New Green Renters URL

In anticipation of our official launch we've moved the blog to a new platform and web address :

www.greenrenters.org

The new site is Work in Progress but coming soon!

Solar Powered Mobile Phones

Such a good idea and so overdue....!

I don't know how long it will be before they're available in Australia

www.thegreenpages.com.au/index.asp?page_id=1107

Brilliant gardeningtips from the SGA

The Sustainable Gardeners Alliance is a non-profit organisation promoting sustainable gardening and they sporadically issue a newsletter with some great tips, here's a selection of my favourites from their latest issue :

Looking for hardy and easy to grow vegetables? Try Pumpkins...
www.sgaonline.org.au/yy_pumpkins.html

We've been looking for a compost bin for a while, but have always been a little lost on quite where t start and what is available from where... Confused no longer!
www.sgaonline.org.au/info_compostbins.html

What's one of the most pleasant sounds in nature that we take for granted somehwat? I think most would agree that bird song is generally a welcome and beautiful sound, unyet we seem to be doing our utmost to drive them out of our cities, here's some tips on how to encourage them back.
www.sgaonline.org.au/info_birds.html

Fundraising for fire victims...

A huge thankyou to everyone who visited my stall at Craft hatch on saturday. I raised $160 for Wildlife Victoria through sales which is very exciting.

I'm a stall holder at a benefit this weekend with all proceeds going to the CFA (Country Fire Authority). Check it out here or below...

Sunday, February 22, 2009

5:00pm - 9:00pm

Bella Union & New BallroomTrades Hall, corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets, Carlton

Phone:0396505699

info@bellaunion.com.au

In the aftermath of Victoria's worst fire season, folks are gathering at Trades Hall to raise funds to support the vital work of CFA Victoria.

Show your support alongside Scott Edgar & Simon Hall (Tripod), Lawrence Leung, Die Roten Punkte, Justin Hamilton, Geraldine Hickey, Kate McLennan, Casey Bennetto, Celia Pacquola, Courteney Hocking, Andrea Powell, Sam Simmons, Matt Kenneally, Geraldine Quinn, Oliver Clark, Aurora Kurth, the entire cast of Spontaneous Broadway (Julia Zemiro, Russell Fletcher, Genevieve Morris, Geoff Paine, Ross Daniels & John Thorn) and more.

And let's not forget to mention that we've got a Cake and Craft Sale, Silent Auctions, Raffles and Biscuit Readings.

From a Canberra bushfire survivor...

How to help (featured in The Examiner 12/2)
LIZ TILLEY

A Victorian bushfire victim surveys the damage.

Canberra woman Liz Tilley and her husband John Flannery and children Patrick, now 13, Conor, now 11, and Rosie, now eight, lost their home in Warragamba Avenue, Duffy, in the January 2003 firestorm. They moved back into their rebuilt home in August 2004. She has penned the following "tips", based on her experiences.

As a survivor of the January 2003 firestorm in Canberra, my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones, homes, pets, and a lifetime of memories in the tragic Victorian fires.

As I sit watching TV news coverage, with my heart racing and my body shaking slightly as I remember the fear, the flames, the heat, the smoke and the knowledge that I would probably not get out alive; I also remember in the days, weeks and months after the fires what support we needed and valued.

The victims of the Victorian fires are coping with the loss of homes, possession, pets and property as well as trying to cope with immense grief.

A great relief effort is one that is based on the experiences of previous disaster situations, and yet, after the Canberra bushfires, we were so often ‘re-inventing the wheel’.

I just can’t bear to see those victims in Victoria not benefit from what we learned in Canberra.

While the aid agencies will swing into action, and do what they do best, and the State and Federal government put their disaster planning into action, how can the Australian public, and the Victorian Relief Effort, help in the best way possible?

What the surviving victims need, both in terms of donations, and physical and emotional support comes will come in phases. Of course, the first weeks after the fire, in the immediate post trauma phase, these needs will be different from what they will need in six, 12 months or two years time.

So, for what it’s worth, here are my tips for a "great" relief:

Notes to the general public

Donate cash. Every little bit counts. If every person in Australia donated just five dollars, imagine what a difference it would make.

