THE
VEGAN NEWS
SUMMER
2003
In This Issue:
Summer
Recipes
Watercress and Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 3/4 of an individual serving bowlful of watercress
- Sultanas - to taste
- 1 small orange/satsuma, peeled, segmented and
chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 25g of shelled walnuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tsp of flax or olive oil
Method
- Place the washed and prepared vegetables into an individual
serving bowl.
- Mix in the sultanas, orange pieces and nuts.
- Mix together the oil and lemon juice. Pour the dressing over
the salad.
Serves 1 for a light lunch
(double the amounts for a main meal). This refreshing
and nutritious salad will supply appreciable amounts of iron, folic acid,
calcium, vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids.
Curried Lentil Salad
Source: The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shannon (Alive Books,
1999)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp of tamari (or Braggs Liquid Aminos)
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp of curry powder (or to taste)
- 2 cups of sprouted lentils
- 1/2 cup of chopped onion
Method
- Mix together the tamari, lemon juice, garlic and curry powder
in a small bowl.
- Combine the lentils and onion in a separate bowl and
pour on the dressing. Mix well.
Serves 2-4
Sprouted lentils have a nice crunchy texture and are a good source of
iron and vitamin C. I prefer to use sprouted green lentils when I
make this recipe, but any kind of sprouted whole lentil can be
used. For more information on how to produce your own sprouts, see
my earlier article on sprouting.
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Agnus Castus
The Chaste Tree (Vitex Agnus Castus) grows in the Mediterranean
region and in Western Asia, where its berries are used by women to
regulate their menstrual cycles. Since the 1950s, various scientific studies
have been carried out and these have shown that agnus castus is especially
useful for treating female conditions such as premenstrual tension, cyclical
breast pain (mastalgia), painful periods and menopausal symptoms and seems
to cause few side effects. I tested out this supplement myself
to see if it would improve my own menstrual cycle and I am pleased to report
that so far there has been a noticeable improvement. Although whether this
improvement is due to the agnus castus, or is simply a coincidence is difficult
to determine because of the rather erratic nature of my condition.
Agnus castus is readily available from health shops, but most of the
supplements they sell appear to be unsuitable for vegans. I,
therefore, obtained a supply of Vega's standardised agnus castus berry
extract, which is available in vegetable cellulose capsules, each capsule
being equivalent to about 300 mg of the herb powder. This Vega product
is both Vegetarian and Vegan Society Approved and is free from GM products,
gluten, wheat, sugar, artificial additives and colourings and of course from
all animal ingredients. The dark-green capsules (VCaps) are available
in brown glass jars in units of 60 capsules for about £6.95.
Incidentally, if you are unable to find this product in shops near to
you, then it can be purchased off the Internet from the Green Valley Trading
Company (UK) or from Vega Vitamins and Herbals
(USA). Otherwise, Nutricia, Quest and Phyto Products also produce vegan agnus
castus products in the UK.
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What's Happening in the Veganic Garden this Summer?
Sowing and Planting Schedule:
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In the Wildlife Garden
Many of our wildflowers and garden plants are beneficial to
animals and can be used to attract wildlife into the garden. By including
a selection of such plants in our gardens we can do much to help British
wildlife. In the Last Issue
I covered three kinds of violas that are used as caterpillar food plants
by fritillary butterflies. Now, in this issue, I am going to take a look
at three plants that will attract butterflies, moths and birds into your
garden.
Buddleia (Buddleia spp)
Buddleia (or Butterfly Bush) is an excellent wildlife plant.
Plant one of these shrubs in your garden and on a nice sunny day it
will soon be covered with many different kinds of butterflies. Look out
for peacocks, whites, red admirals, brimstones, painted ladies, white
admirals, meadow browns, gatekeepers, commas and small tortoiseshells taking
nectar from its flowers. If you are lucky you may also see a humming bird
hawkmoth visiting the flowers in the daytime and of course many other types
of moths visit buddleia flowers at night. Buddleia is also a magnet for
many kinds of bees, including bumblebees. Even after buddleia has
finished flowering, it remains a useful wildlife plant, its seed heads being
a source of food for many types of birds, including bullfinches. So don't
be in too much of a hurry to remove the spent flowers, even if they don't
look especially attractive! Buddleias need to be planted in a sunny position
and often do especially well if planted against a wall. Prune them well in
spring to ensure a fine display of flowers. The best varieties to plant to
attract butterflies are: Buddleia davidii (the white and lilac varieties
are most popular), B. alternifolia, B. crispa, B. globosa and
B. x weyeriana. And of course it's possible to extend the flowering
season by planting more than one variety.
