Little Green Space
|
Little Green Space |
|
| October 2008
October 26, 2008 Harvest The weather forecast for the coming week is pretty bad - it's going to get cold and we will almost certainly have our first frost within the next couple of days. So today we got in all the crops that could be affected - apples, carrots, beans, salad and tomatoes. We now have a small mountain of apples sheltering in our shed. Luckily, some friends of friends have let us borrow their apple press - so we will have to get pressing pretty soon. We still have no means of crushing the apples prior to pressing, though: I can feel an experiment with a sledge hammer and a bucket coming on! October 25, 2008 Our Daily Bread The price of a large loaf from the supermarket is now well over £1.50, so I decided it was time to invest in a breadmaker. My last (cheap) breadmaker exploded after a couple of years, so this time I have splashed out and bought the rather more expensive Panasonic SD . This has had great online reviews and a couple of friends have recommended it too. I'm hoping the environmental impact of using a breadmaker is less than buying supermarket loaf - the food miles should be reduced, there is less packaging, and we know exactly what has gone into the bread. We are trying to become less dependent on large supermarkets for food, anyway, so producing our own bread seems a logical step. Of course, having said that, the first thing I did was pop to the supermarket to buy some bread flour! However, I'm looking into locally produced flour. There is no wheat currently grown in Derbyshire, but flour is ground at Heage Windmill. The flour is available at Bakewell Farmers' Market, so I shall be seeking it out on my next visit. By the way, check out our new Events Calendar. October 23, 2008 Still Walking! This week our kids' schools have had a Walk to School Week. We have managed to stay car-free all week, and the kids have walked to school every day. Some days Rich has taken the bike, and wheeled the kids along on it (to save their legs), then cycled home (to save him time!) Walking with them, I realised how much the fresh air and exercise clears my head first thing in the morning. It must be true for the kids, too - so I'm convinced they are more ready to learn after walking, than when they have been ferried to school in the car. And there has been a surprisingly significant drop in our monthly fuel bill. I've also learned that driving part of the way to school, then walking the rest of the way, has an official name according to Derbyshire County Council - "Park and Stride". We do this whenever the weather is bad, so it's good to know what to call it! October 19, 2008 Apple Day Yesterday we all went to the annual Apple Day at Scarthin Books in Cromford. The weather was fantastic, and there was a lovely atmosphere with a folk band playing and people wandering around asking to try each others apples.
We took a big bag of apples with us and had a chance to use one of the apple presses to turn our apples into juice. The result was cloudy and brown and not at all like the stuff you buy from the supermarket - and it tasted fantastic! The kids loved it, so we are now looking into the purchase of an apple press. Which, of course, would support my cider-making plans! Meanwhile, I've been creating all kinds of appley goodies in the kitchen, including these savoury cheese and apple pastries, and sweet speedy apple pastries. October 17, 2008 Our Stove
After a long and complicated process that began back in August, we are now the proud owners of a handsome Clearview Vision 500 wood burning stove. The process was complicated because we want to link up the stove with our central heating and hot water, a request which seemed to cause most people who came to give us quotes to tut and shake their heads in an it-can't-be-done-more-trouble-than-it's-worth sort of way. We also needed to decide on a make and size of stove from the dozens on the market. Then Rob and Jane from Transition Matlock invited us round to their house to see their wood burners and solar panels, which convinced us it could be done. They put us in touch with Alan (also involved with Transition Matlock!) who came round to our house the next day. He was so inspiring - and used phrases like "that's not a problem" and "that's easy enough to do" a lot which reassured us no end. Both Rob and Alan have Clearview stoves in their homes, as do our friends Andy and Debbie, and after researching the online forums (the It's Not Easy Being Green forum was especially useful) I knew that I wanted a Clearview. The next problem was getting hold of one. Stove sales have gone through the roof recently, a combination of more people wanting to heat their homes in a more sustainable way, and surging energy prices. The first couple of suppliers I phoned couldn't even tell me when they'd have a stove in - it was just a case of ordering one and waiting for it to arrive - probably not before Christmas. Then I contacted The Fireplace at New Mills, and told them what I wanted. "I have one sitting right in front of me" said the salesperson, Holly. "The man who ordered it has just phoned up to say he doesn't want it any more, because it won't fit in his fireplace" I paid a deposit there and then, and today we drove up to collect it. We are now just waiting for the back boiler to arrive, so that Alan can come and fit it for us. The whole process has made me realise what a fantastic thing the Transition movement is. It's put us in touch with loads of like-minded people, all who want to do something to combat climate change in a practical way. We all have skills and knowledge that we can share within the community, and that is very valuable indeed. October 10, 2008 Crumbles! We now have 26 2lb portions of stewed apples in the freezer. That's an awful lot of crumbles! We have also made and eaten at least 5 apple crumbles since the beginning of September. We are all eating an apple a day (it keeps the doctor away, apparently). And each Saturday we have apple pancakes for breakfast, with honey. Yum! I'm also beginning to wonder whether cider might not be a bad idea... October 6, 2008 Walking to School We have been making a real effort to reduce our car use as much as possible, so are trying to walk the kids to school, instead of drive, as much as possible. This has been quite pleasant in the fine autumn weather we've been having. If we are running late (which happens a lot) we drive just part of the way then walk the rest - this at least reduces the traffic congestion - which is really awful - around the school. This morning I went off to work with both sets of car- keys in my handbag - a pretty good way to ensure that the kids walk to school! October 4, 2008 Transition Matlock Launched! Last night saw the launch event for Transition Matlock. It was a great success, with 5 speakers giving presentations on issues such as climate change, peak oil and the transition movement, some film clips (including a short film I had made specially for the evening about ways to cut your carbon footprint, live music and locally grown organic apples! Rich was one of the speakers, giving a talk about climate change and the six-degree scenario, which you should take a look at if you haven't heard of it before - but be warned, it is pretty scary stuff. There were over 50 people at the event last night and there was a really good atmosphere in the room - everyone was very positive and enthusiastic, and loads of people are keen to get involved. The next Transition Matlock event will be a screening of the award winning film "A Crude Awakening" on Friday 17 October at the Imperial Rooms, Matlock, and further events are planned - keep checking out these pages for news!
|
