There are lots of places to start when wanting to live a bit more sustainably and over this series of blogs I will share with you what I have experienced in the hope that it inspires something in you.
The cardinal rule from my Overwhelm Blog is also valid here — start small and be consistent. Just like any changes you make to your routine, living sustainably is never an end goal. Its a shift in your perspective and in your priorities.
The next rule — give yourself some grace. Life is hard. It’s busy and unrelenting. So forget about “perfection” (which does not exist as a fixed constant btw!) and focus more on bit by bit — giota ar ghiota.
I did a poll on instagram last week on where people need ideas on how to live more sustainably and most people answered “cooking”. So that’s where I’ll start.
— BUY/GROW SEASONALLY, LOCALLY AND USE UP WHAT YOU HAVE —
This isn’t a lecture. You know what’s good for you and you know what your priorities are. Buying organic fruit and vegetables that have been grown intentionally and free from chemicals that kill soil health and that are not healthy for our bodies is a no-brainer. So prioritise it where and when you can within the budget and availability you have. To start with pick one item that you buy every week — herbs/salad/potatoes/garlic/berries. It doesn’t matter what it is — source and buy organic for that one item and build it into your budget. Then build on that every month. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing and you don’t need to overthink it. Even better is growing your own!
Buying locally (i.e. not in a massive supermarket) is also an extremely sustainable choice. Whilst organic is preferable, the label of organic is such a heavy burden for Irish farmers to obtain. So if you know a fella up the road who does good bags of spuds, why not support him instead of Tesco? It hasn’t been sitting around for months, it hasn’t travelled from another country. Again pick one item to start with and build on that.
Now — use up what you have. Whenever you go to the extra wee bother of buying organic or locally, then you will be more inclined to use up every last bit. Rather than let those few sprigs of herbs dry up and die, or that lonely little beetroot to wither up or that sad little apple go off, you will find ways to use them up. In fact, the flavour difference might also surprise you.
How to use up what you have
1. Things like herbs, garlic, celery or onions (to name but a few) can be chopped up and frozen. Lay them on parchment paper on a tray and freeze for an hour or two, then transfer into a freezer bag or a jar and keep in the freezer drawer so when you need just a bit of garlic but have run out, you have some there.
2. Save the scraps — for those of you who follow me on instagram you’ve seen that I’ve gone apple mad this past few weeks! We have two apple trees, one cooking and one eating and I’ve been trying to preserve as many as possible as well as use them fresh (check out my instagram for more ideas if you’ve got an apple tree). As a result I have had a lot of apple cores and skins to use up. I add the scraps to a bag I have in the freezer and when it’s full I follow a recipe by the Zero Waste Chef — Annemarie Bonneau (the queen of ideas on reducing waste) for using them up by making apple cider vinegar. It can be anything from €4-10 euro on average to buy a bottle of organic ACV and I would use it a good bit. This way it is free from scraps!
3. Have a “use it up” go-to meal recipe for the day before your shopping day. It could be a veg soup — use up whatever odds and ends you have and combine with some lentils or pearl barley and some stock and BAM, a delicious soup for lunch! Use the internet for finding such a recipe. Keep an eye on my instagram for ideas.
My advice in a one-liner — Keep it simple, don’t overthink it, just start in some small way and be consistent.
Stick around for more ideas and support and by the way…..THANK YOU for caring enough to want to make some changes and being motivated enough to act.
Until next time,
Le grá,