Ivy (Hedera helix)
Although not as showy as buddleia, ivy is also of tremendous value
to wildlife. For example, ivy's black berries provide food for many types
of birds in winter, often being eaten by wood pigeons, collared doves,
thrushes, warblers, blackcaps, jays and robins. In addition, ivy
provides shelter for small birds at night and is often used by nesting
wrens. Ivy comes into flower between September and November and in my garden
its inconspicuous, greenish-yellow flowers are a magnet for butterflies
on sunny, autumn days. Red Admirals seem to be particularly attracted to
these flowers, but you may also see commas and painted ladies nectaring
on ivy flowers and they will also be visited by hoverflies, bees and various
moths. The holly blue butterfly lays its eggs on ivy flowers in the autumn,
ivy being its larval food plant, as well as providing food for the caterpillars
of the swallow-tailed moth. In addition, the brimstone butterfly
hibernates in ivy over the winter months. This evergreen climber
will do well in a sunny position or in partial shade and looks especially
nice when it is grown on trees, fences, walls and other supports.
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Even after growing evening primroses in my garden for many years,
I still find it fascinating to watch their flowers open up in the evening
just as the light levels start to fall. At times, these scented, yellow flowers
almost seem to glow in the dark! Often visited by bees and hoverflies in
the daytime, the flowers prove to be just as attractive to night-flying
moths such as the convolvulus hawk moth at night. (And of course any moths
that are attracted to the plant will in turn act as a food source and encourage
bats to visit your garden.) Birds also like to eat evening primrose seeds,
so do keep your eyes open for chaffinches, bramblings, greenfinches, goldfinches
and siskins. Evening primrose plants are best grown in groups of
five or six and should be placed at the back of a wildlife border because
these low-growing plants suddenly shoot up to about 180 cm in their second
year. Incidentally, evening primrose seeds are perfectly edible and
so are the first year roots, which can either be eaten cooked or they can
be sliced and eaten raw in a salad.
Seeds of the above plants are available from the John Chambers
Wild Flower Seed Catalogue. Tel: 01933 652562. Or write to: John
Chambers, 15 Westleigh Road, Barton Seagrave, Kettering, Northants, NN15
5AJ, if you would like a copy of their latest catalogue.
For more information on plants that are attractive to wildlife consult
the Wildlife Plants Index.
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Twenty Tips for Producing Low-Allergy Gardens by Thomas Leo Ogren
What we plant in our own yards often has a direct effect on our
own health and the health of those near us. A pollen-producing male tree
in our own yard will easily expose us to ten times more pollen than would
a similar tree growing just down the block. This can be compared to second-hand
smoke. It is possible to inhale some smoke from a person smoking a block
or two away from you, but it is hardly the same as someone smoking right
next to you. It is the same with plants. If your own yard is full of allergenic
plants, then you will be exposed most. The greater the exposure, the greater
the incidence of allergy and asthma. Here are some tips to avoid allergies
and asthma:
- Don’t plant any male trees or shrubs. These
are often sold as 'seedless' or 'fruitless' varieties but they’re males
and they all produce large amounts of allergenic pollen.
- Do plant female trees and shrubs. Even though these may be
messier than males, they produce no pollen, and they actually trap and remove
pollen from the air. There is also some very good all-female sod to use for
pollen-free lawns. As an added bonus, these female lawns stay low and require
less frequent mowing.
- Plant disease-resistant varieties: mildew, rust, black spot
and other plant diseases all reproduce by spores and these spores cause
allergies. Disease resistant plants won’t get infected as much and the air
around them will be healthier.
