We are frequently told that our diets are unsustainable because of the impact on pollution and climate change. Yet statistics for the impact of agriculture in the UK suggest it is much smaller than we might expect. This false impression results because we import about half our food. In statistics where UK imports are ignored the impact we have on the environment is massively understated. Food packaging does not give pollution and carbon footprint information. Whereas we are given an indication of how much damage we do to ourselves from the saturates, sugar, salt traffic lights, how much damage we cause to the environment is completely unknown to most of us. Thus, the frequent advice is to buy UK-sourced, in-season food, when possible, in preference to imports. One way you can ensure the food is UK-sourced and in-season is to grow your own and many of us who can, do so. Nature is such that when our harvest is ready, we end up with gluts. So how we deal with these gluts is important in tack-ling the problems of pollution and climate change.
At this time of year many residents of Knebworth are awash with apples from garden trees. Many trees produce far more apples than can be consumed by the residents during the period of picking. Some solve this problem with boxes of apples for anybody to take from their garden gate, others make use of “produce swaps”. Some juice the apples and some store them to allow a greater time in which to eat them. All methods save not just a considerable sum of money but also lots of carbon miles compared with supermarket-bought apples, which are frequently imported. Depending upon the type of apple you have they can store until around May the following year. It is best not to store windfall as bruising from the fall can start early rotting, but many of these apples are good to eat and juice for a period after falling. Storing apples is quite simple: one method is to use cardboard boxes into which you put individually paper-wrapped apples. Shiny magazine pages make good apple wrapping paper as they allow the apples to breathe but also help prevent them drying out whilst providing a barrier between apples if one of them should start rotting. Store the box in a cool, dry vermin-free location, maybe your garage.
What can we do this month? Those interested in juicing some of their glut might be interested in making use of Datchworth Climate Action group’s next produce stall which will include their annual apple pressing. It will occur on Datchworth village green from 10:00AM till noon on Saturday 7th of October. You will need to take your own containers (plastic if you intend to freeze) and the juice you get may not be from your apples. They will still be running their produce swap so if your glut is other than apples, they will still be able to help; they also hope to have some bird boxes available.
Litter pick Meet us at the Village Hall car park from 9:30am on Saturday the 21st October. Please e-mail us at address below to help us manage the litter pick.
Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/knebworthenvironmentalgroup.
You can also con-tact us via email to Kristin at knebworthenvironmentalgroup@gmail.com.
Our next meeting is at 8PM on Tuesday 10th Oct at the Station pub: you can email in advance or just turn up.