How to BBQ Vegetarian Sausages

We have been slowly getting in to having more and more vegetarian BBQs. Our way to BBQ vegetarian sausages it to do this

1. Coat each sausage with a layer of vegetable oil.
2.  Cook on the BBQ until the sausages are browned on the outside. Follow the instructions on the box to get a guide for how long to cook them.
3. Cut the sausage in half long ways, coat the exposed area with oil and return the BBQ with the brown off the centre you have exposed. This helps ensure they are cooked all the way through and make them go a little further when you have children around.

Vegetarian sausages are great for cutting in half as they usually do not require a skin to hold them together unlike their meat counter parts.

The Joy Of A Vegetarian BBQ

We are currently quite into having Vegetarian BBQs - No Meat allowed. No we are not vegetarians or vegans  we have just found we quite enjoy going meat free at BBQs.

Our BBQs tend to be the type where we slowly cook for an hour or two and eat as it is cooked, We just keep on cooking until everyone is full. It is really a lazy Sunday afternoon family social thing. I mention this as I have been to BBQs where I have watched the hosts run around like maniacs trying to cook everything as fast as possible. Only once everything was cooked did they decide that is was time to eat. For us this seemed odd we think of BBQs more in line with relaxing in the garden with friends while we cook something up. I only mention this so you can better understand out reasons. Lets get to those.

First is it is simple, The children help to make some kebabs, tomato, haluomi cheese, mushrooms and so on, we also cook some freezer based vegetarian sausages or burgers.  Why is this simple well we are not handling raw meat at any time so the children can help make the kebabs with having to wash their hands afterwards and us having to constantly wipe surfaces.

At cooking time, because the is no raw meat, I don’t have to constantly wash my hands when I suddenly have to deal with a child also I do no have to mentally keep track of whether each item has had raw meat on it or not. Having three children the distractions are common and keeping track of contaminated things can be taxing on my brain.

I am also much less likely to poison everyone! While you should be careful and properly cook and food that needs it I am pretty sure under cooked Quorn sausages are less likely to make someone ill than an under cooked chicken leg. I should add, just in case I ever invite you to a BBQ and start cooking meat, you don’t have to worry I have never given anyone food poisoning.

Hygiene aside because vegetables contain less fat you don’t constantly drip fat on the burning charcoals and thus there are not any flair ups that require a water sprayer to douse. As such charcoal has a more even heat which makes it a joy to cook on. To me it makes the whole experience calmer as 10% of me is not being a fireman.

Finally, my other half first noticed this, after a BBQ consisting of only vegetarian we don’t feel so bloated out. It feels almost healthy having consumed so many vegetables. Usually after a meat BBQ we feel bloated and don’t want another one for a month or so. Now we find ourselves getting a BBQ out on any weekend afternoon that we have spare, weather permitting of course.

I don’t imagine we will always do no meat BBQs, particularly as visitors may expect some meat or we may just feel like some but we do enjoy meat free BBQ’s and intend to have lots more.

What Is Caffeine?

If you look at the Wikipedia article on Caffeine their is a great deal of information but some of it is quite dense so I have put together this little article about Caffeine.

Mention Caffeine and most people usually think of the coffee bean, obviously tea leafs provide us with our caffeine fix as well. The Coffee and Tea plants have done pretty well from our love (addiction?) to caffeine, we now tend the plants and work to ensure no harm comes to them.

In return they supply us with our regular fix of what many crave. Caffeine for the most part seems fairly harmless to us if consumed in moderate amounts. It is interesting to wonder why certain plants have evolved to contain caffeine in the first place. It was not for humans to consume but instead is used as a defence mechanism for the plant.

Caffeine is a pesticide that certain plants have evolved to resist and deter attacks from insects. It can paralyse and kill certain insects that might choose to eat the plant or its berries. Caffeine has also been found in the soil around the coffee plant seedling. It is suspected this acts to stop other coffee plant seedlings from germinating (growing) next to it, this gives the original plant a better chance of survival.

A Reason For Not Shouting At Your Children, Well Not Very Often Anyway!

