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Permaculture Magazine Readers’ Solutions

RECIPE HEAVEN I have spent more than 100 hours putting together a website that features great chefs from across the world on video demonstrating meatless protein dishes. Even if you are not a vegetarian, you might like to go meatless on Mondays to help prevent cholesterol buildup. www.tpss.coop/recipes.html Annie Birdsong, USA

SLUGLESS POTS Choose a pot with a lip that curves out at the top. Turn the pot upside down and smear vaseline all the way around this lip. Sprinkle salt over the vaseline. Turn the pot right way up and plant up as usual (but beware of getting greasy hands if you pick it up by holding the lip!). The salt does not wash away because the lip protects it from rain. This will last for up to a year, and is very cheap, easy and effective. Anne Vine, email

BUILDING AN ECO LARDER Our traditional larder style cupboard was totally designed and built from scratch. The walls are built from plasterboard and fully insulated from the inside of the house. This means that the airflow from the two vents (one at the top, one at the bottom), keep it cool.

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Hampshire GU32 1HR, U.K. Email: maddy@permaculture.co.uk

The inside is fully lined with 25mm (1in) granite on the top, bottom, sides and back. This is a vast improvement on old style larders, which had only one granite shelf usually. If we require a cooler temperature within the larder we put a frozen two-litre bottle of water on the top shelf and because

Larder under construction showing vents and granite lining.

cold air drops, it cools the whole space sufficiently to keep our food safe.

Although we achieve good cool temperatures, it is no match for a conventional fridge and therefore we have changed our shopping and storing habits to suit. Foods such as cheese stores well if you remove it from its plastic packing and wrap in paper. Salad keeps surprisingly well – largely due to the airflow that keeps food in a more natural state, rather than in a closed plastic box! Mark Lake, Bournemouth

CONVERSATION CAFÉS Holding a Conversation Café directly after showing a film like In Transition or The End of Suburbia harnesses the creative energy in the audience. The film gives the facts, “How have we allowed this to happen?” and the café poses the question: “Now we know what we know, what are we going to do about it?”

The café structure and agreement introduced by a host give the participants the opportunity to share how they have been affected by the film. Ideas emerge in the café circles, whilst the hosts ensure all voices are heard. In this spirit of co-operation our own assumptions, beliefs and expectations may be challenged. The café process gives space and time so that the final action round can be surprising and the outcomes sustainable. For more information: trish@jadegate.demon. co.uk or sue_beilby@blueyonder.co.uk Trish Dickinson, Ministry for Peace UK; Super Café Host

RECYCLING OLD BOOKS Books might usually be for keeps, but a significant quantity still end up in landfill. Everyone seems to accumulate titles that are no longer relevant, and although you can give them away rather than dump them you might really prefer to try and recoup some of the initial outlay. If you have got a large quantity it may be worth having a stall at a market, but what do you do if you only have a handful, or if they are in poorer condition? You could give them away on Freecycle, but there are two other online options that also bring a small return.

The first is the bookseller Green Metropolis (www.greenmetropolis.com). Green Metropolis charge customers a flat-rate of £3.50 for all books, including postage. £3 of this they give to you the seller, and they also donate 5p from each sale to the Woodland Trust. The beauty of GM is that, unlike other bookselling sites, books are advertised and sold in the order in which they were listed for sale, which ensures that books are equally recycled, irrespective of condition.

The second is book swap site called Bookmooch (www.bookmooch.com), which differs from similar projects in that it works on a points system. You give away your books and receive points, which you can then spend on requesting books from other members worldwide. You don’t have to find someone who wants to swap their book with your book. You can use your points straight away, save them to spend in the future, or donate them to charity. The service is free (although you pay the postage) and providing you describe your book accurately you can even pass on books that are in poor condition, keeping them in use just a little bit longer. Cathy Ashley, Devon

14 Permaculture Magazine No. 63

www.permaculture.co.uk