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In this issue... Special offers, Josine's chicken and garden blog, topped off, as usual, with a delicious seasonal recipe...
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Our News: Talk on Reducing Plastic by Forth Environment Link
 We as a shop (and me, personally) try to be as less polluting on the environment as possible. We reuse bubble wrap and packaging for our online sales, we compost our teabags and whenever possible I try to do business with companies who follow the same principles. But there is always room to learn more about how to reduce plastic further.
That’s why I contacted Forth Environment Link, who are the experts when it comes to using less plastic in the home.
Norelle and Ruth from Forth Environment Link will be visiting our shop on Thursday 14th March to talk about how we can all do our bit to reduce the amount of waste we produce. The talk will last from 5pm until 6pm and will be limited to 25 places as I’m sure you’ve noticed our shop is a bit on the small side!
If you’d like to attend this fascinating talk, please send us an email or pop in to the shop and add your name to the list. Unfortunately as I mentioned, places are limited, so it will be a ‘first come, first served’ basis, I’m afraid.
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Our News: Fairtrade Fortnight 25th February – 10th March
 From 25th February, the spotlight will be on everything fairtrade in our shop.
Sadly, the reality is that somewhere in the world there are workers who are still being exploited when producing goods for sale in the western world. By buying at least one fairtrade item during these weeks, you are showing that you care for other people in developing countries who are growing food and drink for our consumption here in the west.
As a shop we try to stock as many fairtrade products as possible; for example all our coffees and hot chocolates are fairtrade and the vast majority of our teas are too. Please note though, that although some brands might not carry the fairtrade logo, it doesn’t mean they are not fairtrade. Brands need to pay to carry the fairtrade logo and some smaller companies don’t have the funds to do so. The same applies to using the Soil Association Organic logo on products.
In Britain and Europe there are stricter laws when it comes to workers’ rights, so buying British or European grown food not only gives you peace of mind, but it also reduces CO2 gasses, because food doesn’t need to be flown in from halfway round the world!
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Special offer: 15% OFF Sojade dairy free drinks
 We’re continuing to celebrate living a vegan lifestyle even further this month, by offering a special offer on dairy free milk alternatives from Sojade.
Sojade is a European brand which only uses soya and rice grown in France following organic standards, so the range is 100% organic. Being organic, it is also free from GMO ingredients, and no pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilisers are used.
Soya is a very healthy source of proteins, it contains all 8 essential amino acid, but also soya contains plenty of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are essential for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and also for transportation of fat-soluble vitamins. In the ‘did you know’ section of this newsletter is a fun fact on proteins...
We also stock a rice milk alternative by Sojade, which is lactose free, gluten free and suitable for people with a soya allergy or intolerance. Rice is also low in calories and low in fats, too.
During February and March all Sojade milk alternative drinks have 15% off.
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Our News: Easter Chocolates and Easter Eggs
 Hard to believe isn’t it, but Easter isn’t that far off at all! Easter falls late this year Easter Sunday is 21st April this year), so hopefully we won’t be celebrating it in 2 feet of snow!
We’ve gone all out this year, by stocking Easter eggs that are not only delicious and eye catching, but better for the environment too. We have a large selection of Easter eggs without all the excess plastic you get with high-street eggs.
What about the Eco Egg from Montezuma? The packaging is made from cardboard: very basic, no frills, and the egg itself is made from organic chocolate with Cocoa nibs. A delectable, dark chocolate Easter egg in award winning eco-friendly packaging. Who can ask for more than that?!
 Or, if you are looking for something a bit more sophisticated we also have eggs from Goupie, who specialise in hand-made ‘devilishly moreish’ chocolates. Packaged in attractively designed cardboard boxes, each Faberge inspired tin egg contains 100g of their uniquely textured chocolates. They even have suggestions on the back of the box on how to reuse the tin (I particularly like the soap dish suggestion!). Both these Easter eggs are also suitable for vegans!
