DILEMMAS BEHIND THE LABEL EVENTS FOOD CLOTHING ECO TIPS

DAILY LIFE NOVEMBER

Try cider vinegar; attend eco conferences; eat parsnips; throw a fi lm party; buy nothing for a day. By Laura Sevier

ONION/PEAR/BEETROOT PHOTOGRAPHS: P ETER CASSIDY

Two neglected red cabbages in the bottom of the veg box. A fridge drawer full of beetroots. A glut of pears in the fruit bowl. They’re all perfect ingredients for a pickle. Making a pickle can be as simple as just cleaning, peeling and chopping a few vegetables, then covering them generously with spiced vinegar. Organic gardener and expert pickler Bob Flowerdew recommends ‘brining’ the vegetables (see below) before pickling them, which sucks out some moisture and kills many bacteria and fungi.

How to get started Try this method for: Chopped, raw red cabbage; boiled, peeled beetroot, and onions, garlic and shallots (outer skins removed).

Immerse the washed, prepared vegetables in a strong brine – 1lb of salt for every gallon of water (500g to every 5 litres) – for a few days. Drain and rinse the vegetables and soak in vinegar (malt, distilled, wine or cider vinegar will do). Store in a sterilised jar with a plastic lid in a cool, dark place. It will keep for years, although the texture becomes less acceptable over time.

Based on recipes from Grow Your Own, Eat Your Own (Kyle Cathie, £19.99) by Bob Flowerdew

Spotlight on

Pickling

Another fine pickle. . .

Pickle a pear: Peel and core, cut into quarters or smaller, then simmer in spices (cloves and cinnamon or allspice) and vinegar with sugar mixed in at about 2lb to a pint (900g to 600ml), making sure the liquid covers the fruit. Once the pears are soft, drain and pack into jars. Now boil the vinegar until syrupy thick and pour it into sterilised jars so it fills them up, covering the pears. Seal the jars.

www.theecologist.org ECOLOGIST November 2008 51