Blogs & Ecology

Wilbur the turkey

Meet Wilbur, the luckiest turkey in England, perhaps the world. He was raised, along with 49 other friends and family, on a pick-your-own turkey farm. His goal in life: to be eaten on Christmas Day. But alas, or should we say, happily, that was not to be. Customers rejected him: "underweight" they said, a "misshapen" body, no tail feathers, he has a limp. Others complained that he looked too sad and bedraggled.

Photo: Kelly Rossiter

I admit to being very confused about mock meat. I don't understand why anyone who has decided not to eat meat would want to eat something that is shaped like meat, or made to approximate the taste and texture of it. When I see those packages of fake bacon or fake hot dogs in the grocery store, I can't imagine ever putting that stuff in my mouth. I suppose there is a place at Thanksgiving for tofurky because of the cultural emphasis on the turkey, but otherwise my credulity is strained....

If you can't afford to buy an artist's work, then copy it. Tracy Emin, renowned for her piece of art that was an unmade bed, offers her own personal instructions on how to make a Christmas angel from a clothes pin and some scraps of lace and wire. Just like you used to do in school. As she says "Picasso used to make magnificent dolls for his daughters out of anything he could find." It's a "recession angel" for economising times.

If Christmas decorations aren't your DIY thing, what about chocolate truffles fro...

photo: Navitas Naturals

Looking for a better sugar option, a product that's a little less processed and friendlier on the planet? Well Navitas Naturals might have come up with a solution....

click on image to go to BBC

Photo credit: Kelly Rossiter

A number of people have commented on earlier posts over the past few weeks about not knowing exactly how to go about being a vegetarian. You've made the ethical decision not to eat meat, but then practical issues come to the fore. Maybe you don't know what to cook, or how to get all your vitamins and protein on a vegetarian diet, where to buy local ingredients for a vegan diet, or even where to eat out.

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DH Love Life: Cyclecide by Daryl Hannah
Daryl's latest episode show her having fun with the amazing travelling Cyclecide fair in California. They customise all their bikes into amazing designs and all their fun fair rides are powered by the pedal....

Photo via Sactavist

Photo by Kelly Rossiter

Hands down, the number one response I get from people when I mention that my children are both vegetarian is "but how do they get enough protein?" Getting your daily requirement of protein is actually pretty easy. In fact, if you are eating meat, chances are you are consuming more protein than you need.
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He looked liked a cute French guy who sold onions from his bicycle. Every week at the farmers' market he would be there; a charming Gallic touch, so quaint and picturesque. But he was also so much more: a part of a long tradition of "les Johnnies et de l'oignon rose".

photo by Robert Ouellette

We are quickly approaching party season and people are starting to think about their events. Personally, I love giving dinner parties and twenty or more people is no problem for me at all. I realize that I'm a bit unusual in this and many people find entertaining quite stressful. It can, of course, be stressful for the guests as well, especially if you don't know the hosts or other guests that well. Here are a few things to think about it if you are hosting or attending a dinner party where vegetarians and meat eaters will be sharing the table.