On Friday 24th April, Transition WB went for our first foraging walk. We found many delectable (and free!) elights in a short stretch of the 'Green Line' off Melton Road. The obvious finds were several apple trees in full flower and brambles (we'll be back later for those, no doubt)
There were plenty of dandelions- the smaller leaves can be chopped into salads and the larger ones cooked either with spinach or alone.
Dandelion coffee can be made from the roots (caffene free and very tasty) First wash and dry the roots thoroughly in the sun, then slightly roat them to coffee colour in a cool oven. The can then be stored for a time in a jar to be ground when yu want to make coffee.
Dandeline wine, from the flowers makes a great white wine.
The unopened buds can also be fried in oil and added to an omelette.
Nettles were also prolific; if you go picking, wear gloves or use scissors and a bag to catch them. (remember to check underneath for butterfly eggs and leave any you find) They can be cooked with spinach or alone with the water they retain from washing and a lttle marg or butter.
Nettle soup: sweat the nettles in butter and very little water, with onion and garlic if you like it. Add in a couple of cooked potatoes, milk (or milk substitute) liquidise everything, the add more milk if you feel you need it. To add flavour you could chop parsley in, or spring onions and a little grated cheese at the end.
We also tasted hedge garlic (jack by the hedge) and hawthorn. These leaves can be chopped into salads at any tme or used in sandwiches, as with coltsfoot and herb bennet.
If anyone is interested in eating wild food - which tends to have a higher nutritional value than the domestic sort, I recommend Richard Mabey's 'Food for free' but also check the charity shops, wher I have found lovely old books with great recipes and good identification pictures. very important if you are just beginning.
We are organising our next walk for the 29th May, same time, same place, in the mean while enjoy your weeds!
Julie
Greening West Bridgford Challenge: Walk/ Cycle if journey is less than 1 mile
Soon the whole of West Bridgford will receive the Greening Campaign Challenge cards through their letter box.
One of the challenges is to walk/cycle if your journey is less than 1 mile.
I have just come across a wonderful invention to stay safe and visible on the road for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, and other road users. I hope you find it of interest too.
Anklelite
Baglite
To find out where to buy:
For those of you who don't live in West Bridgford you can still join in and do the challenges. The more the merrier.
From today I will post a Challenge per day, so watch this space!
Sterling Assist Ltd
Sterling Assist Ltd are working in partnership with the Greening Campaign nationally.We are an independent insulation surveying company based in nottinghamshire. Our aim is to provide an honest assesment of your insulation requirements,coupled with advice on the best grant funding options available in your local area. We work with most if not all installers in the surrounding area,therefore we can advise the best deal for you. Grant funding can vary dramatically between installers ,therefore it is not always clear which route to take. All installers used are registered with CIGA (Cavity Wall Insulation Agency) the BBA(British Board of Agrement)and the NIA(National Insulation Association).
Everyone Qualifies for at least a 50% grant if your insulation is innadequate,regardless of status.For more information or to request a free survey of your home please follow this link to our website to request a free survey or freephone 0800 988 7392.
James Barrrett
Sterling Assist Ltd
infinite warmth with the Lexin heating system
Yesterday I was honoured to meet Prof. A de Ruiter, the brain behind the revolutionary Lexin heating system and his colleague Anke van Ziel.
They were in Nottingham to do some presentations about other renewable technological inventions. More details to follow about these in the coming year.
He was explaining the technology behind the Lexin heating system, which was truly encouraging and exciting
LEXIN provides energy saving, aesthetically-pleasing primary heating systems
Bring the warmth of the sun into your home: LEXIN’s Infrared heating system is a futuristic, innovative and energy-saving system, designed to provide soothing warmth to the entire home. It can also be used to heat specific areas, such as: bathrooms, hallways, terraces, etc. With Lexin, one can feel comfortable year’ round while saving on energy costs!
A single panel with a rated input power of 1,000 Watts can heat an entire 250 square foot room; it only takes 3.72 Watts per square foot (or 40 Watts per square meter)!
In contrast to traditional electrical heating systems, the LEXIN flat-screen panels do not require a steady energy input. The system, which includes a combination of electronic control, sensor and room thermostat, typically uses only 40-60% of the installed power.
The one pot pledge - give it a grow!
Take the one pot pledge
Garden organic has launched a campaign which aims to develop a nation of green fingered growers. The one pot pledge campaign encourages new gardeners to grow an edible crop in a pot for the first time. Seasoned gardeners are also urged to join in, recruiting and supporting the pledge takers and providing advice and support to friends and families during the growing season.
If we could all go out and find a couple of friends, or visit a school, or email a friend, we can share stories, encourage one another and become a nation of growers, Pauline Pears author and Garden Organic Horticulture expert explains. This fits in beautifully with what Transition WB is trying to do. So even if the allotment waiting lists are long, we could at least grow a tomato, courgette, bean, pea, lettuce etc in a large pot. For those Transition members who are allotment holders would you consider growing a few extra plants to give to our novice friends when the plants are big enough to plant up in their pot? on the transition website is a spreadsheet that you could fill in so that we know who is growing what.
Greening West Bridgford Launch a great success!
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Today Saturday the 20th March was the long awaited launch of the Greening Campaign in West Bridgford. Members of Transition West Bridgford have focussed on this initiative since November when all kicked off with the public meeting in the Methodist Church. A working group was formed and together they managed to organise this wonderful community event.
The aim being that as a community we would like to work towards a more sustainable West Bridgford. The Community spirit was certainly there. The Becket School Marching band welcomed the visitors, followed by some wonderful singing of the Heymann School Choir, the West Bridgford Social singers and the Capella group. There were presentations from the very young of Heymann school, the teenagers of the Eco Team of the Becket School and Cllr Debbie Mason did a presentation on how Rushcliffe as an organisation as well as a council joins in the challenges.
Both Jesse Gray School and Heymann had displays and stalls showing off their pupils work even a secondary school, the Becket School had pulled out all the stops to get their students to participate in some way or another. Quite astounding really how they managed to fit all this in their already full curriculum.
The food was wonderful too, The Becket Home economics class and members of Transition WB, had provided lovely cup cakes, cakes and sandwiches, and the ladies from RACA made some out of this world samosa's! As the restaurant was so spacious and well positioned, people sat down watching the performances of Sprout the Drama group whilst having their refreshments and food.
Then there were the activities people could get involved with, again young and old were catered for. The tiny tods had rides in the Scotts Wood buggy seating 8 children at a time, drama by Sprouts, smoothie, bubble and music making whilst pedalling, amazing face painting by Sue Blount and her friends and the climate change game to name but a few.
Stalls galore to help inform the 600 + visitors with their pledges. All in all, the event did just what it said on the tin: inform, engage and (if I am anything to go by) inspire to act and do their bit to make West Bridgford a greener and cleaner town.
Hopefully in the next 5 weeks we can see many challenge cards appear in the windows of our houses, only this can truly tell if we have managed to reach the people who were hard to reach.
If you can help with the counting of the cards in your street, please fill out the form
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