Harissa a Spicy and Flavorsome Spiced Chili Preserve

This easy to make Moroccan chilli paste (AKA Harissa) adds pop to any dish. At the CO Project, we add an extra half cup of olive oil on top so that our guests can drizzle the flavorsome oil all over our delicious vegetable dishes, adding just a touch of heat and a load of flavour.

What you need

• A handful of any dried chilies you have on hand; you can combine different ones or just have one type

• Boiling hot water

• Whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and caraway seeds

• 5 cloves of garlic

• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 cup of Olive oil

• A high speed blender

How-to Make It

1. Soak the dried chilies in enough hot water to just cover, and leave for 30 minutes to rehydrate and get plump.

2. While soaking, you will then dry roast a teaspoon each of coriander seeds, cumin, and caraway. Dry roasting is when you use a hot dry heavy based pan with NO oil, and you keep moving the seeds around until they get aromatic but don’t burn. Once they have started to release their flavour (you can smell this!) take them off the heat, and once they are cool, place in the blender you will use.

3. Drain the chilies when soft, and add them and to your spices in the blender or food processor. Add 4 of the cloves of garlic and some sea salt and pepper.

4. Start to blend, slowly adding some olive oil until it’s a nice smooth paste. It will become a dark red colour and you want it to be a paste consistency, so add olive oil until you get that and then stop.

5. Taste and add the extra garlic or salt to your taste liking, but be careful as it will be HOT!

6. Put in a clean glass jar and top off with all the extra olive oil. You can keep it for a few weeks as long as you have olive oil on top. The flavor will change over the first few days and may mellow out, so don’t be afraid if it’s too hot when you first start out!

ENJOY!

The History and Health Benefits of Fermentation

Discover the many ways that humans have been cooking with microbes for thousands of years

We’ve all opened the fridge or cupboard and found a far-too-interesting mould evolving into something we don’t remember putting on our shopping list. The best-intentioned culinary projects occasionally fall by the way-side, reach a point-of-no-return and are banished from the kitchen domain for all eternity.

For most foods, eating something that is no longer fresh and starting to decompose will, undoubtedly make you ill. Our in-built biological processes tell us when something is digestive bad news, and when we should move onto something better-smelling.

However, many foodstuffs evolve to form good bacteria that adds flavour and depth to its base ingredients. So much of what we love and admire in the food world is the byproduct of microbiological processes. Cheese, coffee, wine, beer, yoghurt, and even bread; all of these foods involve some form of decomposition to create flavours. The difference is the environments in which these foods are being produced, and the calculated addition of salts, acids and air to promote the proliferation of ‘good’ bacteria that instigates the fermentation.

Fermentation is the process of allowing food molecules to decompose in the absence of oxygen. But it doesn’t just happen in the kitchen, it happens in our gut too, where the absence of oxygen means that only certain types of bacteria—good bacteria—can thrive. When you take a probiotic, you are ingesting some of these good bacteria, and many fermented foods are full of these positive healthy gut microbes as well.

Eating a lump of cheese and drinking a nice glass of red wine makes many people feel good but drinking glass of sour milk or a mouldy piece of bread is going to give your stomach trouble. Fermentation must be a controlled process, with the use of salt and other substances helping to draw liquid out of the fermenting product, reducing the amount of oxygen available and promoting the growth of the healthy bacteria that help us digest and have a healthy gut flora.  

Fermentation expert Sandor Katz prefers to define fermentation a little more broadly than just the absence of oxygen, as some fermented foods and drinks (like Kombucha and vinegar) actually require oxygen to do their magic. In the case of the delicious effervescent fermented tea - Kombucha - the brewer uses a symbiotic group of microorganisms (or a ‘SCOBY’ which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts) to digest sugars and transfer the tea into a drink that’s high in probiotics and other health benefits.  

It all goes way back

Humans have been eating fermented food all the way back to the Neolithic period, with the earliest examples of such foods being wines, leavened bread and cheeses. These were later followed by more Asian-style fermented foods using vegetables, and then by the arrival of yoghurt, pickles and finally butter. It is estimated that humans have been fermenting foods to preserve them from the summer for use in the winter for over 7000 years.

