If you follow a zero waste and ethical lifestyle you might also often shop organic. But... should you? Firstly, entering an organic supermarket might trick your mind that everything inside is healthy. Think again: organic really is not the synonym of healthy. Even organic products can be full of unhealthy fats or full of sugars. Secondly: you may think that is all ethical and will contribute to a better world. Well, wrong. Some ‘organic’ products have travelled for miles and miles, sometimes for no reason whatsoever as the same produce can be found in season growing nearby. And organic labelling is not always that clear, with honey coming from mixtures of eu and non eu blends, just to give an example : what exactly does that even mean?! Where is it coming from ? Not to talk about packaging - often as exaggerated and not recyclable, same as a normal shop.. Moreover, you may notice the same brands and big names in commerce through all of the organic shops, at least Europe-wide. This tells me that ‘organic’ is a capitalism-fuelling business. I am somewhat lucky enough to have had some insights into organic certification. One thing for certain is expensive! So your local farm might still not use any chemicals or pesticides but may also not be certified as organic. Moral of the story? Don’t trust all that ‘organic’ shops throw at you. To be truly sustainable is important to use your brain and your own judgment.
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We are increasingly being told that eating meat, paricularly beef, is not very compatible with a sustainable lifestyle. And some are putting all of their efforts into reducing its consumption. Which can only be a positive sign of change (yet I am a firm believer that this is only a small part of a bigger problem and vegan diets can also have profound impacts).
But does it mean we need to turn into a vegan world? No. And that wouldn’t be sustainable either. Yes, I believe less is more and reducing our meat consumption overall to a few times a week rather than daily can only bring benefits (to our health too!). I also believe in variety, eating a bit of everything and trying new things. Aren’t humans meant to be omnivores?? So a recent article on ‘il fatto quotidiano’ (only available in Italian, sorry foreign friends!), telling people to try and eat nutria sparked my mind. If some species become pests and are deemed safe enough to eat, then why not try? If culling needs to happen then we might as well make the most of it and commercialise this kind of meats? Of course I am not saying free for all, take as much as you want. But, since culling is usually regulated, then let’s cull with more purpose. I remember being appalled when one fellow PhD student told me his project was to find attractants for deers, to then cull them. At the time I didn’t know that ,because in Ireland there are no more natural predators, deers are a pest, a problem. Causing car accidents etc... so allowing hunting for this species with the purpose of eating and the secon benefit of keeping the pop low should be allowed. There. Not in another places, here Italy comes to my mind, where it happens anyway (illegally?), leaving wolves with less natural prey, forcing them to turn to sheep, giving wolves a bad name amongst farming communities... So here we go- to make wild eating sustainable we should consider it in its context, but we shouldn’t rule it out. And if you cull it - try to eat it! With all these, recent and not, talks on plastic pollution and reducing plastic, some of you dear readers may be convinced to start your zero waste journey. While i want to assure you that it is a personal journey filled with daily discoveries, and not an overnight switch, I want to share with you part of my journey and a few key ‘ingredients’ of my daily attempts as a zero waster. For some inspiration you can also find my Pinterest board, albeit not recently updated... Step 1 - make your own Whenever you can, make your own. Of what you ask? Of everything! From bringing a pack lunch, to making your own shampoo/deodorant/toothpaste.. basically everything that you would normally buy in a package - you can probably make a diy version Step 2 - bring your own... ...mug/cup, cutlery, lunchbox, water bottle.. you get the gist! Step 3 - use it till the end Let’s say you slipped on point one and two, or maybe are just at the first arm with this zero waste thing, and you have packaged things in your house. Or maybe food that comes in containers. Whatever it is - use it until there is absolutely nothing left. This means opening up containers and rasping up the insides. You will be surprised! Do that with toothpaste for example and you will be surprised but you may get one or even two more days out of it. I do it often for yogurt which I get in big tetrapak containers, and I get a whole extra portion out of it! All left over on the sides and at the bottom.. Step 4 - find it another purpose Jars can be reused to keep food over and over again, but can also be used for a nice candle or other decoration. Use your fantasy, and if you need inspiration head over to Pinterest or other similar sites and you will get plenty of ideas! Step 5 - think twice about your scraps Scrap parts, whether it is bones from your Sunday roast, the head of a fish or maybe that hard part of the cauliflower