housekeeping - things to make and do

ecological auditing for myself / my household

I've started writing down gas, electric and car miles per month 

I got fed up with urecyclable plastic containers from otherwise exemplary suppliers Yeo Valley yoghurt. So I've started making my own, it's easy. All the google hits make it complcated and require equipment, I just use a thormos

boil milk
cool to just above blood heat

put in thermos with 4 tablespoons of live yoghurt wholemilk is best

leave 8 - 10 hours and decant

I use a litre of wholemilk for this. Very easy apart from the timings, don't forget to decant after the 8-10 hours or it will curdle

I made hummus too and have lost the link, and the envelope I ascribbled the recipe on, something like:

125 grams tinned chick peas drained and washed (that was half a tin. rest in freezer)

2 tbsps tahini

juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic

4 tbsp olive oil (maybe I have this wrong -  I put a lot less than this)

pinch of salt, and pinch of baking soda

grind together I used a blender, very quick

I thought this was delicious but I have a cold this week, it's VERY garlic :-)

They both probably save money depending on the ingredient mix, the hummus is much better than bought.

I mend things, wish I could sew them from scratch.

Negatives

I have a cold and have had the heating on during the day 

I have acquired an abandoned cat. Here I am  cutting down on meat and feeding tinfuls of it to this little carnivore. This is a real issue. You know I've filled in a few carbon footprints and not seen a mention of pets....

next week is recharge the media week in the UK ring that chat show, write to your local paper. for instance what do you think of the budget's downplay of the environment? And of course how to save money the green way :-)

Comments

[heather]

Hey Medusa. Excellent point about PETS! I always feel guilty feeding my two cats non-organic meat... The only thing I can say is that I will not get any more pets after these two... (And I'm too lazy to go to butcher shops and get un-saleable bits and turn them into cat food!)

[Medusa X]

I said that too when our last cat died, but find I'm reluctant to have a cat I know put down. I meant to take him to the cat's protection league, but
a) they're very full
b) it's really just passing on the problem - someone else's carbon footprint :-)

I might talk to the butchers.

[Medusa X]

I forgot to link to Yeo Valley organics, and what a lovely homepage they have (if you have sound)
http://www.yeovalleyorganic.co.uk/