Some useful links…
Go Tap– lots of reading on the environmental impact of bottled water, opinions and stats.
Cheeki Stainless Steel drink bottles
The Story of Bottled Water– (same creator of ‘the story of stuff’)
“Drinking water in Melbourne or Sydney costs around $1.20 a tonne,” says Mr Kiernan. “Australian bottled water costs around $3000 a tonne. And Italian bottled water? About $9000 a tonne. It’s more expensive than petrol…” The Age article.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWJM1uIsmJc
Some useful links…
Slow Fish– Slow Food International’s Slow Fish campaign.
Fish Fight– Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s campaign.
Greenpeace International Seafood Red List.
Sustainable Seafood Guide– Australia.
Tuna– Industrial tuna fishing brings in big money as people love the stuff. It’s a cheap, tasty form of protein that appeals to many, either in the form of the handy little cans or eaten fresh and whole.
Greenpeace’s Canned Tuna Guide. Which brands to aim for and which ones to dodge.
http://www.fish-4-ever.com/ A UK based company, that uses skipjack tuna caught in the Maldives. Line and pole method.
A short snippet of what line and pole method actually means. (I found this fascinating!)
What you can do
Read more about the topic
Blog about it
Start a conversation about sustainable fishing
Vote with your dollar.
This, to many people with lovely edible gardens, back yards, ample sun, and green fingers will probably not be the post for you. This is a story of a couple of happy pots that despite their partial sunny aspect, and unlikely sitting position (on top of a gas meter box) are surviving.
When we first moved here, I was desperate for some greenery. I spent quite a bit of money on containers, seedlings, soil, potting mix, mulch, and hangers to go off the fence. The Monkeys and I trawled the streets looking for more containers we could grow things in. Carting them back home with high hopes of a sea of green down the side of our flat. Time went by, and I did grow things. I tried to companion plant, I looked up seasonal planting guides and tried to make smart choices with what I chose to grow. Some things grew, some things were eaten to stumps by usually slimy creatures of one kind or another. I looked up natural ways to get rid of pests. I went out at night with a torch to protect my little patch of green. I would check on these same pots as soon as I woke, looking anxiously out my window to see if they had survived the night.
Unfurl yourself slithery beast from those delicate green tendrils. Begone, and never darken my gas meter box again!
Time went by and I had got to the point where I was putting more and more money into my poor little pots. I was getting nothing back in return except for disappointment and frustration. Getting the right levels of acidity, sunlight, depth of potting mix was getting too tricky. Edible gardens in pots was just too hard for me with the partial sun aspect and resources that I had.
I gave up.
I planted flowers. Flowers that would hopefully attract bees. Maybe that would be something, a tiny something I could do.
Time went by and the pots slowly called to me again. I really wanted to grow something on that darn gas meter box and falling down paling fence. I didn’t have an acre, or a backyard. All I had was a bricked sideway apartment block.
I thought I would try with just one pot. Don’t worry about the rest of the pots sitting stacked up. Just focus on the one.
Rosemary. I popped in some worm castings, gave it some daily whispered love to its green stems… and bless my Birkenstocks if it didn’t grow!
It is growing, still growing. I tentatively added a blueberry, and it still survives. My dad gave me some mint. Despite being eaten to green stumps by minute caterpillars, it’s still with me too. (I went out and plucked the caterpillars off twice a day until there was none left.)
Mama, why are you throwing the caterpillar towards the road?
It needs to go for a WALK!
I got optimistic and planted some Italian chilli seeds, within a week green shoots were coming up. Big green leaves…hmm, I might not have the greenest thumb around but unless I’m wrong, Italians don’t grow chilli in the shape of cucumber leaves. (Presuming that’s what it is)
I also had a geranium in a fence container, two capsicums sprung up as a surprise package and seemed to suck out all of the life of the geranium while it looked pretty good. They then battled for top dog, couldn’t decide who was going to be boss so it seems they both have given up and are now looking a little exhausted from the whole ordeal and worse for wear. Never mind, I can console myself with my little patch of greenery to the right.
My little green gas meter box garden.
******
* If anyone can answer a couple of my ‘I’m not so sure’ questions, I would be very thankful.
1/ What should I do with my chilli/ cucumber plants? Should I haul one out? Which one? (Given, that it’s a miracle they both look happy, and I’m a little nervous about moving either while they look so…alive.)