or the zest of the orange.. you can definitely use it in some alternative recipe! Make some broths, enhance flavour of jam..get creative in the kitchen! Step 6 - ditch the use by date mentality Lastly (at least for this post) use your sight and your smell instead of the sell by or use by date of your food. They tend to be way too conservative and more often than not the food will still be good! If you have been buying away from supermarkets and avoided buying in packages chances are your food doesn’t even have one of those dates printed so you will have to use those senses, but if you happen to have a carton of milk - just smell before throwing it away. Still good? Great! Seems a little off? Why not make some yogurt or cottage cheese? Countless times I have been told that cooking healthy and sustainably is only for the wealthy, that is too expensive to follow the sustainable life, that people have family so how can they afford to eat well ? Today’s recipe is not only yummy and full of goodness, it’s also zero waste and sustainable as well as being very very cheap (about €2.50 everything included for one very large portion or two smaller ones). Ok, I am telling you in advance is not really suitable for the faint of heart and it’s not super quick ( it does require a little preparation). Firstly, you will have to go find yourself a local fishmonger – ‘fishmonger?’ I hear you scream ‘but everyone knows that fish is expensive, how can this be a fish-based recipe?’. Simple! We are using "scraps" So, here goes the second task: ask them for some scrap parts. I got myself a nice fish head (full of meaty parts as well!) for a whole €0.50!!! I added to it a couple of crab claws as they are very tasty, but see what takes your fancy. Some molluscs would make a nice addition. Now, onto the preparation. To divide the meat from the bones I firstly gave the head a quick boil. It stayed intact, and took it out (keep the water though!!) and divided the good meat from the bones. I kept the bones (more on this in a minute). Then added the meat and other good parts from the head to the water, together with the crab claws, a can of peeled plum tomatoes, a shallot and a hint of chilli. Back on to cooking and it’s done! With the bones that I previously kept – they are still full of goodness, so why not make some fish stock for later-on in the week? Just add water and boil for as long as you can (the longer the better but be wary of losing too much water) – then sieve the bones out and done! Freeze or refrigerate and you have some nutrient dense stock to add to your next meal!
Coffee.. as many worldwide I am part of the 'coffee-addicts': without my first morning cup I can barely make sense. But how can we coffee addict ensure that our addiction is as sustainable as possible??
First: choose fair trade
Those beans that give us so much pleasures comes from countries far away where workers can be exploited, so make sure not to contribute to their exploitation by choosing fair trade, look out for the symbol and remember that cheaper isn't always better!
Second: coffee machine
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New fancy machines have recently taken over the coffee market - these often use pods which are disposable... if you have one of those don't worry there are solutions: recyclable pods, recycling through the company, or buy a refillable pod!
Third: Give coffee a second life |
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Plants also benefit from coffee properties so revitalise your greens by giving them some of the leftovers or adding grain to the terrain !!!
So - could we learn how to cook them and make good use of a nuisance species?
In Italy, for example, we eat a closely related species, Carcinus aestuarii, along the Adriatic. Fishermen harvest the crabs just before they molt, and these softshelled crabs, called Moeche, are placed in an egg mixture, then fried and eaten mostly as aperitivo - YUM!
On a really interesting website, called eattheinvaders,org (also amazing for recipes of other nuisance species, including herbs) there is
a recipe for soft shelled crabs:
2 soft-shell crabs per person
about 2 teaspoons of butter per crab, or enough to cover the bottom of the pan
Cleaning a softshell is easy, for in this condition it is far from being its usual belligerent self and can be handled with impunity. With a sharp knife remove the eyes and the stomach, which is the soft substance just below and behind the eyes. Make a slit along each side, fold back the top skin a bit, and remove the “devil’s fingers”—or gills—those spongy strips just under the back. Rinse the crab in cold water and the job is done.
Melt butter over medium heat in a pan equipped with a tight cover. Put in the crabs, cover, and sauté for about 10 minutes, shaking or turning them occasionally so they brown to an even golden color all over.
Soft-Shells should be served with French bread. Garnish the crab with lemon slices, parsley, and watercress.
And for the Moeche
As many soft-shell crabs as you can find
3 egg yolks
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
Wash the moleche, or softshell crabs, in salt water. Beat the egg yolks and place in a bowl with a pinch of salt and Parmesan cheese. Mix the crabs with egg, allowing them to rest in the bowl for a few minutes to absorb the yolk.