The first fermenters likely discovered most of the processes purely by accident, when salt was added for flavor—only to find a whole new, more nutritious product had been formed from this after a period of time. The Greeks and Egyptians attributed the transformation to acts of the gods, blessing them with wine, beer and other transmuted foods. The Chinese went some way to formalizing such processes, creating the basis for salt-fermented soy products such as soy sauce, tofu and miso, and the fermentation of fruits and cereals to produce alcoholic beverages like wine and beer is recorded in Iran as far back as 7000 years ago.

Fermented foods are often central to national cuisines: from German sauerkraut to the much-loved Korean cabbage side-dish kimchi. Often, as is particularly the case of kimchi, fermented food products form a focal point to an entire country’s diet and sometimes even a country’s cultural identity. Think champagne, cheeses and France!

For many reasons, fermentation is now making a comeback mainly due to the health and taste benefits. Farming microbes and using microbial science to make delicious and healthy foods is indeed quite recent, but we now understand much more of the science behind the art of food processing with microbes.

Why do fermented foods have health benefits?

In short, fermented foods contain good bacteria. Our guts are entire ecosystems of bacteria, fungi and viruses—which might not sound very nice, but are responsible for digesting our food, helping us to absorb nutrients and minerals from what we eat, and even manufacturing nutrients that end up in our blood stream and allow us to lead healthy lives. Fermented foods contain similar types of microorganisms; it is thought that by consuming them we boost the populations of good bacteria in our gut—the “microbiome”.

As well as the link between healthy bacteria in fermented foods and the microbiome, there are other links between their consumption and good health. Fermentation increases the nutritional content of food and breaks it down to a more easily digestible form. Fermented foods also contain higher levels of Omega-3 oils and b-vitamins.

But the microbiome is thought to go much further than just making for better digestion. Research has been done on the role of the microbiome in mood, happiness and stress. The role of gut bacteria is even being explored as a diagnostic tool for brain disease and, more recently, the treatment of children with autism. As explored by the Special Broadcasting Service of Australia, “Interest in the potential cognitive effects of fermented foods stems from emerging evidence for the importance of the gut microbiota in cognition and health.”

Not all of these benefits are confirmed, but the study of microbiome dynamics—known as metabolomics—is a new and useful tool in exploring many health issues. Eating fermented foods is one way of developing and maintaining a healthy, functioning microbiome and the consequent health benefits that this brings.

Increasing fermented food in the modern diet

Today, many of the global food production processes have developed techniques for maintaining safety and consistency in mass-produced foods, so wild microbes have either been replaced with synthetic equivalents or so process/chemical-heavy to preserve the foods that healthy bacteria are often destroyed. Even mass-produced fermented foods such as pickles and sauerkraut are generally manufactured today through fermentation using vinegar rather than more natural ingredients.

Another historic source of fermented material in diets, milk, has also lost its microbial content today. The commercial roll-out of pasteurization at the end of the 19th century enabled milk to be mass-produced with great ease and stored more safely by gently heating raw milk to remove the microorganisms. This process has been known for millennia, however not used on the same scale as today—and the long-term effects of consuming solely pasteurized milk in nutrition are complex, currently debated but poorly understood.

Like milk, modern bread-making also changed at around the end of the 19th century with the birth of the Chorleywood Bread Process. The discovery of fast-acting yeasts and additives meant a significant reduction in fermentation times and therefore increases in output. However, the shorter fermentation times and the use of commercial rather than Baker’s yeast has greatly reduced the digestibility and nutritional content of most modern bread. The traditional method is known today as “sourdough” needs no additives, tastes better and has a prolonged shelf-life.