Basic essentials. Please only donate things that are new or of good quality. Don’t slow down the relief effort by having the team receiving the donations in Victoria have to sort through linen, clothing or manchester that is soiled, torn, buttons missing or otherwise damaged in any way. Better to donate one item that is new or in good condition rather than several things that you don’t wear anymore because they’re too out of fashion, have broken zips or are stained. Similarly with bed linen, towels, blankets etc, only donate what is good quality or new.

Think of all the things you need every day—pyjamas, toothbrush, toothpaste, face washer, soap, toiletries bag, deodorant, hairbrush, comb, shampoo, clothes suitable for work, casual clothes, belt, shoes, socks, watch, hair ties, wallet, handbag, keyring, hat, sunscreen, etc. These people have nothing. While they will receive immediate assistance in the form of cash and gift vouchers from charitable organisations for major retail outlets, I remember that every day there was something I needed and didn’t have. Within the first few days we needed notepads and pens just to deal with the paperwork and the insurance company.

Needs change over time, as people move into temporary accommodation they will need cooking utensils, pots, pans, plates, cups, bowls, kitchen knives, furniture, TVs, beds….the list is endless.

Cold weather will come in another month or two and winter clothes will be needed at this time – warm tops, coats, hats and scarves. Blankets, electric blankets and heaters will also be needed. I distinctly remember the day the weather suddenly turned cold in Canberra and no-one in the family had a warm top to wear.

Kits

If you’re thinking of what else to give, put together a first aid kit for the home, or an office kit (containing sticky tape, scissors, notepads, pens, stapler etc), or a toiletry bag (with toothpaste, toothbrush, nail scissors, shampoo, etc), or a make-up kit with make-up, eye make-up remover, lip gloss, mascara etc), or a hair care kit for a child with a brush, hair ties etc, or a sports kit for a child (drink bottle, hat, lunchbox, sunscreen, soccer ball), a kitchen kit (mixing bowls, cookbooks, cooking utensils, a good sharp knife, etc,), a tool kit (hammer, nails, screwdrivers, hacksaw etc) – these will be much appreciated.

Make something. Some of our most treasured items are the ones that were made, with love, by complete strangers. The quilt that was one of the hundreds that arrived from all over Australia, the hand-knitted rugs that my children like to snuggle under in winter. If you make jewellery, make a few pairs of earrings or a necklace. If you make toys, make something for the children who have lost theirs. If you knit, make a winter scarf. If you sew, make some table placemats or a beautiful table runner. If you’re an artist, paint a picture or frame a drawing.

I still find it incredibly moving that people cared enough to put time and love into making something that has now become a new family treasure for us.

Grow something. Those that remain, and those that decide to rebuild, face a blackened, denuded landscape. If you live in within reasonable distance of the bushfire area, pot some some seedlings and start growing some vegetation to help rejuvenate the gardens that were lost. Contact your local nursery, land care or conservation group to see what vegetation is drought resistant and/or native to the area. In Canberra, a very successful Garden Regeneration Scheme was set-up by volunteers and in the two-year period after the fires, they helped many, many people re-landscape their gardens. To see green, to see new growth, when we returned to our rebuilt home, was not only beautiful but gave us hope that we too could recover.

Kids. My three children were young at the time of the fires, so I remember well how grateful I was when we received toys, colouring-in books, pencils and textas, craft items, DVDs, books to read and pushbikes.

Friends and acquaintances. If you know personally know someone who was affected, every little gesture of help and support helps. Bake some biscuits or a meal and drop it around to them, offer to put their washing on the line, offer to do their supermarket shopping, offer to mind their kids. I remember feeling so overwhelmed and so busy answering phone calls and organising basic survival that I simply didn’t have time or energy to cook meals, wash, clean and do all the other things that keep a family going—this went on for months.

This help will be invaluable in coming weeks and months.

Notes to Victorian Disaster Relief Organisers

Counselling

Don’t sit the counsellors in a room at the recovery centres where people have to go to them. These victims are in shock and running on adrenalin. The women will usually talk about it, the men won’t. Men seldom seek out emotional assistance or counselling. Often the men will hold it all inside and release it in anger or violence a few days, weeks, months or years down the track. Years on from the fires, women were saying that their husbands “didn’t talk about it” and were withdrawn or showing signs of depression.