Dip the crabs in flour and fry in hot oil (375 degrees for approximately five minutes or until golden brown). Dry them on paper towels to absorb the grease. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.
From the same website, a comment from Mark Zanger says "I’ve hit only some big ones on the bay shore of lower Cape Cod, but find them so delicious they are worth picking from the shell. [...], I will stir-fry them black-bean sauce in the Cantonese manner.", and apparently chefs have been challenging themselves to try new recipes. Rich Vellante, executive chef of Legal Sea Foods in Boston, told the Boston Globe that green crab stock had a “pleasing ocean flavor.” He thought he could do something with it–and has started testing risotto and minestrone dishes.
So I am calling all "wanna-be-chefs" to try out new recipes with these nuisance, I for one will challenge myself to try out some new recipes and why not, maybe host a crab party (NIOZ people you are warned in advance now, put your cooking hats on!)
And keep your eyes open for some of my own trials on the recipe page (when I actually find some time to do so) and if you want more info on my work feel free to contact me :)
Some interesting articles of crabs effect on mussel plots in the meantime (will add one of my own once it gets finally accepted....):
Capelle, J. J., Scheiberlich, G., Wijsman, J. W., & Smaal, A. C. (2016). The role of shore crabs and mussel density in mussel losses at a commercial intertidal mussel plot after seeding. Aquaculture International, 24(5), 1459-1472.
Calderwood, J., O'connor, N. E., & Roberts, D. (2015). Effects of baited crab pots on cultivated mussel (Mytilus edulis) survival rates. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 72(6), 1802-1810.
And so here I am, ready to try my first weird and local cuisine (although I actually found out it's actually a German thing... neighbour enough!): Tongue ham!
Why do I believe is important to do that?
(1) Respect for the animal we killed
We need to remember where our food comes from. As a reformed vegetarian I still try my best to carefully consider and remember that the meat under my knife comes indeed from something that we killed. So, let's not throw the 'least liked' parts in the bin
(2) Combact food waste
In a similar manner as the respect for the animal, too much food gets wasted on this planet. It's time to stop, so let's use everything we can! This includes all organs and blood. Sorry for the grim aspect to this post (shouldn't be grim though, that's the point!)
(3) Can be healthy
Now, I don't know if my tongue ham with his processed nature (hey, everyone can have a day off..) is entirely healthy. However some 'less-liked' animal parts can be extremely nutritious. Kidneys, Liver, Tongue can be rich in essential vitamins and nutrients.
(4) Cheap
Not only healthy, but less-liked parts can also be cheaper, which means even in lean times you can be healthy and keep up your protein intake!
(5) Spark your creativity
Using less common ingredients should spark your kitchen creativity! What best than invent something new? And perhaps surprise family and friends? Go on... challenge yourself!
And remember to keep those bones and unedible by themselves parts (such as cartilage) to make nutritious stocks and broths for other recipes!
So... to summarise, in order to help the planet, contribute to less food waste, respect the animals, save some cash and spark your creativity: eat something unusual! (high grim factor preferred)
Maybe it's just an Italian say but what it basically means is shopping for local, low impact primary ingredients (fruit, veg, meat, milk produces..) - effectively produces that are so local that have travelled 'zero km'. (okay, maybe one or two...) .
As I am trying my best to limit my supermarket buys, while adapting to life in a new country (with a new language!!), I want to share what my latest finds have been and hopefully inspire you to search for similar or set something like this in your local area!!
Markets:
I found that on Friday morning there is a really good market full of local produces - especially fruit and veg from local farmers! Farmers markets are the way to go.. Wish they had more meat, but for that I saw a sign today on the road and I will go scout it next time I cycle past (it's Sunday as I write and everything seems to be closed here..)
Stalls:
This, to me, was even are more peculiar and curious find - which made me really happy!
This allowed me to buy some pretty yummy pears and apples for just €2 for two big bags and two squashes which I am really curious about (hey for €0.50 each!) - Okay I had to cycle 9 km back with them so technically they were 9 km food :D
Much much better than supermarket, where most times food doesn't have a clear origin, has travelled for long times (also losing some its great vitamin content if you think of fruit and vegs!), and it is kept in packages! Better for your health, better for the planet and better for your community as you are buying from a neighbour!!