What is a shout? A shout is when you raise the volume and change the tone of your voice in order to get someone to obey you, preferably without questioning what you are saying.

Parents often shout at their children for very trivial things. Stop standing on the sofa, eat your breakfast or something like that. We have all done it.

The trouble with shouting at children is they get desensitised to it, so mums and dads around the world have to add a bit of a roar to their voice to get the child's attention. Then the child gets desensitised to that and the circle continues. At some point parents can’t up the anti any more and they have to resort to other tactics, like picking them up from the sofa and putting them on the floor while shouting.

What is wrong with this? Well sometimes a shout is all you have to control them with and you want it obeyed. Let use the classic example of a child running towards a road. A simple shout “Stop” will prevent any harm coming to them if they obey it. If they no longer listen to even your most viscous roar then you only option is to chase them and try to physically prevent them getting in harms way. Not an easy option if you have more than one child.

By only shouting at times when you really need them to obey they are much more likely to listen and do what they are told.

For the more minor obedience problems a naughty corner idea (put them in a corner or somewhere out of the way for the same number of minutes as their age) may work well. We give a warning, “Get off the sofa Timmy” then a second warning, usually we move a little closer and ensure they have heard but we do not raise our voice. If they choose to ignore this then it is straight to the naughty corner, no negotiation or discussion with them. Once they have done their minutes we get them to tell us what they did wrong and then don’t mention it again or hold it against them. Putting them in the corner gives parents a time out as well.

If they leave the corner without permission put them back and tell them the time has been reset. After a little while they learn that you are not negotiating and that you are the boss. They start to obey your instructions and because you are not shouting any more the household stress lowers and that helps to make everyone happy.

Of course it is not that easy to reach that point it take hard work on your part but perseverance does pay off. We sometimes thought of it as a game and are sometimes just waiting for the next time they do not obey an instruction.

We are not strict parents and give our children a great deal of freedom but we do require them to follow our instructions if we are giving them direct instructions. I suppose the message here is parents should be in charge not the children because it make for a happier household.

How To Ripen Avocados

Do you often buy those ripen at home avocado packs. We do as they tend to be a little bit cheaper but it did take use a while to get used to ripening them.

So here is my technique for getting them and avoiding them going overripe and all black inside.

Stage One: Keep them on the side
Often when you by these ripen at home avocados they are a very light green in colour. The first stage is to ripen them off a bit by keeping them at room temperature. Once they become a dark green move them to the fridge, they will still be firm when squeezed.

Stage Two: A couple of days in the fridge. 
We found transferring them to the fridge at this stage slowed down their ripening and avoids them rapidly ripening and going all black inside. It is usually a couple of days in the fridge before they are ready to be eaten. A ripe avocado will give a little when squeezed.

We then keep them in the fridge until they we want to eat them. Usually we get them out a couple of hours before so they can warm up to room temperature.

If left in the fridge they should keep for 7-10 days before going bad.

Because it can take nearly a week to get the ripen at home avocados ready to eat we found we were having to think more a head a little way. In the end we just decided to buy a pack or two every week and ripen them off. Sometimes we would have a glut and enjoy copious amounts of guacamole and other time we might run short. Either way at least these days very few turn that horrible black inside.

Note: While you could just put them straight in the fridge they seemed to take ages to ripen and just leaving them on the side means they go bad too quickly for us to eat them.

5 Ways To Kill Slugs

Personally I prefer to deter slugs away from my young plants and accept a small amount a small amount a slug damage on more mature plants that can cope with it. I do however accept that sometimes it does become all out war with the slug and you just have to reduce the number of the bigger slugs.

So here is a list of ways to kill slugs.

1. Buy Hand.
Yes this one is not pretty and it is better to wear gloves.  Head out late evening as the night starts to cool and it is dark. Take a torch and a bucket of water. Any slug you spot just gently pick them up and put them in the but of water. Drowning is not a nice way to go but still it does get it done and does seem more humane then some of the others.


2.  Beer Trap.
Some would say this is a waste of beer and in reply I say buy cheap beer for those pesky slugs. The idea is you sink a small container, like say a large yoghurt pot and 3/4 fill it with beer. Cover with a piece of slate, rock or brick but prop it up slightly so the slugs have access.