Put the counsellors and social workers in the field. Get them to go and help the men sort through the burnt out remainders of their homes. Get them to go to the pubs and clubs where the men are congregating. Get them to be there when the bulldozers move in to flatten what little remains of people’s homes. Often people just want someone to listen and to tell them that what they are experiencing is ‘normal’ under the circumstances.

Get the social workers to be there to act as advocates when victims have to deal with public servants, banks, and government officials in the next few weeks. Some of the victims will have literally lost their identities – they will have no wallet, no identification, no bank details. They will have to deal with insurance companies and government agencies. People working in these institutions don’t have training as social workers, and often are under increased stress themselves. I can’t tell you the number of victims who were coping pretty well up until they had to deal with a bank or other institution who were either obstructive or unable to assist because ‘our computer system won’t let me’.

Buddy system

Our children’s school (Orana School for Rudolf Steiner Education) instituted a ‘buddy system’ for the families from school that lost their homes. This was a fantastic system that could be adapted for use in any disaster situation. Hundreds of people were phoning, dropping into our temporary accommodation and offering help, but it was so overwhelming. People kept asking “What do you need” and it was very hard to say “Everything”. Our buddy removed this stress so that when people asked “what do you need?” or “What can I do?”, we referred them to our buddy. She had a huge list and would determine if we needed towels, cutlery, an ironing board, a fridge—and let people chose what they wanted to donate or buy. My husband rented an empty house and then went up to Sydney to collect the me and the three children. When we returned to Canberra four days later, we returned to a fully set-up house complete with beds, lounges, toys for the kids, bed linen, towels—to the level of detail of waste paper baskets, scissors in the drawers and pot plants. I find it hard to express our deep gratitude for this amazing coordination of assistance.

Women's networks

As well as dealing with trauma, pain and grief, women have to look after the needs of their family. This can mean they put their own needs last.

My greatest sources of support and friendship was a small group of women bound by the fact that our children all attended the same school and we all lost our homes. We started meeting for coffee a few weeks after the fires and, six years on, we still meet regularly for lunch. We call ourselves The Singed (as in “slightly burnt”) Sisterhood.

I don’t know how I would have got through the last six years without these wonderful women who have now become close friends.

Getting women together in an informal way allows them to support each other and share their stories. In the months to comes, as the victims are spread across the State, they will need avenues in which to come together and discuss what they, and their families, are going through. There is enormous comfort in knowing you are not alone.

Communication

The victims of the fires will be spreading across the State, and in some cases interstate, to stay with relatives and friends. It is vital that all victims stay connected to the network of aid that will be coming their way in the following weeks, months and years.

While I know a database of victims is currently being compiled, it is imperative that this database is updated as victims move from temporary accommodation into rental accommodation and then decide to either rebuild, buy or rent indefinitely.

Wonderful companies will donate goods and services, or offer wholesale or discounted goods. In the next 12 months to two years, as victims decide to rebuild, buy another home or rent, they will need to access these.

People who move interstate will not have access to the assistance and counselling on offer – they need to be tracked and supported. A friend of mine really struggled as she moved to Sydney and did not have anyone to talk with who had gone through the experience, she also missed out on most of the donations, assistance and counselling available in the period after the fires.

Often, those that had immediate help, staying in fully-furnished homes, or with friends or family for extended periods, miss out on some assistance in the immediate phase because they don’t need it, however this puts them at a disadvantage further down the track in a few months time, when this accommodation ceases and they then have to begin again with nothing. The aid will need to be ongoing.

Not everyone will have access to a computer, certainly not in the first few weeks, or even months. Post information to people – mail can be forwarded or passed on.

Shopping centres. Everyone needs to shop – particularly if you’ve lost everything. Distribute newsletters updating victims and survivors on what is happening and what help they can access via shopping centres around the State. Libraries, government offices, community centres, cultural and religious centres can also distribute the newsletters.

These newsletters can also inform members of the public how they can help.

Mobile phone bills

Most of us faced enormous mobile phone bills after the fires. In the weeks and months after the fires, our mobiles were our lifeline—to friends, family, work, the insurance company, to everything. In the weeks after the fires, I used my mobile more than I ever have in my life. In the months after the fires, when we were already under huge stress, we had to pay huge mobile phone bills.

At the time of the Canberra fires, I was not aware of any mobile phone providers who took this into consideration by negating or reducing mobile phone bills for victims (I would love to be proved wrong on this).

