EDITOR’S NOTE HELLO Dear Green Place is a zine that focuses on sustainable living in Glasgow. The second issue explores the Springtime. Even through these times it’s important to appreciate what is going on around us. As flowers blossom and wildlife emerges, we should reflect on ways in which we can help protect our natural environment. Stay safe, Marissa - @DGPZine
CONTRIBUTORS Marissa Trimble Writer, Editor, Illustrations
NATURAL ANTIVIRAL REMEDIES Page 3
The Team at Propagate Local Highlights - Propagate
DISCARDED Pages 4-5
Nadine Ferguson Eco Art Jamie Small / sprooter.net Design, Layout WANT TO GET INVOLVED? The next isse will be coming out at the start of June and will focus on urban living. If you want to be part of it, just email your idea to: deargreenplacezine@gmail.com
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CONTENTS
WILD GARLIC Pages 6-7 LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS Pages 8-11 ECO ART Page 11 RECIPE Page 12
NATURAL ANTIVIRAL REMEDIES Keeping yourself healthy has never been more important than now. Add these antiviral remedies to your diet to keep your immune system in check.
GINGER Ginger has been shown to have impressive antiviral activity thanks to its high concentration of potent plant compounds.
GARLIC Studies show that garlic may have antiviral activity against influenza A and B, HIV, HSV-1, viral pneumonia, and rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
LEMON Lemon’s high acidity inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and viruses by making it more difficult for them to reproduce.
HONEY Honey, especially Manuka honey, has strong antiviral properties.
PEPPERMINT TEA Peppermint leaves and essential oils contain active components, including menthol and rosmarinic acid, which have antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity.
ELDERBERRY Studies show that concentrated elderberry juice slows influenza virus replication and stimulates immune system response.
ECHINACEA Echinacea has been used for millennia as a natural remedy, and was used by Native Americans to treat a wide array of conditions, including viral infections
OREGANO OIL Oregano plant compounds, which include carvacrol, offer antiviral properties. References: healthline.com/nutrition/antiviral-herbs, intechopen.com/online-first/health-benefits-of-honey, herebydesign.net/natures-flu-remedy-anti-viral-anti-inflammatory-lemon/
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DISCARDED
Discarded Spirits Co. are a fresh and exciting brand based out of the Girvan Distillery. Their introductory beverage, the Cascara Vermouth, is made from the part of the coffee berry which is usually discarded during the coffee production process. As the company states, even though some of this waste product can be used for things such as fertilising soil, billions of tonnes of cascara are still wasted every year. To combat this, Discarded have decided to use cascara to create a flavourful and sweet vermouth that we highly recommend you try (it is best served over ice or with tonic water.) What’s more, they’ve just released a second creation - Banana Peel Rum. Similarly, they’ve again taken a waste product, this time banana peels, combined them with ex-whisky casks to create a distinctive and fruity rum. A Banana Peel Rum daiquiri would certainly up your lockdown cocktail game. These Discarded drinks are great examples of finding uses for waste products and are inspiring in their ingenuity. Clearly, we need to examine the manufacturing process of the products we consume to make sure we are only throwing away things that definitely cannot be utilised again. We are excited to see what they come up with next! Check out Discarded Spirits Co. online (discardedspirits.com) or head over to their Facebook or Instagram (@discardedspirits) where they share cool cocktail ideas as well as creative tips on reusing your waste.
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WILD GARLIC
You’ve may seen all over social media that people have been foraging for wild garlic. It is basically a bulbous plant with leaves you can easily pick that have a similar, but milder, scent and taste to the garlic you will be used to.
WHAT DOES WILD GARLIC LOOK LIKE AND WHERE CAN I FIND IT? Wild garlic is most commonly found from mid/late winter to the end of spring. It is found mainly in wooded areas, usually next to water so if you can go and take your daily walk along a stream or in a wood and you will probably come across some. We found ours in Pollok Country Park. The leaves, pictured over page, can be easily identified especially when they have flowered. However, the easiest way to identify them is through smell. Make sure you rub the leaves and smell them to make sure they are in fact wild garlic as the leaves can look similar to other poisonous plants. If it doesn’t have a garlicky smell or if you’re not 100% sure it’s wild garlic do not risk eating them.
WHY IS FORAGING GOOD? Foraging is a great way to connect with nature and allows you to take part in the process of how food ends up on your plate. It’s also a plastic-free way of “shopping for food” and of course it’s a fun and free activity to do as well.
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WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH WILD GARLIC? Making pesto is definitely the most common use for wild garlic. Simply combine a bunch of leaves with olive oil, some pine nuts, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper. Adding wild garlic to any dish, such as pasta or risotto, will give it a nice mild garlicky flavour. Even adding some chopped wild garlic to sandwiches can hugely improve the tastiness.
