Tag: cooking

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 … day 110

20th May 2024

Being as green as we can with energy includes not boiling more water than we need for drinks, turning off appliances and lights when not in use, replacing lightbulbs with LEDs, and opting for energy efficient appliances when buying new ones. In the garden we don’t use power tools – cutting the grass (infrequently) by hand. In the kitchen we have an electric stick blender which is a real boon but otherwise use hand powered tools for cooking such as balloon whisks and a hand cranked coffee grinder. Elbow grease is an undervalued source of energy! And there is also the energy saving component that comes from not buying the electrical item in the first place.

As previously mentioned, we are also able to save energy by showering less often, washing clothes – and therefore ironing – less often.

With cooking, we use primarily the hot plates and microwave, and when using the oven (usually bread making day) cook several items to maximise use the energy. 

Further reading – https://greentau.org/2021/09/10/the-green-tau-issue-16/