Five shocking food facts... By Susan Tomlinson
If you ever needed inspiration to grow your own, here it is... 1. Pesticide levels in our food have been steadily increasing, and according to a report by the Pesticide Action Network, as much as 40% of the food we eat contains them. *To campaign, join the Pesticide Action Network at: www.pan-uk.org
Picture credo: © zaschnaus - Fotolia.com
Our World
2. Food corporations spend millions lobbying governments every year to get what they want. For more information on just how much these corporate heavyweights spend on cajoling governments, check out The Center for Responsive Politics: www.opensecrets.org 3. Vitamin levels in our food have dropped dramatically in 50 years. Canadian researchers discovered that today’s consumers need to eat eight supermarket oranges to get anywhere the same amount of Vitamin A our grandparents got from just one fruit. *For more information on why, check out Scientific American on: www.scientificamerican.com
4. Many in the world starving, while others are obese. In figures, it’s said there’s a total of 800 million people on the planet going hungry, while one billion are overweight. Both problems are symptomatic of a food system that is grossly out of control. *Read Raj Patel’s ‘Stuffed & Starved’ for insight into the failures of the global food chain.
5. Today’s chickens have as much of weight problem as we do. Cramped conditions where many birds don’t see the light of day, let alone move, and eating unnatural diets, means they contain 33 percent less protein and twice as much fat as in he past, according to a study from the London Met University. *Worried about battery farming? See Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Chicken Out! Campaign. www.chickenout.tv
Make a bee hotel! by Robin Dean, The Red Beehive Company
Of all the insects that visit our gardens, none are more iconic and important to us than bees, and they come in a surprising range of sizes, colours and shapes. One thing is common to all species, and that is they all need our help. Most bees would just like a little nectar and pollen, and a lovely Easter holiday project would be to plant up a “Bee Garden”. There are a number of plants to choose from that are robust and require minimum care, beyond a drink of water now and again, and will do splendidly in a small window box, planter or large pot. Snowdrops, crocus, primrose and bluebells (remember bluebells are protected, so don’t go digging them up from a local woodland area!) all make for a spectacular spring display. Rosemary, sage and lavender are also highly attractive to bees, and chives have flowers to tempt them - as well as making a tasty contribution to the kitchen. A catnip plant or two will keep your cat happy, as well as having the local bees dropping in for a nectar and pollen snack. Now why not make a bee hotel as well. For those of you concerned about encouraging bees to live in the garden, don’t be. Bees that live in bee hotels are solitary bees, and unlike the social bees (honey and bumble bees) don’t make honey so therefore don’t have anything to defend. This makes them really docile and perfectly safe to have around children and pets.
To construct your bee hotel: • You will need some bamboo (around 1.5cm in diameter), string or garden wire, and a small saw (to cut the bamboo). • Cut the bamboo into 15cm lengths, cutting each piece just before a node to give you a hollow tube with a natural sealed end. • Bind the bamboo pieces together with the string or garden wire, with the open ends all facing in the same direction. • Take the bundle out into the garden and find a secure place to fasten your bee hotel to. The open ends should face anywhere between east and south to get the early morning sun, with a clear flight path into the hotel.
March 2014
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