Survivors

Consider the survivors, who did not lose their homes so have to return to a devastated community. Please don’t keep saying to them “Well, at least you didn’t lose your house”. They are going through such mixed emotions after losing friends and neighbours, that they may have mixed emotions about being ‘spared’.

They have to return to the devastated landscape and try and rebuild their lives. Their children will play in ash and dirt, the amount of dust and debri flying through the air is unbelievable. They will spend the next year or so cleaning constantly and yet everything will still remain covered in a layer of fine ash and dust. They won’t be able to hang clothes on the line because they come in dirtier than when they went out. These seem like insignificant things, but when these things happen after a tragedy such as this, when you’ve lost friends and neighbours,and your support networks have gone, they make a very traumatic situation even more stressful. In the weeks to come, donations of play equipment, sandpits, soil, plants and trees will be much needed and appreciated.

Asbestos

Some of the homes burnt may contain asbestos. Asbestos fibres explode under intense heat. If the home was built before 1984 it is likely some asbestos would be in the wet areas (bathrooms and laundries and some kitchens) and the eaves. If these sheets have been broken up, small amounts of asbestos fibre would have been released. While some asbestos is present in some of the dust and ash from destroyed homes, the levels are not high and the large size of the asbestos fibres released from asbestos sheets means there is only a very low risk of it causing disease. (refer to www.health.act.gov.au and put in ‘asbestos’ under search)

So, the risk IS low, but there is still some risk. So reduce this risk, and the risk of dust inhalation, by providing dust masks with filters and sturdy gloves to those who want to sort through the burnt remains of their homes and belongings.

Note to the Victims

Learn to receive

Most of us are great at giving help, but many people find it difficult to accept help. Take the help when it is offered and don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. For many people it can be incredibly hard to do this. While at the moment you have no choice but to accept help, it may be hard to keep accepting help months and years down the track. But you need to allow family, friends, and the wider community to give. It will make you stronger and, years from now, will be an incredible insight into what others need in times of trauma—because you’ve been there and you understand. The only way you can truly learn to help others is by accepting help yourself when you need it.

Community

When a disaster strikes, we are reminded of the amazing generosity, kindness and compassion of others. Humans have an incredible capacity to help others in times of need. I am forever grateful to the friends, relatives, work colleagues, acquaintances and strangers who did what they could to help us in the weeks, months and years after the fires.

No matter how small the gesture, it was appreciated. One friend gave me her copy of a cookbook she knew I used all the time and I bless her every time I open that book to thumb its familiar pages. A woman who worked with my husband knew that he had bought me some pearl earrings as a present before the fires, so she gave me her favourite pearl earrings as a gift, and I bless her every time I wear them. Another friend’s son gave my son his cricket bat and ball, and I bless him every time I see the boys playing outside. A friend and former work colleague of my husband’s donated furniture, a TV and cooking utensils, and I bless her every day.

At times, despite everything, I felt buoyed by the support of all these people, by knowing they cared. And now, six years on, I still feel an enormous faith in the human spirit, our ability to survive, and the compassion and generosity we can offer each other.

Victorian Bushfires-how you can help

MONEY - Because so many of these places are classified crime scenes only registered care workers, nurses, police etc are able to get in. So even though clothes etc are a good donation, they don't yet have the resources to transport them there yet. So they need money money money. Donate at any Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ, National, Salvation Army or Red Cross. Salvos and Red Cross are credit card only, all bank branches accept cash.

MOBILE PHONE CHARGERS - people have their phones but no battery life left. There are so many types of phones so many types of chargers are required. If you have any chargers laying around from phones you no longer need, no matter how old or new, please send them to the Salvation Army

BLOOD - not just this week, but over the next few months. Blood donations have a kind of 'used by date' so while it's good to donate now, it needs to be kept up. Call the Red Cross on 131 495.

LAND - not sure many people have land on which to keep horses, but if you do happen to, call 0411 434123. I don't know who this number belongs to, sorry.

BLANKETING - to keep warm, obviously. Please take them to the Salvation Army

ANIMAL ACCOMMODATION - if you have room in your house for a dog, cat, rabbit, horse... phone 9739 0300. Some of these will belong to families in emergency care who can't take their pets with them, others belong to families who have passed away. They won't always know which category they belong to so be prepared to foster indefinitely. If you know anyone with animals that are injured by the way, see if you can get them to Lort Smith, they are treating all animals for free.
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I'm trying to organise the mobile blood bank to visit the University where I work. We're also organising some fundraisers.