- Use only trees and shrubs well adapted for your own climate
zone. Plants grown in the wrong zone will often fail to thrive. Because
they are not healthy, they will be magnets for insects. Insect residue,
'honeydew,' is a prime host for molds and molds produce allergenic mold
spores. Often native plants will be the healthiest choices.
- Be careful with the use of all insecticides, fungicides, and
herbicides. Accidental exposure to all of these chemical pesticides has been
shown to cause breakdowns in the immune system. Sometimes one single heavy
exposure to a pesticide will result in sudden hypersensitivity to pollen,
spores, and to other allergens. This is as true for pets as it is for their
owners. Go organic as much as possible. Make and use compost!
- Diversity is good. Don’t plant too much of the same thing
in your landscapes. Use a wide selection of plants. Lack of diversity often
causes over-exposure. Use lots of variety in your gardens.
- Wild birds are a big plus because they eat so many insects.
Plant fruiting trees and shrubs to encourage more birds. Suet also attracts
many insect-eating birds. (Ed: Try using a vegan, vegetable suet e.g.
Broadland.) Insect dander causes allergies and birds
consume an incredible amount of aphids, whiteflies, scale, and other invertebrate
pests.
- Use pollen-free selections whenever possible. There are many
hybrids with highly doubled flowers and in many cases these flowers lack
any male, pollen parts. Formal double chrysanthemums, for example, usually
have no pollen. Another example would be almost all of the erect tuberous
begonias. These have complete female flowers, but their male flowers have
nothing but petals, making them pollen-free.
- If you simply must have some high-allergy potential plants
in your yard, just because you love them, then watch where you plant them.
Don’t use any high-allergy plants near bedroom windows or next to patios,
well-used walkways, or by front or back doors. Place the highest allergy
plants as far away from the house as possible and downwind of the house
too. Remember: the closer you are to the high-allergy tree or shrub, the
greater is your exposure.
- Know the exact cultivar name of a tree or shrub before you
buy it. Don’t buy any that are not clearly tagged with the correct cultivar
(variety) name and the Latin, scientific name. Compare the exact name of
the plant with its OPALS/TM allergy ranking. With this scale, 1 is least
allergenic, and 10 is the most allergenic. Try to achieve a landscape that
averages at OPALS #5, or below.
- If you have a tree or hedge that has high allergy potential
and don’t want to remove it, consider keeping it heavily sheared so that
it will flower less. Boxwood, for example, has allergenic flowers but if
pruned hard each year, it will rarely bloom at all.
- Get involved with your own city’s tree and parks departments,
and encourage them to stop planting any more wind-pollinated male trees.
There are thousands of fine choices of street trees that do not cause any
allergies and we should be using these instead. Working together we can
make a healthy difference, and we’ll all breathe better for our efforts.
- Some localities have enacted pollen-control ordinances. These
prohibit the sale and planting of the most highly allergenic trees and
shrubs. These ordinances can help save lives and lead to more responsible
and more considerate landscaping. Why not get involved and have such a
rule of law in your own community?
- There are a great many very useful female cultivars of Red
Maple (Acer rubrum), such as ‘October Glory’ and ‘Red Sunset.’ These trees
have exceptional autumn colour and are pollen-free.
- Female Junipers (Juniperus spp.) are pollen-free and have
beautiful blue-green berries. Numerous female cultivars are sold, such
as ‘Blue Point,’ ‘Icee Blue,’ and ‘Hollywood Juniper.’
- Some trees such as the sycamores and London Plane trees (both
Platanus species) produce a fuzz on their leaves and stems. This fuzz can
become airborne and causes skin rash, itching, and irritation of the eyes,
throat and lungs. If you must use them, avoid planting them too close to
your house.
- Pets can and do get allergies too. Often the exact same plants
that cause us allergy, will also affect our pets. Dogs and cats in particular
may be allergic to pollen. Animals can’t tell us what bothers them. They
need us to look out for them.
- Children are especially susceptible to allergies and asthma.
It is crucial that the shade trees in elementary schools be selected to be
as pollen-free as possible. Asthma is now the number one most common chronic
childhood disease.