TOP TIPS •
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Give the leaves a soak in salted water for 10 minutes and then rinse in a colander to make sure you get any dirt off of them. Avoid leaves with holes in them as this can be a sign of the presence of bugs. Like most other herbs you can collect wild garlic and freeze it for later use. Drying wild garlic is another great way of preserving it. Make sure you are comfortable identifying wild garlic before you cook with it, this advice is also useful when partaking in foraging in general.
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LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS PROPAGATE Propagate are local community project based in Glasgow who, in their own words, are “supporting the emergence of ideas, solutions and practical projects around themes of food, communities and resilience.” We got in touch with them to ask them a few questions about gardening and growing food during lockdown!
WHY DO YOU THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO GARDEN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC? “Now more than ever we need to think about where our food comes from and the systems that sustain us. Supply chains are likely to be disrupted - from production to distribution. The more veg we can grow the better, to keep ourselves, our families and our communities healthy.” Gardening is also amazingly beneficial for mental health. Numerous studies have been carried out on how being around nature, and contact with soil helps to relieve anxiety. In these turbulent times, this is exactly what we need.”
WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND A COMPLETE BEGINNER SHOULD GROW?
FRENCH BEANS
“The best things to grow are what you like to eat! That said, it does rather depend on the size of your growing space, and how much sunlight you get. We generally recommend veg that has a long harvesting season - ‘cut and come again’ varieties like salad leaves, chard, kale, peas and beans, and courgette. Salad leaves are always good to start with - you can grow these in the garden, in tubs or window boxes. If you have CHILLI PLANT
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room it might be good to try growing a crop like chard... it’ll keep producing leaves and is full of Vitamin K. Potatoes are easy to grow in bags but it might be a wee bit late to get seed potatoes. French beans are easy and quick to germinate - if you have outdoor space you can create a structure for them (plenty of ideas online). Beans like these cost a lot to buy in the shops and are often imported from countries like Kenya - so you’ll save money and food miles. If you have a garden then think about composting. There is a lot of information on the internet for new gardeners so if you are stuck try searching online.” Propagate are about to start a 4 session workshop for beginners on growing vegetables (check it out here) and plan to host a regular Gardener’s Question Time.
FOR THOSE WITHOUT A GARDEN, ANY TIPS FOR INDOOR GARDENING? “For growing in your flat or house, the first thing you need to check is that you have a good amount of sunlight coming in. Even then it’s tricky. If your good for sunlight then you could try tomatoes, but they’ll need managed so they don’t get too tall, and they may need to be hand pollinated. Easy options that are viable in lower light conditions (2-3 hours) are microgreens - seeds that have germinated and grown on to small seedling stage. Plants like radish, nasturtium and rocket are good for this. They pack a punch of flavour, and are full of nutrients too. If all else fails, try sprouting seeds - tasty, easy and nutritious. If you have a sunny window try growing tomatoes and chillies although chillies can take ages to germinate! You could also sow a pot of basil, a good companion to tomatoes as well as a great culinary herb.”
SPRING ONIONS
propagate.org.uk
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LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS
ECOSIA Ecosia is a search engine that helps the environment. They do this by using ad revenue to fund tree planting projects and are proud to be more than CO2 neutral, as searching with them actually takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Their servers also all run on 100% renewable electricity. They it claim takes around 45 searches for a tree to be planted, so start browsing ethically while you’re stuck inside!
Head over to ecosia.org for more information on using Ecosia. Shoutout to student group UofG on Ecosia who have been campaigning at the University of Glasgow to make it the default search engine used at the university. They have already had great success with the Students’ Representative Council making the switch. They have inspired a similar campaign to start at Strathclyde University too.
Sign UofG on Ecosia’s petition here. Sign Strathclyde University on Ecosia’s petition here.
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ECO ART Nadine Ferguson from Ayrshire decided to get creative by re-using household items destined for the rubbish bin and turning them into cute crafts.
MATERIALS USED • • • • • •
Garden wire Twine - or you could use ribbon from packaging or wool depending on what you have Empty tin or glass bottle with label removed Double-sided tape or glue Tealight and candlestick holders For decoration: a button - or you could use a bottle cap and poke holes in it. Detail along the rims of the tins with old bracelets
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RECIPE
HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK FROM SCRAPS We can’t believe we didn’t realise how easy it was to make a nice vegetable stock! We also didn’t know you can make an extremely flavourful stock from scraps you would usually just throw away.
STEPS 1. When cooking, gather up any vegetable scraps such as onion and garlic skins, carrot tops and potato peelings. You’ll know what flavours you like best and you’ll soon learn what works best. 2. Rinse your scraps and then freeze them in a tupperware. 3. Once you’ve collected a full tupperware over time, around 2 or 3 handfuls of scraps, you can now make your stock. Simply combine about a litre of boiling water and your scraps in a pot. 4. Boil for an hour on a low heat. 5. Strain your liquid and voila! You should now have a dark brown/ black flavoursome liquid. This will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
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