Food, it can be hard enough to maintain a healthy and sustainable diet while at home, with plenty of preparation required, but, doing the same while travelling? While travelling abroad? Impossible.. And if you are on holiday somewhere different it goes without saying that you may want to (and you should) try the local food..
But where to start??
Here some hints and tips that I have learned from some of my travelling
Choose your accommodation well
Hotels or B&Bs type situations are not very friendly for the careful eater, you don't have anywhere to cook anything for yourself, or a fridge to store any fresh fruit or vegetables to snack on. You will rely on restaurants and fast foods, which is not only going to be costly for your wallet, but your health too! This is not to say you should never go enjoy a nice meal out, but perhaps not every lunch and dinner for a week. Instead, choose some kind of self-catering/apartment/airbnb/travel with a stove if you are camping. This way you will be able to cook for yourself sometimes
Cooking for yourself - grocery shopping!
Here comes the fun! Now you have to go find some ingredients.
What better to soak up even more culture than finding a local market? Plunge into the unknown and try some vegs or fruit you have never seen before - and don't be afraid to ask the locals how are they prepared.. In my Greek travels, I have encountered 'Horta' - which is basically a term for many different types of green leaves to be boiled (and often have a lot of stem to be cut off), I find the local people at the market are always so friendly and useful telling me how to clean them in advance. In the Seychelles I have eaten amazing pink fruit which was white inside and so crunchy and watery (no, not dragonfruit and i have no idea what it is called) sold by some women near the beach.
For proteins, if nothing at the market or there isn't a dedicated market for fish and meats and cheese (like the awesome meat market in Athens), try to go to the fishermen for fish, or find a fishmongers, and the butcher. Again if you happened to befriend some locals, ask them where best to go! And here again, let yourself be surprised by trying new things..
Basically, what am I trying to say is.. be brave!
But only with the raw ingredients.. if you are going to a supermarket and buying some ready mixed things (you should try to avoid but some local delicacies may come ready made) then the following advice applies
Learn some basic local language (google translate helps)
This is very useful if you are, for example, trying to steer clear of some ingredients such as sugar. Or maybe you are trying to avoid grains - learn how they are called so you can scan through the ingredient list and find something suitable! I promise, it's not that hard... And can be quite fun!! I love going to local supermarkets and challenge myself. Also, I believe supermarkets can be quite entertaining and give some insights into culture and demographic of the place... just me?
Lastly.. enjoy! And enjoy your meal out (or two) without worrying too much.. you are on holidays after all, right??
Which brings me to the first point of this post: are all gluten-free approaches healthy?
NO!
Just take a packet of 'gluten free' bread.. you will see that they contain a very long list of ingredients, amongst other flours such as rice, starches (maize, tapioca), and to my horror many 'syrups' (inverted sugar syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup), oils, added fibres, thickeners... Erhm, that doesn't sound good to me! Same goes for other 'gluten free' products such as cereals..
Basically most companies have now caught on the fact that many people want to go gluten-free and know they can charge more for a product, they will do their best to make it cheap to produce to have the most income from it... Maybe is my conspiracy mind talking BUT I do believe big companies play with our health on a daily basis...
So what is the right way to go gluten free? Eliminate those foods, don't try to replace them - and if you want to replace that cake or that bread, then it's time to take on the challenge in the kitchen and try some gluten free baking! With many recipes out there (self promo: try my recipe tab!), from pinterest to many gluten free baking blogs.. just type on google and you will be inundated with many recipes from easy to hard levels. Go on : take the challenge!
This leads me to the second point of this post: Are we actually gluten intolerant or is it something else?
I recently came across a very interesting documentary called 'Gluten: a gut feeling' and within this very interesting analysis there was a point that caught my attention, nonetheless because I already thought about this before: the way we produce baking products has changed dramatically. Again, growing demand and the desire of companies to make things cheaper has lead to changes in the way we produce and mill our wheat, which, in short, has made it potentially unhealthy for us (great article to go deeper on the subject matter here). Moreover, the way we make our bread has changed, with industrial bakers no longer leaving bread to raise with the yeast overnight (shortening the times = cheaper, larger production) which doesn't let the yeast process some of the gluten leaving our body to do the job (and some are less equipped than other)!
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