Category: Counting On …

Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on

Counting on 2026 …. Day 58

12th June

Another handy format for eating peas and beans is as flour. Dried beans and peas are ground into flour which can be used to make a vegan frittata or quiche filling, to add extra protein to bread and pastry, to thicken soups and sauces etc. Again I buy a selection of such flours from Hodmedod including green pea flour, yellow pea flour, lentil flour and fava bean flour.

For a frittata I mix 3 tablespoons of pea flour with oat milk or water to make a thick batter. I flavour it with yeast flakes/ black pepper/ paprika/ mustard/ turmeric etc. Whilst that is left to stand, I cook some vegetables – potato slices/ onion/ red pepper/ mushrooms/ broccoli (boiled or sautéd). Then I add the batter and the vegetables to a well oiled frying pan and cook until nearly set and then complete the cooking under the grill. 

NB Adding a little baking powdered before cooking can lightened the texture a little. 

Counting on 2026 …. Day 57

11th June

Ours is a largely vegan household so we eat a lot of beans. We buy a wide variety of dried beans, largely grown in the UK,  from Hodmedod’s – this supports an independent business and local UK farmers, has an uncomplicated supply chain, and supports a the plant-based food system that we need to address the climate and biodiversity crises.

Cooking with the beans is easy. About once a week I weigh out 80g or so of each of 8 different Benin’s (enlighten for one three person meal) putting each into a jam jar. I add water and leave the beans to soak for six hours/ overnight. 

Then the jars go into a pan of water (effectively a Bain Marie) and the beans are cooked – once boiling point is reached they have a good boil for about 15 minutes and then a simmer for about 25 minutes. 

Once cooked and removed from the pan, the jars cool and a vacuum is formed between the beans and the lid. 

These go in the fridge and the beans are ready to be made into a variety of different dishes.

Below shows before, during and after cooking.

Counting on 2026 …. Day 56

9th June

Another seasonal harvest is lavender. 

Lavender is best picked before  in the morning before the sun warms the flowers releasing their fragrant oil and best picked before the flowers become to open – again to ensure maximum fragrant oil that you are essentially harvesting. The cut flowers are put in paper bags (or large envelopes) before being put somewhere to dry – eg the airing cupboard. 

Later in the year the dried flowers can be put into cotton bags and used to scent drawer and bed linen.

However only  cut some of the flowers. Leave plenty of flowers for the insects – especially bees – and then for the birds – such as goldfinches – which in the winter will enjoy pecking out the seeds. 

Counting on 2026 …. Day 55

8th June

I am lucky enough to have space to grow strawberries and raspberries. I don’t garden with any particular skill but I do enjoy buying a bag of straw each year from the pet shop, explaining that it is for my strawberries!

Now is peak fruiting time and every day I pick a pudding bowl of raspberries and strawberries. Those we don’t eat fresh I turn into jam – and in the winter I shall enjoy that taste of summer!

Growing fruit keeps me in tune with the seasons – I guess one would find the same with a traditional greengrocers too or a seasonally-minded veg box scheme. Growing fruit encourages me to preserve the excess: having grown it, I don’t want any to go to waste. 

Eating what is in season and preserving what is in season for later in the year, builds up our resilience. It helps make for a more sustainable lifestyle.

Counting on 2026 …. Day 54

5th June

“When communities know how to grow food, cook together, preserve harvests, repair tools and build things with their hands, they rediscover agency. They are no longer only consumers within vast systems. They become participants in shaping the places where they live.

“These practices also nurture imagination. They remind us that the future is not only determined by distant institutions. It grows through the habits and relationships people cultivate together.” (1)

Somehow – and there never seems to be enough time or enough volunteers and participants – we do need to learn these skills. If we learn them as a community we can share the learning responsibilities. We won’t each have to learn each skill, just ensure that enough of us learn some of the skills the skills, so that between us as a community we are properly equipped.

  1. https://substack.com/home/post/p-190602804

Counting on 2026 …. Day 53

4th June

Another quote from the Hazelnut Community: “Develop practical skills (kitchen, carpentry, machine repair, food processing, sewing, etc.) Teach these skills to children and friends, neighbours.” (1) 

I have recently had a go at mending our shed door – re-securing cross pieces where the factory installed staples had apart, this time using screws. A little auger that had come from a pst generation proved very useful in starting the holes, and an equally vintage screw driver finished the job. 

This makes me wonder a) where one would get such tools today and b) are such vintage tools hidden away in the backs of sheds/ drawers/ attics waiting to the be revitalised?

 a) they are available and are known as gimlets. b) yes and are available via vintage web sites.

(1) https://substack.com/home/post/p-190602804

Counting on 2026 …. Day 51

1st June

One step on from a water butt would be a rainwater harvesting system. This in essence is a large wtwr storage tank that collects and stores all the rainwater from your roof. Unlike a water butt it includes a filtration system to keep the water clean and a pump so that you can use the water for flushing toilets and running the washing machine – as well as watering the garden. 

Given the imbalance between winter and summer rainfall, and the increasingly likelihood of droughts and water shortages, such systems will become increasingly common and practical, and will increase our personal resilience and our community resilience.

For more information – https://www.renewableenergyhub.co.uk/main/rainwater-harvesting-information/rainwater-harvesting-information

Counting on 2026 …. Day 50

29th May

Caring for our water system is about caring for the environment and helping ensure that the system is resilient. Increasingly our weather is going to comprise wet winters with period heavy rainfall, and hot dry summers. 

Collecting rainwater in water butts helps in two ways. The obvious way is by providing a supply of water for the times when there is little rain – this can be used for watering the garden, or in times of real drought, can be used to flush toilet etc. 

The second way is to relieve pressure on the water drainage system by delaying the sudden rush of water into the system. This does presume your butts re empty before the storm comes – so there maybe some necessary preparation work before hand. You can install a water butt which releases one half of its content slowly over time leaving spare capacity for more water – https://uk.getwatersmart.com/product/buttinabox-butt-in-a-box-200l-waterbutt-kit-354

Or you can get  smart water butt! https://aquaiot.co.uk/smart-water-butts-rainwater-defence-against-flooding/)

Further reading – https://climateconnectionsplymouth.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Slow-the-Flow-booklet-FINAL4.pdf

Counting on 2026 …. Day 49

28th May

Caring for water is to be mindful of what goes down the drain. Waste water systems – drains, sewers etc – are not intended as general rubbish bins! 

They are not places for alien chemicals. Using only eco friendly laundry and washing up liquids makes sense. Nor are they places for wet wipes, paper towels or paper serviettes – these are design to be strong and absorbent and doing that means they  likely block the drain!

They are not places for oil and grease – wipe excess oil from pans etc using a paper and put that in your compost heap or food bin. Nor are they the place for paints, white spirit, varnish etc. Your local authority should have disposal facilities for these.

Drains are also not the place for waste food – this should go in your compost heap or food bin (the latter only should be used for items like meat, fish etc).