Care for the Earth by caring for your earth
Climate change impacts are happening now, more rapidly and at lower global temperature increases than previously projected. Our Pacific neighbours, the Carteret Islanders, are already losing land to the ocean. In Oxfam’s new film, Sisters on the Planet, Ursula is working to relocate affected families, and points out that “climate change is not just about statistics, it’s about human rights.”
Steps to a safe-climate future
“We require only 10% of our productive, degraded lands to absorb the estimated 6.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions to make a carbon negative world possible in our lifetime” - www.amazingcarbon.com. Only farmers can achieve the outcomes on the scale required, effective immediately.
What can you do?
If you’re not a farmer or a corporate industrialist, you can still make changes that matter. Every little thing helps. If you haven’t already, try some of the following:
The tides are changing
Eileen Kaufman is holding a one-day workshop to explain how biodynamics can mitigate raised carbon levels by sequestering carbon in the soil and counter the effects of climate change.
Australia is one of the biggest greenhouse gas polluters per person in the world. Australia has the responsibility and capacity to reduce emmisions by at least 40% by 2020, and the current target of 25% is insufficient. The impact of climate change is being felt disproportionately in developing countries. The people of the Cateret Islands off Papua New Guinea are having to evacuate due to rising sea levels.
Oxfam is currently campaigning to raise awareness of the effects of climate change around the world (www.oxfam.org.au/climate-change). As part of their campaign, Oxfam have produced Sisters on the Planet, a documentary exploring the ways in which six inspirational women are facing up to climate change. This film is being shown at supporter run events in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Meeting in Bangkok (28 September to 9 October).
Carbon Gardening Workshop: Organic and Biodynamic Techniques
When: 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Saturday 26 September
Where: Dural, North West Sydney
Cost: $75 including all materials, tea and coffee. BYO lunch.
This is a one-day workshop offering hands on experience. You will:
At the end of the workshop, from 4.00 to 5.00 pm, Oxfam’s documentary Sisters on the Planet will be shown.
For bookings and directions, please email eileen@bioorganicgardener.com or phone 0405 075 975.
We’re always on the lookout for new and delicious ways of eating our homegrown produce. So we thought we’d start collecting recipes to share on Backyard Biodynamics. Check out our new recipes section. Many thanks to Sian for kicking things off with her Sensational Stinging Nettle Pie.
If you have a favourite seasonal recipe using vegetables, herbs and fruits typically grown in backyards, we’d love you to share it with us and your fellow readers. Please send your recipes in to angela [at] backyardbiodynamics [dot] com.
And it doesn’t have to be all about eating your daily greens - at Backyard Biodynamics we have a great respect for the health giving properties of brown foods too … like chocolate.
This recipe can be adapted to almost any combination of vegetables and/or cheese. If using eggplant, slice and salt both sides of eggplant first. All non-green vegetables should be sautéed first. Experiment with different combinations of fresh and dried herbs.
For best results, cook the pie in a baking dish, cast iron or scanpan that can be used on the stove as well.
(Makes up to 9 large serves)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
large bunch cavolo nero (Italian black cabbage) / kale/ silverbeet or two bunches spinach, chopped
8 eggs
300g feta cheese
large bunch fresh, young nettle tips, stalks removed and chopped
6 sheets filo pastry
100g butter
1tsp paprika
olive oil
3 large handfuls mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)
large bunch fresh herbs, eg parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 160˚C. Melt butter in a pan - do not let butter brown!
Pour off butter and reserve for glazing.
Chef’s tip: to make garlic cloves easier to peel, crush with flat part of knife blade
Sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms, add oil as required. Using the same pan not only saves dishes but adds more flavour to the finished baked pie.
Place green vegetables and fresh parsley in a large mixing bowl.
Mix eggs in medium sized bowl and add paprika.
Chef’s tip: broken eggshell pieces can be removed using half a clean eggshell.
Add feta cheese, including liquid, to eggs and paprika.
Add liquid ingredients to chopped greens, sautéed vegetables and nettle.
Add extra olive oil to mixture if too dry.
With dry hands, spread two layers filo pastry across bottom of pan or baking dish.
Chef’s tip: handle pastry with dry hands. Two sheets of filo pastry are less likely to tear than one.
Spread half mixture evenly across pastry.
Add next two layers pastry opposite direction, and brush with reserved butter.
Add remaining mixture, fold in pastry and brush with butter.
Add top layer pastry.
Tuck in sides and brush with butter.
Bake in preheated oven at 160˚C for up to one hour.
When lightly browned, turn off oven and leave pie in oven until cool. Leaving the pie to cool inside the oven adds more flavour to the pie.
Reheat before serving.
Keeps well covered in fridge for up to several days. This pie is good served hot or cold and holds its shape, once cooked, for lunches.
- All images and recipe information intellectual property of Sian Bennett, August 2009.
Backyard Biodynamics is a place where you can learn, share and be engaged by biodynamic gardening in your own backyard. 