Unpredictable weather is putting pressure on food production, with smaller harvests and higher prices making food security an increasingly important issue for households and communities.
Heavy rainfall followed by heatwaves, with almost three quarters of England & Wales still officially in drought, the weather has severe impact on UK agriculture, leading to smaller produce, stressed livestock and higher prices. Read more
By now, those of us living in the Horsham area are becoming familiar with putting out our food waste every week together with either the general waste bin or the recycling bins. After three months, the take up is already around 60% which is notably above the national average. It is very much hoped, as the habit settles in, this percentage can be significantly increased. Read more
There is something very satisfying about growing your own food whether it’s from seeds or from seedlings bought from a garden centre. Both rewarding and sustainable, it also connects us with the rhythms of nature and can save money. It can also be a little challenging or frustrating at times, but this makes the reward of harvesting, cooking and eating your home grown produce all the more gratifying and much tastier than supermarket vegetables.
To start with, you really need the right location. Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day to grow properly. Without this, seedlings will become tall and spindly or ‘leggy’ and susceptible to disease. Good drainage is also essential. Over-watering can cause seedlings to rot or ‘damp off.’ Shelter from strong winds is also important, when growing delicate plants outside. Read more
Growing together – Food – Fun – Family – FreeFrom 10am-4pm on Saturday 26th April, Horsham will come alive to celebrate green living in Sussex – perfect for mums, dads, and little ones alike. It’s a day packed with local food, expert talks and eco-friendly fun that will inspire you and your family to live more sustainably. Spread across four unique venues in central Horsham, come along for a day of free goodies, family-friendly activities, and caring community vibes at the Plant to Plate Festival! Read more
Country Ways: Val volunteers with Transition Horsham which runs the community allotment. She has decades of experience, as since childhood, she worked alongside her father on his allotment.
When she married, she and her husband grew everything: cabbages, turnips,
swedes, cauliflower, runner beans, potatoes, radishes, gherkins, onions…and nothing was wasted. Even the swede and turnip leaf greens were a healthy part of their meals.
Their early home had been derelict, condemned and unmortgageable and it took them many years to demolish and rebuild; everything was a hard slog. At one point a whole bay window fell out, and when it rained the water came up through the floor, so sometimes they ate dinner with friends in the upstairs bedroom! It was definitely a time of ‘Make do and mend’. Read more
We are all guilty of wasting food but did you know that 25% of food wasted in UK households is due to cooking, preparing or serving too much? This costs us £3.5 billion a year. So being savvy with our food can prevent waste and save us money, not to mention the benefit to the environment. About 6%-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food.
Here are some ideas to get you started…
Pires Place Vegan Market is conveniently placed in the centre of Horsham in Piries Place. It’s a regular event and takes place on the last Saturday of each month from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
Featuring up to 16 stalls, the vegan market offers tasty cold food varying from plant-based artisan ‘cheeze’, pies and savouries through to the most delectable cakes & sweet treats, with some gluten-free options of course! There is a hot food stall each month, often hotdogs (vegan of course!), and a new-comer offering a range of freshly made vegan pizzas. You will also find non-food stalls at the market selling anything from make-up and body care through to eco-friendly household goods and gifts, all of course, completely vegan and not tested on animals.
I recently listened to a Sustainable Squad podcast (Listen to this episode now on @spotify and @applepodcasts) with Shane Jordan, who became a chef by chance because of his involvement with Food Cycle, collecting unwanted food from shops by bicycle then taking it to be cooked at a Sussex community centre. In his book, Food Waste Philosophy, he explains that he uses every edible part of plants in his cooking, including banana skins.
I was struck with his passion and ingenuity. Another inspirational example is Horsham chef Lenny Salsano, who works at Hill Top Primary School in Crawley. Pre-pandemic, he engaged the pupils in planting, growing and cooking the food used in their lunches. Lenny is keen for the children to learn how important it is to eat fresh, unprocessed food, and shares his skills with pupils. This year they have made salads, chopped vegetables and watched him make bread, which they then eat. Five other schools under the Caterlink umbrella are now using Lenny’s model.
I’ve always considered myself to be a bit of a greenie, I recycle after all! However, last month I took part in The Big Plastic Count organised by Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic. The aim was to count my plastic packaging waste over the course of a week and record it as part of a nationwide study to understand how much plastic waste we are creating in the UK.
We already know that we’re using too much plastic. The UK produces more plastic packaging per person than almost any other country in the world – only the US is worse. And if things carry on as they are, the amount of plastic waste produced around the world is set to double by 2040.
So could the answer to our plastic problems be refill?
Did you make it to the Transition Horsham Seed Swap last weekend, at the Kinder Living Home Show? If so, you will know that there was seed available from local allotmenteers, gardeners and Garden Organic … as well as a lot of talk about how things grew last year!
If you missed it – never fear! Come to the Seed Swap Part 2 at the Spring into Spring event on March 26th at Sussex Green Hub.
Some of the growers are members of the Horsham District Seed Circle, (launched during lockdown 2021.) And Transition Horsham distributed seed from Garden Organic to Seed Circle members and asked them to grow it with as little impact as possible. Each grew different crops, used the produce, then saved some seed to bring back to Seed Swap 2022.
The White House
Coolham Lane
Coneyhurst
RH14 9DH
Community Wellbeing Garden
Sussex Green Living
Sussex Green Living
Biffa
Sussex Green Living
Biffa
Sussex Green Living