Eco Friendly House And Garden

Thinking of eating in season – but not sure what's growing in the spring?

Well, don't worry if your allotment looks a bit bald, and all your seeds say 'plant in may' – there is still plenty of tasty food out there growing locally with the seasons.

Whether it's hearty vegetables you are after, something with a bit of flavour or something light – it is all out there waiting for you to find it – and here is a quick list to help you choose.

Fruit & Veg:

It is spring – so spring onions are out in force – as are their larger twins, the leeks (left over in the ground from last year).  Also still in the shed from last year are my potatoes and onions with some fresh kale - just waiting for a chunky soup to be made!

photo credit: Matter = Energy

New veg just appearing on the scene and over the next few weeks are radishes and new potatoes – as well as some wildfoods like elderberry and gooseberry.

And to season – chicory, samphire, watercress and morel mushrooms!

Are You Game?

Well, needless to say there will be plenty of fresh lamb out there for a nice roast – just pop to a local farm who will no doubt be offering prime cuts of these little woolly wonders!

photo credit: brianfuller6385

Also still out there are all the local seafood specialities caught by the local fishermen along the coasts; we've got crabs, cockles and oysters a-plenty to throw into a dish for the weekend – and sardines to come in the next few weeks.

Pick Your Own…

There are plenty of wild plants out there that you could add to a meal, including wild garlic, dandilions, cleavers, chickweed and cow parsley.

And the more adventurously named nipplewort, navelwort and lesser celendine!

Obviously, before you eat anything new – check that it is safe to do so as nutrient (and toxicity) can change very quickly. For example - with lesser celandine, the leaves should only be eaten before the flowers appear!

Enjoy!

Using aprons and covers for furniture isn't just something nans and great aunties do – it's eco thinking!

We all know that the key to eco friendly living is making good things last longer – rather than throwing away cheap items and buying new ones instead.

And what better way to protect something valuable or just something that you don't want to have to replace that often, than using a protective cover when necessary.

I don't mean covering your carpet in plastic sheeting all year and not letting anyone sit on your furniture – I am just thinking of the simple ways to make your household items last that little bit longer - by reducing waste, and saving you some money in the long run too.

Protect Your Belongings.

Needless to say that when you go out in the mud and rain – you don't put on your Sunday best!  When painting your home I'm sure there won't be a silk blouse or sparkly evening dress anywhere in sight.

It's because you don't want to ruin something unnecessarily when you could have worn something less valuable – or something already dirty instead.  

So why, when you cook your favourite Mexican or Italian dish, don't you protect your everyday clothes?  No doubt you are entertaining friends or have just got in from work – so why aren't your 'nice' clothes worth protecting to?

photo credit: Leszek.Leszczynski

A simple apron – whether practical or indeed comical – could stop fat, dressings and sauces splashing onto your everyday clothes.  You might even make it into 'your thing' – like 'Sarah always has some comedy apron on' – no doubt leading up to whole host of crazy birthday presents from your friends and guests! 

You might be thinking – "but I can just wash the food off" and you are completely right – but at what cost?

Wash, Scrub & Tumble:

Most outer clothes can be washed less frequently than other garments – for example how many times do your socks get washed in relation to your overcoat?

But washing comes at an environmental cost, as do the washing chemicals for heavy staining, the hot water and the subsequent spinning and drying.  So why would you want to create more work for your household appliances and add to your growing budget?

An apron can be used day after day without excessive washing – basically you expect to have a dirty apron – that's what they are for!

And you clothes stay cleaner for longer, can be worn more than just the once in most instances and you will use less energy and resources per cooking experience.

And it's not just aprons that protect your clothes of course; so raincoats, Wellington boots, coveralls, and well worn clothing that you kept hold of over the years can all be used when things are going to get dirty fast!

Protect Your Home:

And it's not just your clothes that need protecting – your furniture and fittings could do with a little help too.

Rather than replace the whole entrance carpet due to the patch of muddy wetness near the door – why not buy a nice rug that covers that area and create a shoe storage area that will keep the mess contained.  That way you only need clean, wash or replace that rug instead of the whole downstairs!

Similarly, make a cover for the footstool that can be cleaned seperately, use a table cloth, tea and plate coasters as well as investing in a pair of slippers or house shoes for everyone to keep the whole place in perfect condition.

Other kitchen tips might include things to reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do and so reduce the chemicals needed.  For example invest in proper microwave containers to prevent explosive splashes up the interior and buy smaller oven trays as and when so that you don't have to clean a whole tray to cook 3 sausages or a few leeks!

And when you choose replacement fittings, appliances and paints, etc – look for the one you like that might last a bit longer depending on your families needs.  For example, darker wall colors in homes where hallways are narrow, so that things that bang against the walls don't leave obvious marks, and coarser darker carpets and rugs in home with back gardens that lead straight indoors – especially where dogs and cats are involved, as I know they don't wipe their feet!

Even internal doorways can become worn down through repeated use, so maybe consider rugs there too, and moving the furniture around always keeps the carpets fresh in a room where a 'pathway' seems to form – like around your bed or along the hallway between dining room and kitchen or wherever.