If you'd like to put your craft skills to good use, The Toy Society will be collecting handmade toys over the next couple of weeks to be donated to children impacted by the fires. Many families have nothing but the clothes on their backs. Please email thetoysociety@gmail.com if you're interested.

Do you have water accessible to wildlife?

I was sent this by a colleague:

"It has been so hot in SA for over a week...40+ degrees Celsius everyday, very dry also.A guy at work lives at Maude. His wife sent him these photos of alittle Koala which just walked into the back porch looking for a bit ofheat relief. She filled up a bucket and this is what happened!"I was sent this by a colleague:"It has been so hot in SA for over a week...40+ degrees Celsius everyday, very dry also.A guy at work lives at Maude. His wife sent him these photos of alittle Koala which just walked into the back porch looking for a bit ofheat relief. She filled up a bucket and this is what happened!"

You can view more koalas keeping cool here, whilst they are very cute the bigger issue is the need for plenty of accessible water for birds and animals during the hot weather.

Keeping cool: Home made icy poles

Where I live we experienced a major heat wave last week-the worst for 100 years. It got to over about 45 degrees celsius (about 115 F). There were alot of power black outs due to heat. I've heard reports that people's pets have died, particularly rodents, birds and rabbits and a co-worker had to leave work due to fire risk around her home.

Green renters will be looking at ideas for keeping cool over the next few months.

Here's a couple of my icy pole recipes for keeping cool:

Vodka icy poles:

Ingredients:

-vodka
-fruit of choice. I have tried watermelon and pineapple.

-ice

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients and freeze in a mould or plastic cup. If you can't wait and must consume, go right ahead.

Lazy person's icy pole:

Ingredients:

-vodka or gin
-store bought icy pole (aka iced lolly)

Instructions:

Pour a generous quantity of liquor into a cold glass.
Add icypole.
Mush together.
Eat with a spoon.

More spoils from the garden....

We have had loads of chillies and zucchinis for a few weeks but the other day we proudly harvested these:


And here's some succulents we've been propogating to give to some friends:

beans beans beans....

Ever tried making your own baked beans?
Like many, you may be fearful of certain side effects. Treehugger gives some solutions here.

here's a yummy recipes I found recently. I'm going to give it a go (once the weather is cooler) but by making the beans from scratch:

Veggie Chili with Cornbread Dumplings

Ingredients:

1 white onion, medium diced
2 small cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes,

2 links vegetarian sausage (kinda spicy), or 8 oz. other veggie meat of your choice, cut into bite size chunks
2 T. olive oil
salt
optional: tabasco, chili flakes, chili powder, ground ancho chilis, green chilis, whatever heat you like
grated cheddar for serving
3/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. whole milk
1 egg
2 T. vegetable oil

instructions:

Preheat the onion to 400 degrees.

Put the onions, pinto beans, tomatoes, veggie sausage and olive oil in a casserole. Season with salt and add optional heat to your taste. Cover and put in oven to start heating while you make the dumplings.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. Beat the yogurt, milk, egg, and vegetable oil in another. Quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients without overbeating.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the lid, and drop the dumpling dough on in chunks a bit smaller than a golf ball, leaving spaces between them. (See picture above)

Bake about 20 minutes or so (uncovered) until the beans are hot and the dumplings are golden brown and baked through. Check them with a toothpick if you aren't sure.
Serve it up with grated cheddar and hot sauce on the side.

Do you have a favourite baked beans recipe? I'd love to hear it :)

How green is Google?

Or indeed the Internet?

Most of us browse the web and utilise the Internet on a frequent basis (you're here aren't you?) without really questioning the implications of doing so, here's an interesting article specifically about Google that might get you thinking...

www.thegreenpages.com.au/index.asp?page_id=1050

Gardening meets sport....

I love this installation by Madrid urban artist Spy...it particularly resonates with those of us who live/work in a concrete jungle and dislike sport.

Green as a thistle!