The case for DIY home fermentation to support a healthy diet and supplement some of the ingredients lost from traditional sources such as pickled veggies, bread and milk is getting stronger each day. Both scientific reviews and public recognition of the need for better diets have raised the profile of fermented foods as fashionable foods and for their superior health benefits. Fermenting foods at home is also a really low cost way of exploring options for a healthier diet. Let’s look a bit closer at some of the different easy-to-make-at-home fermented food products:

Fermented Veggies

The internet is abound with recipes for fermented vegetables, but essentially all you need is a jar, some water and salt—and some vegetables. Putting the whole lot in a jar and leaving for a few days will allow the salt to wipe out the bad bacteria and open up the gauntlet to the beneficial lacto-bacteria which will get on with converting the vegetable sugars and lactose into lactic acid. The result is a zippy mix of vegetables you can use as a side dish or snack.

This sounds easy—and it is—except that getting the optimal amount of salt right relative to the quantity of vegetables and right fermentation time can be a challenge. Experts recommend using exactly weighed quantities of salt relative to the amount of water added, rather than estimating the quantity of salt added using a teaspoon. The right type of salt is important too. Try this recipe for Turkish vegetable pickle recipe.

Kombucha

Kombucha is an ancient drink that found its way from China to Europe, becoming fashionable in French cafés and North Africa during the 1950s. It has also enjoyed a popularity as a fashionable, modern drink due to it’s probiotic health benefits. It is normally made with black or green tea that is brewed, added sugar and then fermented using a particular mix of bacteria and yeast referred to as a “SCOBY”—essentially a pretty gruesome-looking gelatinous cultured film that is added to the tea once it is cold before being left in a dark place for up to two weeks. The result is a surprisingly refreshing cider-like drink, enjoyed by many and claimed to provide health benefits. Scientific trials on the health benefits to date have been limited to animals and human cell colonies. However, there are generally-accepted testimonies on the health benefits of kombucha from different parts of the world, particularly Russians who report long-term health benefits as a result of making and consuming the drink over many generations.

Studies into the exact—currently poorly understood—composition of kombucha and scientific verification of its health benefits is becoming a more mainstream topic in Western research groups, with almost all previous research work being confined to that of Russian academic circles. Russian research at the beginning of the 20th century indicated that: “Kombucha can improve resistance against cancer, prevent cardiovascular diseases, promote digestive functions, stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammatory problems, and can have many other benefits”.

Research today focuses more on trying to understand the complex composition of kombucha and why it aids health, rather than running human trials on its benefits.

Here is a recipe to get your started (although you will need to find a friend to give you a SCOBY!)

Sauerkraut and Kimchi

Like Kombucha, the food we commonly refer to as sauerkraut is thought to have spread from China to become a popular side dish in many food cultures in various forms, with particular popularity in Germany where the name originates. As with the fermented veggies above, sauerkraut is different types of cabbage, finely-chopped and fermented by rubbing with a small amount of salt and leaving it in the resulting briny-water mix without any oxygen. It too has many reported health benefits—benefits with a greater scientific evidence base than kombucha.

Kimchi is also made from fermented cabbage; however it is made with a napa cabbage and chopped into larger chunks, rubbed with chilli paste and mixed with lots of garlic. The Korean diet is famous for adding kimchi to many dishes: they rarely sit down to a meal without whipping out the kimchi—for breakfast, lunch, or a midnight snack :). Here is a quick and easy recipe for kimchi and one for sauerkraut from the BBC.

Kefir

Kefir is a drink made from fermented milk, similar to yoghurt but less dense. It is easy to make and takes less time than other fermented foods—just 24 hours. The grains of the kefir plant are put in a jar with normal cow’s or goat’s milk, then left covered overnight. The grains are in fact small colonies of bacteria and yeast, and not the usual grains of protein found in cereals such as wheat or barley.

The health benefits are similar to that of yoghurt, due to the presence of bacteria, different bioactive compounds as well as healthy fats and several important nutrients—and the health benefits derived from the effect of its bacteria on gut health has recently been verified scientifically. The name, in fact, comes from the Turkish word “keyif” which roughly translates as “feeling good” or being in “high spirits”. Here are a couple of different recipes for getting started at home.

