Counting On … – Page 94

Counting on … day 226

27th June 2022

The cooked chicken peas I have combined with chopped mushrooms and Brazil nuts and wrapped in a flaky pastry case, adapting a recipe from Betty’s Cookery School (of Harrogate tea room fame).

Flaky pastry made from250g flour and 225g vegan butter

Filling made from a chopped onion, fried with garlic, to which I added about 250g of chopped mushrooms, flavoured with black pepper and rosemary. After a little more cooking, I added 100g each chick peas and chopped Brazil nuts. To add more flavour, I added a spoonful of quince jelly and some poppy seeds. Finally I added a couple of spoons of polenta to absorb any moisture, before laying the filling in the middle of the rolled out pastry. The edges of the pastry I cut into and plaited, before baking 30+ minutes at 200C.

Counting on … day 225

26th June 2022

In an earlier blog I explained how I cook a week’s worth of beans/ pulses at a time. This includes chick peas, red Carlin peas, wrinkled green peas, yellow split peas and marrow fat peas. How will these turn into meals?

The cooked marrow fat peas I put in a dish and baked in the oven (30c minutes at 200C) with chopped tomatoes, olive oil and black pepper, and served with roast cauliflower and potatoes.

Counting on …day 223

24th June 2022

There is a growing awareness of the importance of both silence and green spaces as contributors to our physical and mental well being. Nearby Ham House has a lovely lavender garden which is just coming into flower providing a multi sensory experience. At various times during the week it is available as a quiet space, part of the Silent Space network – https://silentspace.org.uk/what-we-do/

Counting on … day 222

23rd June 2022

Kew Gardens in the sun is the place for an ice cream treat. The ice cream stand not only offers three plant based flavours, but also compares the carbon footprint of the different flavours on offer. The vegan strawberry ice cream has half the carbon footprint of its clotted cream sister.

I wonder if they would sell more vegan ice cream if those flavours featured at the top of the bill board?

Counting on ….day 221

22nd June 2022

Carbon Independent suggests that having calculated your carbon footprint, you should set a target of reducing it by 10% each year. The two biggest contributors to my carbon footprint are gas for heating and my general spending. Having turned true gas boiler off for the summer, I will see whether that gives the desired reduction. As regards general spending, I will look at the carbon footprint of what I am buying – but the Carbon Independent calculator is not very sensitive so I am will need a different calculator.

Counting on ….day 220

21st June 2022

This month at church we have been encouraged to calculate our individual carbon footprint. There are various on-line calculators available, some quick and easy, and some more complex but more reflective of the uniqueness of our individual lifestyles. Using Carbon Independent’s calculator my footprint came out at 4.26 tonnes.

https://carbonindependent.org/

Counting on … day 219

20th June 2022

Zero waste and plastic free are two main objectives in our daily living so I am really pleased to,find that. The RSPB’s fatty nibbles for birds now comes in all paper rather than plastic packing! Card and paper I will recycle with an easier conscience than plastics. And by buying the largest size I am minimising the total packaging footprint.

Counting on …day 218

19th June 2022

Sometimes it is the little things that bring joy – like this little butterwort that has come into flower. We bought a couple of these plants as they ‘eat’ soil gnats which tend to breed in plant pot soil. The shape of the leaves is always beautiful but when a delicate flower pops up, it’s the icing on the cake!

Counting on …day 217

18th June 2022

Earlier this week the Guardian featured an article on foraging for food. I do this occasionally in the wild – picking blackberries, sloes, and juniper berries – but more frequently in our garden. Whilst not a complete wilderness, I take a relaxed approach to weeding and encourage plants to seed where they will. Most lunches we have a salad from the garden being a mix of what ever I find: rocket, lambs lettuce and mustard are staples as they self seed and grow all year round; mint, sweet cecily, marjoram, and fennel; in the spring baby dandelion leaves; and in the summer nasturtium leaves and flowers.