Straws Suck: joining the ranks of the recycling madwomen

Plastic Free July again. after the last few years, my single use plastic consuming has dropped drastically. This year the focus of PFJ is on plastic straws. I haven't used them since the children were small, and then only for craft projects, so no challenge for me there.

mix your own jasmine tea

My PFJ pledge is to give up using tea bags...a hidden source of plastic. We have all found the empty tea bags in the compost, tea leaves, tags and string are long gone but the bag persists.

It is difficult to track down which tea bags contain plastic, which include an adhesive made from pvc or polypropylene used to seal their edges. This is how the fill your own bags work..ironing melts the plastic to seal the bag. The only way to be sure if your bags do not contain any plastic is to contact suppliers. In the Uk, Co Op Foods with Typhoo removed plastic from their teabag range and PG Tips made the change to seal their bags with cornstarch.

Tea pouches are available, they either  have a fold in flap much like a pillowcase or two holes punched in their open end so they can be suspended over a cup. Infusers come in all shapes and sizes.The options are many, not forgetting the delights of a full pre warmed tea pot.

There are still quite a few teabags in the pantry so I have pledged to collect the tea bags strings to knit a tea bag free celebration scarf.

This is Irene who inspired me  to take on this mission: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/woman-makes-scarves-out-of-teabag-strings/9841612. Her scarves are a labour of love that have involved the whole community and they look amazing.

I see the process as a reflection of the persistence and tenacity we need to address the problem of plastic in our environment. One tiny tea bag at a time.

Irene tells us we will need 2000 strings to complete a scarf. There are certainly not that many in the cupboard so I will cheerfully accept donations.

The crop that keeps on giving!

made in March

Three year old capsicum bushes were pumping at the end of summer. Roasted capsicum sauce glows orange in the depth of the freezer, many have been stuffed and much stroganoff has been eaten.

It's  July, just past the shortest day, what to cook? I knew there were lots of greens in the garden and four jars of preserved capsicums dated March are still lurking unopened in the fridge.

Two were an untried Italian recipe which involved rolling  vinegar blanched strips with anchovy fillets and olives. Secured with a toothpick and laid in a jar covered in EVO. 'Pizza!' says brain!

picked in July

A couple of ice blocks of pesto quickly defrosted while I waited for the oil to soften in the capsicum jar. I sliced a mushroom and some diced sheep's feta . I was worried it may be salty so didn't add olives...a rare event for me! After a stint in the oven, I topped it with baby rocket from the garden, picked in the early winter dark.

Felt quite pleased with my instant dinner of homemade produce and the fact that I was using some of the summer stash...until I went out between showers in the daylight today and discovered these. The second GF pizza base needs eating...looks like a quesadilla for lunch!