By protecting the small part of the whole item that will bear the brunt of your actions – you can make the whole item last longer, and you will soon see the eco (and financial) gains from your actions.

Here’s an easy recipe for a chunky vegetable soup, and is so versatile you can use any vegetables you have to make it so saving waste if you have any short-dated produce.

Basically, you need at least 3 big vegetables all chopped up and a saucepan with a lid. It’s that simple.

Obviously you can chop and change these ingredients as you wish and add stock and herbs if you like, depending on your taste. I don’t mind my soup just tasting like the vegetables themselves – but we are all different – and have different left-overs too!!

I make soup like this all the time, the larger the better as I freeze single portions in lunchboxes for later so then I’ve only had to make it once. But of course, you can make it with whatever you have left over from the weeks shopping and as large or as small as you like!

The Recipe:
By following the general recipe below, you should make about 4 portions of delicious chunky soup! Don’t forget that it is very flexible, so pick any vegetables you want. I always use organic where possible so I don’t have to peel them – just give them a good wash. This helps to give the soup a bit of texture too and lessens waste!

Ingredients:

• A large portion of hard vegetables – for example: 1 giant sweet potato, 2 regular parsnips or 1 medium swede.
• A large portion of soft vegetables – for example: 1 large courgette or 1 large head of broccoli or cauliflower.
• A medium portion or strong flavoured veg – for example: 1 medium leek, 1 large onion or 2/3 red onions.

Finally – about 100-150ml of water or stock – basically enough to almost cover you ingredients in the pan.

Preparation Time:
5-10 minutes washing and chopping vegetables.
20-25 minutes cooking time.

Directions:

• Wash all the vegetables in a bowl of water rather than running water. If you do peel any, give the skins to your guinea pigs to eat, or throw them into your compost bin!
• Chop the hard vegetables up into reasonable chunks or slices – not too small, so about the size of a Brazil nut.
• Chop the soft vegetables up into slightly large chunks or slices.
• Slice the leek into thin slices or the onions into small chunks.
• Boil the kettle with at least 200mls of fresh water.
• Put the chopped hard vegetables into the saucepan and start to heat with a little oil. When vegetables are sizzling, take pan off the heat and place on a cold plate. Add the soft vegetables and leeks or onions, then pour on enough boiling water (or stock) to cover nearly all the contents. Take care as the pan may fizzle and steam at this point.
• Return pan to the heat and wait for it to start boiling again.
• When boiling, lower the heat to a simmer (where you can just see the odd bubbles rising around the edges) then cover with a vented lid. Watch for a few minutes as the lid can sometimes increase the boiling rate. If it starts to bubble too much, then lower temperature slightly.
• With the spare water in the kettle – make yourself a nice cup of tea!
• After about 10 minutes, stir contents slightly and add chopped herbs, spices or garlic if required. If the water level is getting low, then top up with fresh water, but make sure you don’t add to much.
• After a further 10 minutes, stir again. Ideally your soft vegetables have started to break up and your hard vegetables are nice and mushy.
• If not, replace the lid and turn up the heat a tiny bit for another 5 minutes.
• If there is a lot of excess water after this, empty some out before the next step, but don’t worry if there is a small amount left in the pan.
• When ready, you should stir the contents firmly with a wooden spoon to break up the vegetables completely so that none are distinguishable from the general mush. You can use a potato-masher for this if you want to but it will break up the chunks if done too vigorously!

Pour your serving into a bowl and serve immediately with some chunky, buttered home-made bread or a giant handfull of home-made toasted croutons!

Any remaining soup should be left uncovered in the pan (on a cold surface) until ready to decant into smaller containers for freezing. Remember not to put hot food straight into your fridge or freezer as it will raise the temperature slightly. This will not only affect the health of other foods you are storing in there, but will also create more work for your appliance to get cold again!

Other tips:
Here are just a few tips that could help you out when making the soups or just saving wate in the kitchen.

Using the soup for other dishes:
If you want to make the soup go further, then freeze slightly smaller portions. I tend to boil up some brown rice or wholegrain pasta for meals – then when this is cooked, I drain off the water and add the defrosted soup. Stir it all together until the soup is piping hot right through then serve thickly spread onto fresh buttered bread, eat as a soup, or dish up like a risotto with fresh vegetables on the side.

Making you own stock:
If you want to make your own vegetable stock, just save the water from boiled or steamed vegetables and freeze until needed.

To make your own chicken or meat stock it takes a bit longer, but is just as simple. Just save bones from other dishes or a whole chicken carcass from your roast – then boil for a few hours in a covered pan (with veg if you want), keeping the water.

Making your own croutons:
This makes great use of stale bread, or saves bread about to go out of date. But to make bread ‘stale’ it needs to be out in the open really so it reacts with the air. Out of date bread left in the bag will just go mouldy, so make sure that you get it out of the bag in time!

Take the bread and fry it in a pan with plenty of oil (and garlic or herbs). When the bread has soaked up all it can and has gone quite hard on the surface, move onto a plate and cut up into small squares. Use immediately or store in an open container in the fridge until needed.