Of course we still have milk chocolate style Easter eggs for children too - made by Moo Free. They come in two different flavours: original and cheeky orange. These eggs are dairy free, lactose free, soya free and gluten free, so suitable for anyone wishing to avoid these ingredients.
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Our News: Online and Click & Collect Service
 Did you know you can also buy all your health products via our online shop and get them delivered to your door (from £2.90 for orders up to 2kg)? Or use our new click & collect service and pick your order up in the store (at no extra charge).
Not only is shopping online with a real, proper, well established shop much safer and more personal, we also pay our taxes, too!
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Dates to put in your diary
- 25th February - 10th March
Fairtrade Fortnight - buy something fairtrade these weeks
- 5th March
Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake day - we have all the ingredients in store to make mouth-watering organic and/or gluten free pancakes!
- 31st March
Mother’s Day
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- 21st April
Easter Sunday - don’t forget the eco-friendly Easter egg!
- 22nd April
Easter Monday - shop open 10am – 4pm
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Did you know.....?
That although peat lands only cover 20% of Scotland, it stores 25 times more carbon than all the UK vegetation combined!
(source: www.nature.scot)
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Josine’s Garden, TV and Chicken Blog
 It’s amazing (not to mention shocking) how some world leaders still deny climate change when here in Scotland we’ve had the driest January since records began (in this area) and the warmest February temperatures ever recorded, while on the other side of the pond Las Vegas is experiencing both snowfall and - a few days later - the hottest temperature ever! Bonkers!
The weather definitely is changing, how much is down to natural processes and how much is caused by us humans, is another debate entirely!
Anyway, the effects of this warm winter are certainly visible in my garden; I have planted out my young cauliflower plants, (still covered because you just never know!); the birds are singing; the crocuses are  flowering and I have even sat outside in the sun (instead of studying - I just can’t find much enthusiasm for wavelengths and mathematics). I’ve also noticed that the colt’s foot is flowering a month earlier than it did last year. Nature’s Calendar is an online recording system by the Woodland Trust, which asks members of the public to keep track of and record certain nature events, like the colt’s foot first flowering or the first cuckoo heard/seen. Biologists and ecologists use this information to see how weather is affecting wildlife. I have been doing this for a few years now and it is really cool to see the differences myself. So, now I know that in my garden, not only has the colt’s foot flowered over a month earlier than last year, but our ‘resident’ cuckoo has been coming over in exactly the same week every year! For a couple of years I’m sure it’s been on exactly the same date! Nature’s Calendar is free and easy to use and I would recommend giving it a go, if not to help research, then just for the sheer fun of it.
March will also be the month when I start sowing cabbages and tomatoes and if the weather stays like this, I might even start planting the onions out in the garden. I have already started off my sweet peppers and chilli peppers and they are growing nicely. Because they need such a long growing season that it is better to sow them in January indoors on the window sill and then when they get too big, I plant them out in the greenhouse.
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Seasonal Recipe 1
this recipe is dairy free, vegan, egg free, vegetarian, seasonal
Couscous with vegan cheese
Ingredients:
400 g couscous
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and diced
1 chilli pepper, diced (add the seeds too, if you like it spicy)
100 g dried dates, sliced
500 ml bouillon
2 tbsp date syrup
2 tbsp margarine
200 g Greek style vegan cheese (Bute Island), diced
Preparation:
Mix together the couscous, olive oil, onion, chilli pepper and half of the dates and put in an oven dish. Make the bouillon with 2 tsp bouillon powder and 500 ml boiling water. Add the margarine and the date syrup to the hot bouillon and let it dissolve. Pour this mixture over the couscous. Cover with aluminium foil and heat in a 200C (gas mark 5) oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the aluminium foil and scatter the greek style sheese on top. Put back in the oven for another 5 -10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and scatter the rest of the dates on top.
These recipes and more are available to view online at: Stirling Health Food Store recipes
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