2/ Is it really a cucumber? Zucchini…god forbid in that tiny pot, pumpkin?
Some people love chilli and some people hate it. Some people start sweating profusely and some just get a little light glow when they eat it. Most of the time I really enjoy it. It can enhance a meal, and take it to another level. Or it can also blow my socks off, make my eyes water like two taps, and make it impossible to converse with. As the subject at hand is only… dear god, how am I going to get through this meal! (Like a recent situation at a mexican restaurant with friends.)
My new favourite chilli sauce is a Louisiana Hot Sauce that my brother gave me. Damn, it’s good. I’m rationing it out as I don’t want it to end. It’s a little sweet, a little peppery, a little hot and a whole lot of tasty. Turns every meal that I’ve put it on into a mmmmm meal.
The recent Mexican meal certainly wasn’t the hottest I have eaten. That particular chilli was a sambal eaten in Sabah, Malaysia. A tiny little family run hole in the wall in the jungle. It looked hot, you could see it was hot. It sat in the middle of the table taunting fellow diners with its fiery temptation. I liked hot, I’d built myself up for this…I could do it. I was also not stupid, I knew that there was a small dish for a reason. Small dish means take a small amount. So I did. You could not have got a smaller amount of sambal on my tongue. It was minuscule, a pin head size. I took it straight, I wasn’t scared….So. Hot. So. Darn. Hot. My eyeballs shot out. My tongue was instantly numb. My hand reached for the glass of water. Then the jug. I’m not sure what I ate for the rest of the meal as my tongue was still lying in a comatose state against the side of my mouth. With taste buds stripped. I straightened myself up and continued on with the enjoyable meal with my companions. Hey, you should really try the chilli…
200gms long green chillies
8 small red chillies
2.5cm long knob of ginger
7 cloves garlic
2.5 cups white vinegar
2.5 cups sugar
3 tps salt
Blitz the the chilli, ginger, garlic in what ever you have at home. A couple of seconds is all it needs. Pop it in to a pan, cook off for a minute, then add vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir, and keep it at a rolling boil until it thickens a little (30-40 mins.)
Now this little number is a bit hot, but not crazy hot and it still has flavour. After seeing a demonstration by Sally Wise at the Taste Festival and seeing how quickly she pulled this together, I was inspired. I’ll never, ever buy sweet chilli sauce again. There is absolutely no need. Whack a bottle of this in the fridge and it will keep for ages. Now if you don’t like it so hot. Simply take the seeds out of the chilli or at least some of them, (I didn’t though for this batch) as the heat is in the seeds.
Now go make something delicious to serve it with.
There used to be a little old man that lived at the top of my street. His front of house filled with home grown edibles. Every inch of space was filled with some sort of recyled object that in turn had been filled with soil and had something growing in it. Australia Post mail tubs housed capsicum plants lining his brick wall. His footpath grass not present but instead a lemon tree surrounded by a seasonal selection of leafy greens. Every space possible was used for something to grow in. Recycled rusty tin drums were home to chillis and a worn out old metal box his compost. Every time we would past he would be either tending his loved plants, basking in the sun with his head tilted on his verandah (the tiny space that was still free for 1 chair) or waiting by the footpath for someone to come past, so that he could chat to them.
A greek immigrant he had been in the country for 60 years he proudly told me one day. 94 years old, not a speck over 5 foot and he still loved to garden. With his clothing that didn’t look like it had had a wash for quite some time, gnarled old fingers that hadn’t been washed for quite some time as well and dentures that kept popping out of his mouth. He wasn’t the usual kind of neighbour that a lot of people had.
He liked to stop me, and offer water cress freshly plucked from the side of the footpath, and then happily munch on it, until his mouth gave up with trying to masticate the trying greenery with those popping dentures, then he would spit it out enthusiastically towards the general direction of his compost.