Atchara

The Philippine Islands also have a similar national side dish to Korea’s kimchi. Atchara is a pickle made using papaya as the main ingredient, along with carrot, ginger, pepper, onion, garlic and raisins. Other ingredients are often added, depending on the locality of where you are eating it. Its method of production is slightly different to that of kimchi and sauerkraut, as sugar or syrup are added to give an overall sweeter flavour, as well as vinegar before starting the fermentation process. Here is a recipe to get you started.

Dosa

Parts of India have also long-enjoyed a fermented food called dosa. Popular in southern India, this is a snack-type dish similar to a crepe or pancake which can also be stuffed with vegetables to make a light meal. The main ingredient is a batter made from fermented rice and black gram (similar to chickpea or mung bean) and is often enjoyed at breakfast.

It’s a great option for vegetarians, as it contains high levels of protein; and the fermenting process is said to increase the bioavailability of essential nutrients such as folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, biotin and Vitamin K as well as certain antibiotic substances. Dosas are also easy to make at home, so check out this recipe to get you started.

Give it a go!

As you can see there are many different ways we can symbiotically benefit from farming and working with wild microbes. Of course there are safety precautions one should take but our bodies are so well-tuned to identify when something is not quite right for us, so it’s easy to see and understand what has and hasn’t worked in your fermentation experiments! If you want to learn more about fermentation then join one of our on-farm workshops experiences where you can do taste tests of our farm-flavoured kombuchas and learn how to make one of your own.

Quick and Easy Oat Milk Dairy Alternative Recipe

We thought this was going to be super hard, but it turns out that alternative milks are actually very easy to make and way cheaper than the store-bought options (and you save on disposable packaging!).

Oat Milk is so quick and easy to make, and it also is a super inexpensive non-dairy milk choice. It’s also great because even if you have run out of milk, you don’t need to soak the oats overnight!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1 cup oats

• 1.5 cups of Water

• Blender

• Sieve or cheesecloth

WHAT YOU DO

1. Soak the oats in enough water to cover them.

2. Blend in the blender.

3. Add some flavor, such as honey if you want it sweet or some cinnamon, if you want more flavour, and then blend some more.

4. Pour the liquid through a cheesecloth, fine sieve, or a nut milker to separate the solids from the milky liquids.

5. Your oat milk is ready to drink!

6. Store in the fridge in a closed-lid bottle for 3 days.

Delicious Carrot Top Pesto Zero Waste Recipe

Next time you get a bunch of fresh carrots from the farmers markets or from your garden, don’t throw out the tops; give them new life as an amazing pesto! Spicy and packed full of flavor, this pesto is a perfect zero waste recipe.

The glorious Italian invention of pesto has to be one of the best things to do with all fresh green things. I always thought that pesto had to be made from basil, but the method of pounding or blitzing flower-filled herbs with salt + pepper, olive oil, and garlic can be applied to so many more things, with the same great taste!

WHAT YOU NEED

• A bunch of bright green carrot tops, washed and rough chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1/2 cup of olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Blender

• 2 tablespoons of nuts (either sunflower seeds, almonds, or pine nuts)

• Optional: hard cheese

WHAT YOU DO

1. Pop all the ingredients in a blender with a generous amount of the olive oil, and blitz until its a bright green chunky pesto.

2. Grate in some hard cheese like parmesan (you can either skip or use a tablespoon of nutritional yeast if you are vegan), and then continue to blitz away.

3. Check if you need to add extra oil as you go, to get to the delicious consistency of pesto, or some lemon juice and/or fresh chili if you want a bit of extra kick.

4. Pop the pesto in a hot sterilized jar and cover the top with a bit of extra oil. Store in the fridge and enjoy on toast, pasta, salads, and everything else for weeks!

The Cognitive and Health Benefits of Time Spent in Nature

Whether we like it or not, we humans are ALL part of nature. BUT despite this, Most of us spend a large part of our lives in man-made environments, like shops, offices, houses and hotels. And while these places are often highly functional for our modern lives—their ability to provide some of our more basic, natural needs is often lacking.

The functionality of a man-made setting is largely due to its ability to control or keep nature out; nature can be a nuisance to some, bringing with it perceived problems such as pests, germs, and creepy crawlies. This feature of being able to exclude nature from human-made environments is what makes them so useful. However, over time, this has had a hidden impact on human well-being and general cognitive ease; research has uncovered strong links between the design of urban environments, and general human well-being with the incorporation of green space [1].

