Smorgasbord Food Column – Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen – August 2021 -Bamboo Toilet Paper, Cream Cheese Bread, Conservation, Grow Your Own, Shampoo Bar.,

Good morning and welcome to the August edition of my Green Kitchen… Just to recap for those who are new here…This monthly post will cover sustainability, news on food production…changes for the better and maybe a villain or three…haha, a recipe or two including some plant- based recipes, hints and tips on making my household a little greener…aka recycling and composting.

Plastic Free July is over…for all of you who have participated and cut down your plastic waste… give yourself a big pat on the back… Plastic Free July has made me refocus…it has made me aware of just how much plastic waste we generate as a household and made me look at how much of that could be recycled and isn’t here where I live…

Nothing I can personally do about that …which has made me think about what I can do and where I can make changes…

My idea about using small cloths instead of toilet paper…although I did point out that the bum gun was to clean and the cloth to dry…the menfolk here were less than co-operative…which meant at the end of the day we all live here and changes happen quicker and are sustained if everyone is on board…

Also know I don’t give up…hehe

Take 2…

Bamboo toilet paper…Bamboo is sustainable and fast growing plus bamboo toilet paper comes in a cardboard box or wrapped in paper or a fully compostable wrapper. No plastic in sight…Plus it’s kinder to the plumbing its biodegradable and septic tank friendly.

The downside as you see was there was no way I could attach to the loo roll holder not to be daunted I purchased some lovely bamboo containers.

The bamboo tissue is tough and soft not at all flimsy only comes in the one unbleached colour but it is an ok colour a pale beige…

No complaint for the men either…which means this is a great success no trees were used plus its bye bye to plastic and bleaching.

The cost…I think it is comparable it may cost a few baht more but nothing major…

I have also discovered that it is available to buy around the world.. Here is the link for my US friends and For my UK friends

Also, as you know another solution from the consumer is cooking from scratch using fresh ingredients, far better for the environment and it does ensure that the food you make for your family is clean and as chemical free as it can possible be…

I would also love to know that instead of counting calories and cost that more people counted chemicals as it is the chemicals in processed foods which affect our health and wellbeing.

It isn’t easy …in theory we know what we should do …THEREFORE I have looked at what I can do gradually…every small change is a bonus.

This Month’s Recipe...Cream Cheese Bread…

This is a lovely bread which just pulls apart..

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• Scant ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup softened cream cheese.
• ¼ cup melted butter

Let’s Bake!

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast then add the beaten egg, milk, and cream cheese mix until dough forms then cover and rest for 20 mins.

Then mix in your melted butter flex those muscles and give your arms a good workout knead until the dough is elastic then shape into a round shaped ball put in an oiled bowl and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Punch out the gas and divide the dough into two.

Flatten and roll into a rectangle shape then roll the dough tightly lengthways and pinch the edges to seal. Cut into 8 evenly sized pieces.

Put into a rectangular dish or loaf tin…mine was approx 10 x 8.

Cover and rest for 45 minutes…Then brush with egg wash and bake on 180C/350F for 25-30 minutes.

The verdict...it was a nice textured bread which I will cook for a little longer next time although the colour was darker than in my image …photography is not my forte…sigh.

Next time I bake a batch of these I will roll with some brown sugar and cinnamon or jam and some berries…I will also experiment with some different flour add some whole meal maybe like I do with trusty sandwich loaf.

But definitely a recipe I would make again…

Growing Your Own: I am so excited as I have honey bees and they are still here after 2 weeks so guessing as I am not an expert that they are here to build a nest and not just resting…I am looking forward to some lovely honeycomb…I just need a man who can…

As for growing my own…we are learning (fast) we have had to erect some cages to stop the birds as they stripped my long pepper plant…the plus side is it is sprouting new little peppers… sometimes called Indian long pepper or pipli.

The oldest known reference to long pepper comes from ancient Indian textbooks of Ayurveda, where its medicinal and dietary uses are described in detail.

I am looking forward to cooking with these long peppers and am searching for some recipes as it’s not a pepper I have cooked with before …If any you have, please share your recipe as I love a recipe which is tried and tested…from my research it seems to point to Indonesian and Malaysia which will be starting point for recipes.

I love trees and fruit trees which sometimes take a while to establish and fruit hence I am looking at air pots as also if I move it will be easier to take them with me…it also sounds as if they help to grow a better root structure and the fruit yield seems to be higher…

Research has shown that Air-Pot grown trees absorb up to 75% more CO2 than those grown in conventional containers. They also continue to to grow 40% faster after they have been planted in the landscape. … “The Air-Pot container’s reusability makes the growing process much more sustainable.

Conservation Corner…

I have been very heartened by much that is happening in the world how people are really thinking how they can make a difference..Great Barrier Reef

Intervention could buy 20 years for the declining Great Barrier Reef…which is really good news. The great Barrier Reef is very important to our survival as are all the seas and its flora and fauna.

Update…Apple Cider Vinegar.

My apple cider vinegar is now strained and bottled I am just waiting for it to mature and then I will put it in the fridge but it’s looking good and smelling good another week I reckon.

I will probably give it another strain through some muslin although the ACV that I used to be able to buy from here was an Australian one and looked very similar with the sediment in the bottom…I will give you the completed recipe next month with our verdict on Homemade ACV…

My next change in the fight against plastic has been to buy a bar of shampoo which is Reef safe which means whatever goes down the drain will not affect the little fishes…it is biodegradable and sulphate free…everything about it is said to be eco-friendly…so far so good it seemed quite soft when it arrived so I put it in the fridge which although still soft it is nowhere near as soft…

A reddish-brown colour (which) I hope doesn’t colour my hair…it says it softens but I never use conditioner anyway my hair although thick has always been quite soft…I don’t have any scalp problems so I am starting using it from a good position methinks…I will use it for a few weeks and let you know…

Another area of waste is clothing…

Fast Fashion comes at an astonishing environmental and social cost  While the impacts of the fashion industry in terms of pollution, water use, carbon emissions, human rights, and gender inequality are increasing, the need for a shift to sustainable fashion is evident. Organizations in Geneva and beyond are joining efforts to shift the fashion economy and foster international cooperation on the issue.

This subject is one I have thought much about lately personally I think the industry plus the consumer need a big reset…we are a throwaway society plus we love a bargain and these cheap factory outlets fuel that passion…in order to address everything which is wrong is a mammoth task…I welcome any thoughts on this…

Sustainability is on the agenda…Food and jobs are on the agenda…a healthy world is on the agenda…

Are you ready to join me in making your kitchen and garden a little greener, are you ready to cook from scratch more often and to count chemicals instead of calories and cost? Love Carol xx

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: Amazon US

Connect to Carol – Blog: Carol Cooks 2 – Twitter: @CarolCooksTwo – Facebook: Carol Taylor

 

My thanks to Carol for another fascinating post about how we can make a big difference to our health and that of the environment.. do head over to her blog to follow her wonderful posts every week…. thanks Sally.