Now why am I telling you stories of an eccentric little old man? Because that little old man had big ideas. Simple ideas, that have pestered me ever since he voiced them to me. Why (as he pointed to the multi level apartments located near him) do they not have a communal garden in there? Why do they not have a simple lemon tree? Everyone could be using all the things that they grow within their small shared space. Even a little lemon tree makes a difference. We eat everything I grow. So simple…
Why indeed my little old man… Living in a big city, I see building happening all around me all the time. Quaint historic houses making way for multi story apartment blocks. Beautiful 3 bedroom houses with one bathroom, making way for 2/3 bedroom, 3 bathroom multiple level apartments. I understand the need for more accommodation in big cities, what I don’t understand is why these changes can’t be made more sustainable. Sure they don’t have to be using any recycled object within its path to be made into a growing pot. But surely these newly built places could accommodate a food growing area, that can be easily watered by nearby water tank, and then utilised by the people living there.
But who will look after it, we don’t have time?… Usually these big blocks, (or even smaller blocks of only 4) will have a body corporate or an outside designated company that organises all maintenance of the outside areas. This garden area could easily be maintained by the same people surely? Or a rotating roster of people within the complex that would be more than willing to look after the gardens. So many people would like to dig their fingers into dirt and don’t get the opportunities due to city living constraints.
But there isn’t room on the ground for these garden areas? We need carparking!… It doesn’t need to be on the ground, there is a perfectly good rooftops with ample sunlight just begging for a little urban edible gardening. Roof top gardens can be easily built on flat roofs or a low pitch roof, and have many added benefits besides providing food to tennants.
Erd House (below) is located in Switzerland, not really a city living dwelling but still magnificent, and I wanted to sneak it in.
erd house by Swiss architect Peter Vetsch
In the pipelines there is also Sydney City Farm. Still waiting approval at this stage….
Simple things like these roof top gardens, or shared edible gardening spaces within apartment living could have such a dramatic and positive influence on our environment and city living peoples lives. So many countries and people have embraced this way of living around the world. It would be so wonderful though, to be able to walk around my neighbourhood and see more examples of this happening…
A good place to start if you are interested in more information is here.
Todays post is about giving the local trading network a bit of a mention. Its a great concept, and if more people got involved who knows what could happen!
So what is it?
The Community Exchange System (CES) is a community-based exchange system that provides ways for its users to exchange their goods and services, both locally and further a field. A global trading network that operates without money.
Say what?… No money?… uhuh.
The CES has no physical currency. So no money changes hands at all.
Around the world these systems may be called- Community Exchange Systems, Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS), Mutual Credit trading systems or Time Banks.
Here where I am its called LETS. Or Local Exchange Trading Systems.
Every members time is of equal worth. One hour of time is worth 20 ‘operas’ (depends on the area is what they call the currency). Every member has an account that they set up on joining. When Jackson pays Mack 20 operas for a personal training session then it goes into the account. Jackson is -20 and Mack is +20. So Mack has just ‘created’ his own money. Which he can then use for a massage with Julia.
And so on and so forth. There is no limits. Everyone has something to offer and people always want something.
Some examples of what could be on offer.
House cleaning
Babysitting
Personal trainer
Kids face painting for parties
Cakes
Gardening
Holiday accommodation
The possibilities are really endless….
Why don’t I grow food in pots?…
It really is a good question. I live in a flat, I have many pots that are empty and ready to be used. I certainly have the inclination. But…
I have been down this road several times before. So much so, that I have spent quite a lot of money on organic potting mix, seeds, seedlings, and pots. I have trawled the streets with my kids on the look out for pots during council clean up periods and still nothing to show for it. When we first moved in here I started off all gung ho and with lots of ideas of harvesting from all my bountiful pots.
What went wrong?
Not enough sun light in the court yard? Too much rain? Not enough rain? Then when they did flourish so did the slugs and caterpillars. A true feast for them!
So after numerous occasions of trying, it has just got the point where I am putting way too much money in to the potting project and just have to admit defeat. So for the time being I will stick to my succulents and my window box flowers that are supposed to be attracting good bugs and bees….
… just not at the moment.
I was at playgroup this morning and someone started asking me questions about worm farms, what to put in and what not to. I did for a split second think thats a bit weird, I don’t know you, no one was talking about worms, an odd conversation to start up but hey. I knew the answers so, happily told her what the little fellas like to eat. When I was finished, she said,
“I knew you would know the answers”
“why? Do I look like the wormy type?”
“yes, you do”.
Now, I thought this was really funny. A small part of me thought I should be a little offended, but the rest of me just had a good chuckle and thought ‘city hippy farm girl’ in mind and body.
I was wearing plaits…does that make a difference?
cityhippyfarmgirl 