Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
3rd July 2022
The Woodland Trust is petitioning governments across the UK to protect ancient trees. Do sign! Increasing biodiversity is as much about maintaining what we have as it is about rewilding. Ancient trees support a huge number of different animals, birds, insects, and micro-organisms. They are also historic landmarks that are just as important as historic buildings.
2nd July 2022
Following on from yesterday, Greenpeace has set up a petition asking the Government to transforming food system to switch the emphasis from meat to plants.
1st July 2022
According to the UN’s Global Climate Action newsletter, declining biodiversity is an increasingly acute problem. “The faster we degrade and lose biodiversity, the worst climate change, and the food crisis, will grow. The sooner we act to protect, conserve, sustainably use and regenerate nature within the 2020s, the stronger our chances of reaching net zero emissions before 2050 and becoming resilient to impacts we can’t hold back.”
Reducing our consumption of meat will alleviate declining biodiversity by reducing the pressure on the amount of farm land needed to produce the food we eat and freeing up land that can be re-wilded.
30th June 2022
And last from the batch, red carlin peas. Using the last of the week’s OddBox, I fried onion, garlic and red pepper together and then added cooked potatoes and cauliflower, stirred a while before finally adding the drained peas and a couple of spoons of chutney. Here it is being served with baba ganoush.
29th June 2022
The wrinkled peas have become a version of risi bisi but rather than rice I have used porridge oats. Beginning with a chopped onion and come garlic cooked in oil, I added the oat flakes as if I were making a risotto. Next I added the peas and their cooking liquid and a chopped tomato, and stirring from time to time allowed the oats to swell and absorb the liquid. For extra flavour I added some pepper and nutmeg. Once the desired texture was achieved, I added some nutritional yeast flakes (ones fortified with vitamin B12). Another time I might add lemon juice and zest, or parsley, or salted lemon for different flavours.
28th June 2022
The yellow split peas have become this week’s sandwich spread. This is a type of hummus ( true hummus is made from chick peas). The drained peas are blitzed to a paste with the juice of a lemon, some olive oil, garlic and a couple of spoons of tahini. Exact quantities vary as necessary to achieve the desired texture. If it becomes too runny, I add pumpkin or sunflower seeds to thicken things. Extra flavours come by adding pepper or paprika, lemon zest or herbs: I especially like dill.
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.
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.
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/
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?
The Green Tau 