
Virburnum, Elderberry, and Wild Cherry which are all much loved by birds and will distract them
from your soft fruit! Nets, rattling tin cans, scarecrows and slices of onion hanging
from fruit trees, are also suitable deterrents for this purpose as well. Surrounding strawberry beds with
Lavender is also supposed to deter birds from taking them.
Is there a vegan equivalent for parmesan cheese? I am looking for something to sprinkle
on top of my pasta. Florentino make a dairy-free parmesan style seasoning called Vegetarian Parmazano. It is made from soya milk and is
suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. It can be used on pasta, baked potatoes, risottos and pizzas.
It can be bought in some health food shops. Price about £0.99 for 40g. (Tesco also sell it for £0.69!)
Alternatively, Engevita tastes very nice on top of spaghetti sauces etc.
More details can be obtained from:
A manual produced twice a year by Dr Deben to help you change to a fruitarian diet. Contains
articles, recipes etc. Order it here for 18 dollars a year.
How to Make a Forest Garden by Patrick Whitefield
A forest garden is a garden which is modelled on a natural woodland. It is often used to
produce food. In this excellent book, Patrick Whitefield explains why we should have a forest
garden, how the forest garden system works and the many benefits of this low maintenance form of
gardening.
The book contains much useful information on the types of trees, fruit bushes, perennial
vegetables and herbs which can be used when designing the three layers in a forest garden.
The final plant sizes, expected food yield and the conditions that each plant prefers, are all
given in order to help you select the plants which are most likely to grow well in your own garden.
No matter what size your garden is, this book will provide you with all the information you
need to create your own mini-forest system. And, if more of us used our gardens in this way,
it would help to counteract the never-ending destruction of the world's forests and to alleviate
some of the problems that this is causing.
Any Queries?
D M Morris. Bangor. Wales.
Vegan Organisation ReviewEthical Wares
Ethical Wares is an ethically-based company, run by vegans, who seek to trade in a manner which
does not exploit animals, humans or the environment. Their aim is to promote a cruelty-free lifestyle.
They offer a range of non-leather walking boots which are breathable and waterproof and are made from polyurethane
and polyester material. All the boots carry the Vegan society trade mark and the range caters for all tastes from
serious hiking to leisure wear. They also sell sandals, many other types of shoes and boots,
non-wool walking socks, belts, wallets and T-shirts.
Other Interesting Vegan Websites.
The book entitled How To Become A Fruitarian can be read on-line here. A useful book which tells
you why you should eat fruit, how to prepare fruitarian food and also gives basic recipe ideas.
This site has interesting fruitarian recipes including: melon mix, banana soup, fruit salad, blueberry mousse,
tomato salad and pineapple and apple ice-cream. (Select "what do fruitarians eat", then "fruit recipes".)
A small but interesting site. A study of the fruitarian diet.
May Book Review
This book can be obtained from: The Organic Gardening Catalogue. Price £15.50.
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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1997.