Hodmedod’s baked beans taste at least as good as Heinz’s, and its carlin peas are an excellent British substitute for chickpeas. The nodules increase organic matter by feeding microbial life which, when it dies, “ensures carbon is locked into the soil”. Then there’s their ability to fertilise the soil, using root nodules containing bacteria which convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia – “so they don’t need any artificial fertilisers, which degrade the soil,” continues Meldrum. Being rich in protein, they are perfect as a substitute for or supplement to meat, so that we consume less of it. In fact, Josiah Meldrum of Hodmedod’s – purveyor of British pulses – is almost embarrassed by how positive pulses are for the environment. They are storable, nutritious, grow easily and abundantly in the UK, and are great for soil health. Pulses are truly the holy grail of store cupboard goods, says Lang. In theory, dried fruits and spices have a low environmental impact – but this is increased if they are quickly freeze dried rather than dried slowly in the sunshine. For example, buying dried pulses and cooking them yourself will reduce the energy expended on packaging and transporting cans, but it entails more emissions than in a factory where the process is streamlined. “There are social criteria, health criteria, embedded carbon and embedded water ,” says Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City, University of London and the person who coined the phrase “food miles”. But what about the items in our store cupboard – the sauces, spices, condiments, spreads and ingredients that are canned, jarred or dried? How do we choose them so as to inflict as little damage on the planet as possible? Community Columnist Tim Pennings is a resident of Holland and can be contacted at Previous columns can be found at hen it comes to fresh food, we know what we should do: buy local, eat less meat, look for fish approved by the Good Fish Guide. Pasties are good if eaten occasionally - once every 10 years is about right. It compensates for the other rite of passage - eating a pasty. It’s a rite of passage in becoming a true Yooper. I’ve taken advantage of those in past years, but this year I joined the class of people who have jumped from Blackrock Cliffs into Superior in the northern corner of Presque Isle Park in Marquette. (Sand is a great exfoliant.) There are also rope swings and places to jump from bridges. Kayaking the Au Train River allows for swimming and bathing in the crystal clear sandy-bottomed river. I frequently kayak the Black, Pigeon and Kalamazoo Rivers in West Michigan, but I stay in my kayak. All without wasting plastic.īut perhaps the best aspect of the UP is the opportunity to recreate in pure nature. Nothing wrong with Holland water, but natural spring water, collected by many in the UP, is a treat. I collect it from a spring cascading over a ridge by Au Train falls. I DO bring back the water - 30 gallons this trip. Its air comes across 160 miles of fresh water from Canada. Au Train sits at the widest north-south point of Lake Superior. She responded, “Oh, I thought it meant “Expert logger.” Of course, I’m in the UP.Īnd the air! Holland gets its air across the widest east-west spot of Lake Michigan, but it is flavored by Milwaukee. A woman approached me, “May I ask you a personal question - what does your license plate mean?” I explained it. EXP stands for “exponential” and LOG for its mathematical relative “logarithmic.” Alas, I have driven these six years unacknowledged. My license plate is “EXP LOG.” I chose it half dozen years ago expecting STEM folk to honk when they passed. You read it correctly, “her.” Impressive. Hitting the shore and nodding acknowledgement, the paddler deftly heaved the canoe up on her shoulders and quietly disappeared along the portage path. Once when on a remote canoe trip in the Boundary Waters, I spied in the distance a broad-shouldered, flannel-shirted figure muscularly thrusting a canoe towards our landing. Canoeing and kayaking are ubiquitous in the north country. Instead of SUVs, you see rusty pickups and kayaks atop cars. As soon as you cross the Mackinac Bridge, life changes. I vacation each year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
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