The slugs are attracted to the smell of the beer. Drink there fill and fall in or just fall in trying to reach the beer and drown.

This is the classic way of killing slugs that is fairly humane in the sense they probably don't feel much. Another plus is it is easy to set up and does not need you to be sneaking around at night.

3. Nematodes
These are small ring worm that live in the ground and attack the slugs. They are safe to use around children and pets. The dead or dying slug and be eaten by a predator with any ill effect on the predator.

You do need to apply and application every 6 weeks or so and it does make it more expensive then the other ways of killing slugs. It is however a very easy way to control slugs and so well worth a try. Nematodes are often sold under brand name like Nemaslug.

4. Salt
Again this is one that many people know from their childhood. Let me say straight away it is not a good way to kill slugs.

First it is a pretty evil way to kill something. Slowly removing the water from an organism is not good. I remember seeing it done as a child and watching the poor slug twist and writhe in pain seem barbaric to me even as a child. There are better ways to kill slugs if you have to kill them

Salt is also not good for the ground or should I say for the plants you are attempting to grow in the ground. Only plants adapted to grow in salty conditions with thrive.

I really suggest not using this method.

5. Slug Pellets
Chemical weapons work well against most enemy but I am not really a fan. If I am going to spend money fighting slugs I would go for Nematodes even if it cost more. Pellets can be dangerous to children and pets.

Even if your garden never has pets or children in it you should consider that as a gardener you should work with  nature rather than using chemical to fight it. Try beer traps before going down this route.

5 Natural Slug Deterrents.

Here is a list of 5 natural slug deterrents. None will completely eliminate slug damage but hopefully it will make the majority of them decide to go somewhere else to eat.

1. Coffee grindings.

Caffeine is a pesticide so  it tends to poison little animals if used in high enough concentrations. Even people do not feel too good if they have lots of cups of coffee and the reason is caffeine is not good for you in large quantities.

If you sprinkle your used coffee grindings over you garden you will encourage slugs to stay away from that area. For anything but a couple of plants you are going to need plenty of coffee grindings. At least one coffee shop (Starbucks) regularly has a bags of used grindings in the shop that you can, for free, take home and put on your garden.

2. Chilli powder


If you put some hot dried chilli powder on you tongue it is not a pleasant experience. Sprinkle this lightly around the plants you want to protect and it does a really good job at keeping the slugs away. I regularly use this to protect small young plants that seem irresistible to those slugs.

Unfortunately, like coffee granules, if it rains it tends to wash away the the powder and you often need to reapply.

3. Crushed Egg Shell


Now I admit this is not one that I have tried. The idea is the sharp jaggy nature of the dry crushed shell is not something slugs like sliding over so they tend to go off somewhere else to find their food

4. Garlic
Garlic has been use for hundreds of years to deter slugs (Are slugs and vampires related?). You can plant garlic plants with the plant you want to protect to help deter the slugs.

Others take a slightly more proactive approach to using garlic. They blend up a couple of bulbs of garlic with a litre of water and spray it on the area they want to protect. Often they mix in chilli powder to give it a little bit of an extra kick or washing up liquid to keep the green fly away.

5. Copper Tape
I am not sure if this can be considered as natural, I suppose copper is a naturally occurring metal :)

You can buy copper tape in many DIY stores and it lets you create a protective perimeter around you plants. Make sure the take is at least 2 inches (50mm) thick to make sure the slugs do not want to cross over it.

Apparently copper has a drying out effect on the slugs as it causes the slugs to start producing more mucus. Slugs don't like this and get of the tape fast.

Because it only stops the slugs from crossing the barrier any slugs that are already inside the area are not effected so it does had limited application but works well with other forms of deterrents.

Conclusions
I am not a fan of putting down slug pellets and can accept some slug  damage on large plants as just a part of nature. If we killed all slugs, toad and hedgehogs would loose a tasty meal!
The critical period is when the plant is young and not able to recover from a large slug feasting on it. These deterrents really help the plant during that period.