Healthy Garden Food Newsletter
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| Editor: Bev Buckley |
MARCH 2010 |
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| Enough clean renewable energy for all. |
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Whilst in Australia our government is putting
most of its energy eggs in the coal basket, it is
one of the few governments around the world
who believe coal is the answer to our future
energy needs. This shows the power of the coal
lobby to influence allocation of government
resources. Sadly, lack of government interest
and commitment to renewable energy, meant
Australia's only large solar energy generation
company went out of business last year.
This is not what is happening overseas where
there is a rapidly growing trend towards the
generation of sustainable energy using wind,
solar, hydro, geothermal, wave and tidal energy
resources. I have been thrilled to learn that
nuclear power, the Australian government's other
"secret weapon" to solve the current energy
crisis, is losing favour elsewhere in the world.
Different countries are solving their future
energy needs differently, showing that there is
not one "right" way. In a recent newsletter we
described what is happening in Denmark. In this
newsletter we will be outlining what is
happening on a world scale.
Wind power is something that can be developed
quickly and wind electricity generation is
growing at a frenetic pace, having increased
from 17,000 megawatts in 2000 to 121,000
megawatts n 2008. There are now 70 countries
that are harnessing wind energy.
China's wind generation capacity is doubling
each year. China already has some 12,000
megawatts of capacity, with many more
medium-sized wind farms coming online. When
completed, these complexes will be able to
generate 105,000 megawatts - as much wind
power as the entire world had in early 2008.
Denmark now generates 21% of its national
energy needs by harnessing wind energy and the
Danish government is planing to use wind as the
mainstay of their electrical generation system
with fossil-fuel power as a back up.
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IThe percentage in Germany is 8% and it is rising
fast. In California, a 4,500-megawatt capacity
wind-farm complex is being planned.
Wind is just one resource available to us.
World-wide there are more than 60 different
commercial-scale solar power plants currently
scheduled to be built, including the recently
announced Californian project which will
produce 1,300 megawatts.
Solar thermal energy costs are falling fast, and
are now down to 12-18c per kilowatts hour and
the pace of solar energy development is
accelerating as solar hot water heaters takes off.
One of the more exciting new developments in
solar power generation is occurring in Algeria.
Algerians are using the sun-drenched desert to
harness 6,000 megawatts of solar energy and
send it by high-voltage transmission lines to
Aachen, on the border of Germany and the
Netherlands. Eventually, the plants will
probably use molten salt for storing heat in order
to extend power generation several hours beyond
sundown into peak demand evening hours.
Twenty-seven million Chinese rooftops now
have solar collection systems and there are
nearly 4,000 Chinese companies manufacturing
these devices, using relatively simple low-cost
technology. Houses in remote villages that have
never had electricity now have rooftop solar
collectors installed and Beijing plans to boost the
current 114 millon square metres of rooftop solar
collectors to 300 million by 2020. Once the
initial instalment cost of rooftop solar water
heaters is paid, the hot water is essentially free.
We don't have to reinvent the wheel to provide
for the world's energy needs from renewable,
clean, natural resources. What we do have to do
is to tell our governments that the time is long
past that large corporate interests dictate
government policies.
Reference: "Plan B 4.0 by Lester R. Brown www.earthpolicy.org
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Blueberries
Blueberries are rich in vitamins A, C, E and beta
carotene. They contain potassium, manganese
and magnesium. Of all fresh fruit, blueberries
produce the most anti-oxidants, the substances
that prevent cancer, overcome cell damage and
limit changes wrought by age-related diseases.
As a generalization, anti-oxidants help stop
production of free radicals (groups of atoms that
damage cells and the immune system). Each
anti-oxidants plays a distinctive role.
Anti-oxidants in blueberries include:
- anthocyanins, which create the blue colour of
blueberries and are known to reduce heart
disease and cancer,
- chlorogenic acid slows release of glucose into
the bloodstream afte a meal,
- ellagic acid which binds cancer-causing body
chemicals, rendering them inactive,
- pterostilbene helps lower cholesterol
Oxalates are the only negative substance found
in blueberries. They slow the absorption of
calcium into the system.
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Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
1 kg blueberries
2 tablespoons of cornflour
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of wholemeal flour
2 cups of quick cooking rolled oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
¾ cup of brown sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1¼ teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of butter
Method
Blend half the blueberries with the cornflour. Transfer this mixture to a saucepan and add
remaining blueberries and lemon juice. Boil
then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Set
aside to cool.
In a large bowl combine flour, spices, brown
sugar, salt and baking powder. Cut the butter in
small pieces and incorporate into the flour so
that it resembles coarse crumbs. Press 2/3rds of
the mixture into a flat baking tray. Bake in a
pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Allow base to
cool. Spread blueberry mixture over the base
and top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for
25 minutes until bubbly. Cool before cutting.
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Blueberry and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
3 avocados
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup of blueberries
Lettuce leaves
¼ cup of wine vinegar
½ teaspoon of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Method
Place oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a jar with a
lid and shake vigorously.
Remove avocado pulp and slice. Mix with
pineapple and blueberries. Add dressing and
toss. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.
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Growing Blueberries
the bio-nutrient way...
Blueberries require a soil pH of between 4.8
and 5.5. When soil pH is higher than 5.5
iron chlorosis results causing the leaves to
turn yellow unless the soil has a high level of
organic matter.
Soil preparation.
Mound soil in rows that are 1½metres apart.
Spread a slow release sea-based fertilizer
(seaweed or fish emulsion) or blood and
bone on mounds. Mark out planting location
on the mounds and dig in peat moss,
woodchips, zeolite and crusher dust in places
where you will plant your blueberry bushes.
If soil pH is too high, water with a weak
solution of vinegar and water or use a weak
solution of aluminium sulphate. Cover
entire area with a thick (10 cm.) layer of
bark chips, wood mulch, pine bark or
sawdust and leave until spring. The mulch
suppresses weeds, regulates soil temperature
and maintains moistue. As it breaks down, it
adds organic matter to the soil which is
important for the development of
mycorrhizal fungi that assists blueberry roots
to absorb water, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Plant in spring.
Maintenance
Spray 3 times a year with a seaweed or fish
emulsion liquid fertilizer. The mulch
provides most of the nutrient needs of the
blueberries.
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© Growing Healthy Australia 2010.
Growing Healthy Australia distributes this on-line newsletter "Healthy Garden Food" regularly for it's members.
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