- Older people and especially those in hospitals or retirement
homes are also at increased risk from excessive pollen. Shrubs near windows
need to be allergy-free. Pollen is tiny and can easily pass through even
the tightest window screens.
- Trees and shrubs next to any bedroom windows will have a large
effect on the health of the people inside these bedrooms. Poisonous plants
such as Podocarpus or Yews, if they are male, will shed many millions of
grains of airborne pollen. Pollen from the males of these two species is
both allergenic and poisonous.
*Note, with the dioecious plants (separate-sexed) only males cause pollen-allergy,
and females because they are pollen free, do not. Some examples of some
of these dioecious plants are: red maple, silver maple, box elder, holly,
willow, aspen, cottonwood, poplar, fringe tree, pepper tree, carob tree,
Osage orange, mulberry, cedar, juniper, Podocarpus, yews, ash, date palms,
and even such common garden plants as asparagus.
Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, from Ten
Speed Press. More than 3,000 plants are individually allergy-ranked (OPALSTM)
in this book. Tom does consulting work on landscape plants and allergies
for the USDA, Allegra, county asthma coalitions, arborist and landscape
design associations, and the Canadian and American Lung Associations. He
has appeared on HGTV and The Discovery Channel. He has an MS in Agriculture/Horticulture
and writes for such diverse publications as New Scientist, Earth Island
Journal, Landscape Architecture, American Rose, Pacific Coast Nurseryman,
Alternative Medicine, Women’s Day, and Wild Ones Journal. He has also written
the book, Safe Sex in the Garden, which was published in March of
2003. Tom can be reached through his website
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Other Interesting Websites
An excellent site and a particularly
good source of information for the those who are new to veganism, or anyone
who is thinking of going vegan. You can now also
shop online.
Vegan Traveller
Presently covering eight countries, this A-Z provides information
on hotels, eating out and shopping and offers general tips and advice from
the people who have been there. Why not help to make this site
even better by adding some of your own contributions?
Cool Vegan
A fairly international website, offering a selection of vegan recipes
and providing some coverage of vegan shopping and services worldwide. Why
not try out the sliding puzzle in the games section, if you have time?
Or include a link to your own web page in the community section? The resource
page offers links to many topics that should be of interest to vegans everywhere.
Unfortunately, I found this site rather difficult to read in
places due to the choice of the background and text colour.
Freerangers
Here you can view and purchase Freeranger products online. Take
a look at their range of men's and ladies' shoes, as well as
their bags, purses, belts and fleeces. Products from this
UK vegan footwear and clothing company are Vegan
Society Approved and are created by skilled craftsmen.
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of Page
Summer
Book Reviews
Renewal
by Timothy J Smith, M D (Rochdale Press, 1999).
Do you want to live to be 120? In Renewal, Timothy Smith
shows us how it may be possible to achieve this feat and also how to improve
our quality of life by following his revolutionary programme of diet, exercise
and supplementation. I must admit to me his recommendations for the
use of supplements seem to be somewhat excessive at times, not to mention
expensive! And I am also rather dubious about his recommendations for
the extensive use of hormones to slow down the aging process - even if he
is recommending natural hormones and not the synthetic versions. Considering
that women seem have a higher risk of developing breast cancer if they
start their periods early and have a late menopause, I wonder whether it
is wise to take sex hormones for extended periods in this way and indeed
whether it is worth the risk? I mean do you really still want to
be having sex when you are 120 anyway? You do? Oh well, grab a copy of this
book and start reading then! Seriously though, I found the positive way
the author promotes the vegan diet very refreshing. In addition, the book
contains a lot of useful information. Use it to find out about the right
sorts of fats to eat, why you should avoid pesticides and food additives,
how you can reduce your risk of getting cancer, why garlic is so amazing,
which foods to eat to keep you youthful and why it's so important to get
plenty of exercise. There are vegan meal plans, meal ideas and a whole
chapter of tasty vegan recipes (although some of these do contain
honey). All in all a useful reference book for your bookshelf. ISBN:
0312972091 Price
£4.44. Available from Amazon Books.
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