Up to a third of global warming gases come from our food and food production. By making some small changes in what we eat and how we prepare it can massively help fight climate change without sacrificing taste, nutrition and variety – whilst being healthy and saving you money.
Recent studies have shown conclusively that eating a vegan diet massively reduces the damage to the environment caused by food production. The research showed that vegan diets resulted in 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution and land use than diets in which more than 100g of meat a day was eaten. Vegan diets also cut the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%, the study found.
Another key factor is eating seasonal produce as much as possible which saves on the extra energy used to heat greenhouses for out of season produce.
NB Rapeseed oil is an excellent choice in place of olive oil as it is actually healthier when cooking at high temperatures. This locally produced oil is available in refillable bottles from Stokesley Farmers’ market and also What Planet Are You On in Guisborough.
1. Growing your own in autumn: windowsill
Growing fresh, delicious food at home doesn’t need transport from source to market so cuts the greenhouse gases from transportation.
Autumn is a good time to grow new rosemary plants from cuttings, either from your own plants or ask a friend! Select healthy shoots and take cuttings 10-15cm long. Trim the cuttings just below a leaf node and remove the lowest leaves and soft tips. Filled pots with a mix of 50% peat-free compost and 50% horticultural sand or grit, then place cuttings around the edges of pots. Place pots in a warm, bright position on a windowsill, out of direct sunlight, and keep the medium moist but not waterlogged. Once they have rooted successfully, pot up the new rosemary plants into their own individual pots or plant out in your garden next summer.
Rosemary infused oil
Rinse a good handfull of fresh rosemary sprigs in water and allow them to dry completely before stripping the leaves from the woody stem. To help release the scent and oils, slightly crush the rosemary leaves with the back of a spoon. Add the leaves to a saucepan and pour over 250ml rapeseed or olive oil. Warm the oil over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, taking care not to allow the mixture to reach a simmer. Turn off the ring and let the herbs to infuse into the oil for a least an hour. The longer you let it infuse, the more intense the rosemary will be.
Use your aromatic rosemary oil for dipping bread, making dressings or drizzling over roast vegetables.
2. Growing your own in autumn: garden or allotment
If you’re fortunate enough to have a gaden with growing space or an allotment you can continue to grow your own through autumn and winter.Overwintering broad beans can be sown from the middle of October and they will provide an early crop next year. You can protect them against particularly cold weather by covering them with fleece or cloches which will also deter hungry mice and pigeons!
You can still sow spinach in autumn, either sow directly in the ground or in pots. After sowing you can expect to harvest young leaves around six weeks later, but for best results protect the crop by covering them with a cloche or fleece if the weather drops below freezing.
Other autumn planting includes garlic cloves (which needs a cold spell to start growing) and onion sets. You can grow garlic from supermarket bulbs but there’s a risk of virus infection. If you buy from proper planting stock, it should be virus free. And you can also choose a variety that has been bred especially for our climate.
A couple of extra seasonal gardening tips:
Do not be too hasty cutting down your beans; they may not be producing beans anymore but they will still be providing nitrogen to your soil for next year’s crops.
When cutting down your sweet corn stems, you may notice their similarity to bamboo. So use it like that next season for supporting your crops!
Sag aloo
Heat 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large pan, add 1 finely chopped onion, 2 sliced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp chopped ginger, and fry for about 3 mins. Stir in 500g potatoes, cut into 2cm chunks, 1 halved, deseeded and finely sliced red chilli, ½ tsp black mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp turmeric and ½ tsp salt and continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins more. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook for 8-10 mins. When the potatoes are cooked, add 250g spinach leaves and let it wilt into the pan. Take off the heat and serve with rice or naan bread.
3. Waste not, want not!
Globally, 25–30% of total food produced is lost or wasted, and food waste is estimated to contribute 8-10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Windfall apple cake
Use a little dairy free spread to grease a 20cm deep cake tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Pour 300ml oat milk into a jug, add 1tbsp lemon juice and leave to sit for 5 mins at room temperature. Put 350g SR flour, 100g caster sugar, 100g light brown sugar and 1tsp baking powder in a large bowl, pour over the thickened oat milk mixture and 1tsp almond extract, then add 150g dairy free spread and ½ tsp salt. Beat everything together using an electric whisk. Tip 300g windfall apples (peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm cubes) into a second large bowl, sprinkle over an extra 1tbsp flour and toss to coat. Fold the apples through the cake batter using a spatula, then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the almonds. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hr or until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin before serving
Vegetable peel crisps
Preheat oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Pat dry 400g scrubbed root vegetable peelings (beetroot, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes) and put in a large bowl. Toss with 3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, 2tsp garlic granules, 1tsp smoked paprika, 2tsp ground cumin, salt and black pepper. Spread the peelings out in an even layer on 2 baking trays and roast for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway, until dried and golden brown. Keep an eye on them to avoid burning.
Leave to cool and crisp up and then enjoy as a snack, or as a crunchy topper for autumn soups such as the following protein packed soup which uses up the flesh from your Halloween pumpkin lantern! You can also use the pumpkin seeds as tasty nibbles full of protein.
Creamy (Halloween) pumpkin & lentil soup
Heat 1tbsp rapeseed or olive oil in a large pan. Fry 2 chopped onions until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir in 2 chopped garlic cloves, 800g pumpkin flesh, 100g red lentils and small handful thyme, then pour in 1l vegetable stock. Season, cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Blend the cooked pumpkin mixture with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth, then add 50g coconut milk yoghurt or vegan cream and blend again. Taste for seasoning then serve with a small dollop of coconut milk yoghurt or vegan cream.
Toasted (Halloween) spicy pumpkin seeds
Wash the pumpkin seeds to remove any flesh, dry on kitchen roll. Heat 1tsp rapeseed oil in a non-stick pan and fry the seeds until they start to jump and pop. Stir frequently, but cover the pan in between to keep them in it. When the seeds look nutty and toasted, add a sprinkling of salt and a pinch of smoked paprika, stir well and take off the heat.
CASaV Leaflets
This page is also available as one of a series of CASaV Leaflets, so you can download a printable pdf here – double sided tri-fold leaflet or an editable version which you can make your own and use for your group – OpenOffice document.
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 