Recently I stumbled across Green as a Thistle a blog (and now book) by journalist Vanessa who documents her endeavours at living a greener life. Her challenge was to:

"Spend each day, for an entire calendar year, doing one thing that betters the environment. The idea was that everything I did, I kept doing (so if I switched brands, it was a permanent switch; if I turned down my thermostat, I kept it down), so that by day 365, I'd be living as green a lifestyle as it gets. It was a gruelling year, but in the end, it proved that being an environmentalist doesn't necessarily mean being a smug hippie, nor does it have to mean compromising aesthetic values or good wine.

You can read the list here of her lifestyle changes. I was interested to read that many of the things trialed are common practice in Australia like reusable shopping bags, recycling glass and paper, reducing water use and using recycled toilet paper.

How many of this list do you practice? I found we practice lots of the ideas (not all were relevant to us of course) like cloth napkins, rechargable batteries, using organic and recycled materials where often and the link. I also found a few ideas I haven't heard of and got reminded of my pledge to ban tissues in the home (not really an option at work as many of my clients are in tears). I'll make a list of challenges for myself I think.

Simplicity is living...

I love these free downloadable posters from Readymade.com, inspired by social art of the 'great depression era, designed by Christopher Silas Neal and Nick Dewar respectively. They are part of a series of five and you can download yours here

Do you make your own bread?

I was interested to read this article about the environmental benefits of making your own bread, with a breadmaker. These include the use of bulk materials and less travel and packaging. Further, it is alleged that a bread machine can do doughs, artisan breads, gluten-free loafs, and even jams and chutneys.

In our house we're not big bread eaters. We struggle to finish a loaf in a week. So for us it would most likely not be cost effective. Further I'm not meant to eat wheat so we invariably buy some kind of organic, whole loaf anyway. But for a big family it may be the way to go, what do you think?

Are there other things you make from scratch rather than buy? A dear friend makes the most amazing jams and chutneys and I've featured the benefits of making your own shortbread and I also like to make scones. We'll also soon be subject to an influx of zucchinis which will nessitate some busy baking. I'd also like to try making tomato sauces for presents.

The Slow Guide to Melbourne (& our 100th post!!)

The Slow Guides – Melbourne
Affirm Press
$29.95
www.slowguides.com.au

‘Slow’ is an increasingly popular worldwide movement encouraging us to all, well, slow down. To take time out from our increasingly (and frequently self inflicted) hectic lives to appreciate what is around us, to take time to notice little things that were previously unnoticed, investigate places un-investigated, try new experiences and treat the world in a different, more relaxed and inquisitive manner.
Affirm Press’s ‘Slow Guides’ to Melbourne and Sydney are the first (of hopefully many) in a series of handbooks to an alternative way of enjoying your favourite city. This review will focus on the Melbourne edition as it’s where I live and the city I know best.
The guide is beautifully produced with a uniform mellowing combination of black, white and green throughout the book accompanying some finely crafted text, beautiful photos and illustrations. I’ve not lived in Melbourne for that long, so a lot of the places and experiences mentioned were new and surprising to me, but my wife has been here over ten years and most still surprised her, so there’s your proof that we all spend far too much time rushing around like headless chickens, so that we need a book to tell us how to really discover our home city.

Some of my favourite snippets and factoid from the book include :

• Final confirmation that the Keith Haring-esque painting nears the Tote in Collingwood is actually an original Keith Haring.
• The old Melways tour of Melbourne to discover which buildings have come and gone since the edition was published.
• A very long list of unique (and generally free) views of Melbourne.
• The best places to indulge some of your more under-appreciated senses, such as smell.
• Why the visually appealing tiles outside of so many Melbourne pubs are at they height they are. (You wont touch them ever again…)

This is an easy and inspiring read, perfect to pop in your bag or even squeeze into a large pocket as you wander the streets with nothing in particular to do, but be warned, the book could cause some contradictory behaviour as you rush to leave work or study as rapidly as possible to get out into the big wide world and soak up some of the wonderful experiences mentioned.

Our first zucchini!

We were very excited to find our first zucchini grown in the veggie patch! The zucchinis are a light pale green with a soft prickly fur on the outside, ensuring no bugs get near!

As we were going for Dalyesford for the weekend, I proceeded to make a zucchini cake! I varied the recipe somewhat and used dates instead of raisins and sultanas and almonds instead of walnuts and added some grated carrot. Very yummy!