Spending time outside of man-made environments such as cities, office buildings, and even our modern homes, and instead soaking up experiences in nature, has a very unique and powerful effect on many indicators, such as mental and bio-physical well-being. Anxiety and stress are commonplace in today’s modern world; for many, creeping up and coming from unknown origins, making it difficult to identity and resolve. Solutions that include more time in nature on a regular basis is now common in many societies around the world, from the Japanese practice of ‘forest bathing’ to the Scandinavian love of “friluftsliv”—translated literally as “open-air living”.

Recent research shows that even minimal interactions with nature can intercept unhealthy thought patterns and give perspective. And it needn’t be a three-month hike in the wild—recent evidence suggests that as little as 20 minutes in nature can have a positive impact on stress levels, with more in-depth contact with nature such as time in green spaces proven to “reduce the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure”. Evidently, significant benefits kick in when you spend three days immersed in nature - with another keystone study showing a measurable increase in creativity after 4 days. Science is telling us what we instinctively already know: humans need time surrounded by nature and natural things to decrease stress, increase creativity, and live happier lives.

The doctors have caught on

Research on human responses to nature has been building up for some time and has now reached a critical mass, leading doctors prescribing time with nature as a medical treatment for stress, depression, and other cognitive health issues and general well-being. It is an effective and low-cost way of dealing with emotional constraints which may, at the time, seem insurmountable. Doctors in the US and the UK are now able, and very much willing, to specify time in nature as a treatment for a range of medical conditions, wherein patients are directed toward particular outdoor locations or activities as solutions to health complaints. Of course they still provide conventional medical support in tandem, but the rise in the scientific evidence shows a significant and tangible need for humans to be in natural environments, even if it's just ten minutes walking through an urban park.

In Washington D.C., doctors have pursued this line of medical treatment by developing a dedicated phone app and website which patients are instructed to download and use to find outdoor locations that they can then go and spend time in. The app also has the function for patients to report that the visit has been made, which sends a notification directly to the doctor’s phone or device, and is considered by doctors to be just another treatment to go along with more conventional methods. Such prescriptions are as authoritative as any other treatment, and are solutions that doctors take as seriously as writing a prescription for anti-depressant medication or blood-thinners for heart problems.

In the UK, a scheme promoted by the Scottish National Health Service and available to all ten General Practitioner surgeries of the Shetland Islands allows doctors to issue “nature prescriptions”, wherein patients are encouraged to spend time in the islands’ unique landscapes. The scheme is in partnership with the national Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), with particular emphasis on bird-watching, as well as other ideas for things to do in the outdoors.

In Japan, “forest-bathing”—the practice of simply being in the presence of trees—has been promoted since the early-1980s. This practice is a natural extension of the traditional Japanese pastime of dining underneath cherry blossoms at lunchtime, and it became an official promotion of the national forestry ministry—perhaps to counter the country’s traditionally stressful urban environments and renowned corporate culture. The concept, referred to as Shinrin-Yoku, involves simply spending time around trees, and it doesn’t suggest or stipulate any particular activity whilst doing so.

Why are there such strong benefits?

As to why time outdoors helps cognitive health, research suggests a number of possible triggers from chemicals, such as phytoncides, through to the stimulation of natural human antibodies— though the cause of this antibody release is still unknown. Phytoncides on the other hand are better understand. These are antimicrobial, essential oil compounds produced by trees for their own defense against germs which we breathe in while spending time in close proximity to them. Japanese researchers spent eight years between 2004 and 2012 studying the effects of these compounds [2] and found correlations between human intake and improved health metrics, such as better regulated heart rates and reduced production of cortisol stress hormones in the bloodstream—both big factors in unmanageable anxiety, stress and depression.

In the Netherlands, researchers used independent variables, such as frequency of health complaints over a two-week period and general mental health (as measured by the GHQ-12 scale), to investigate the effects of green spaces on cognitive well-being [3] and general management of daily life. The research found that people surveyed were better able to manage stressful life events if living in close proximity to a green space of at least one square mile. Interestingly, the research found no significant benefits for living within close proximity to a green space of just under half a square mile, suggesting a threshold for the minimum amount of space needed to enjoy the health benefits of larger spaces.

No explanation was provided as to the findings in the Dutch research; however, it is perhaps the sense of perspective provided through access to open, green spaces — perspective that is unavailable to people spending time solely within urban, built spaces—enables better coping strategies. The calming sounds of natural spaces are also recognised as a lever for reducing some of the stress caused by noisy town and city environments.

Natures Physical benefits

The medical conditions treated with these approaches are not limited to the treatment of mental well-being issues alone. Intuitively, access to green spaces encourages physical activity sorely lacking in the routines of many city-dwellers—and it has long been known that plenty of open space increases life expectancy in UK citizens [4]. However the use of nature for treatment of physical complaints has recently gone a step further, with doctors now issuing prescriptions for a range of physical (as well as cognitive) conditions such as diabetes, heart complaints, and immune-system weaknesses.

The scientifically-backed immune system-boosting properties of the previously mentioned phytoncides released by trees are the basis for referring patients with a high risk of developing type-II diabetes toward nature, as well as those with a high risk of heart disease, risk of giving birth prematurely, and those suffering from chronic insomnia. There are even schools of thought that suggest time spent in nature can help mitigate cancer and other serious diseases, though such effects are yet to be researched scientifically.

The effect on mood

One of the qualitative (non-measurable) effects of spending time in nature is the impact it has on our mood—and the knock-on effect this has on long-term well-being and health. Many of us know the interesting fun fact that it takes more energy to frown than to smile; well, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that participants shown images of nature showed much more positive behaviors and mood versus those shown pictures of man-made objects [5]. Participants shown images of nature demonstrated elevated mood, happiness, and a greater tendency toward interacting with other participants than those shown control images. So, interacting with nature not only boosts our immune system, reduces our heart rate, and makes us less anxious—it makes us more sociable, too.

What you can do

So, if you have been through some of the traditional approaches to managing stress and anxiety such as medication, talk therapy, or a gym subscription without the results you need, it may be worthwhile trying some of the nature-related solutions now prescribed by doctors.

Such pursuits need not replace conventional treatments for stress, anxiety, and other problems of mood; taking a regular walk through nature or spending a few days outside of your normal, built environment doesn’t necessarily mean having to stop traditional treatments. Solutions to life’s problems are often resolved with multiple approaches, and “silver bullets” are the exception rather than the rule. Give it a go and see if it works. Start small and see if you feel an effect.

Mother Nature

It’s easy to wax lyrical on nature’s capacity to act as a conduit for relaxation and peacefulness, but perhaps it is simply the fact that nature carries on regardless of the seemingly intractable challenges life puts in front of us and asks for nothing in return. Nature, as per the Latin meaning—“essential quality” or “innate disposition”—follows its own rules and pays glancing attention to the problems that come with our daily lives. It’s nice to know that whether or not we buy that new car, get into the right college, or have a house in the area we’ve always dreamed of—the trees will keep on growing, the wind will keep on blowing. It’s good to aim for worldly things, set goals, and pursue challenges, but if it all gets too much—remember that nature will still be doing its thing, waiting for you to pay it a visit.

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At the CO Project, we offer beautiful 3 and 5-day nature experiences to get you out of the city and into an incredible natural setting for learning about sustainable living. Check out all our program offerings here >

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Article References

1.         Guite, H.F., C. Clark, and G. Ackrill, The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-being. Public Health, 2006. 120(12): p. 1117-1126.

2.         Tsunetsugu, Y., B.-J. Park, and Y. Miyazaki, Trends in research related to "Shinrin-yoku" (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing) in Japan. Environmental health and preventive medicine, 2010. 15(1): p. 27-37.

3.         van den Berg, A.E., et al., Green space as a buffer between stressful life events and health. Social Science & Medicine, 2010. 70(8): p. 1203-1210.

4.         Fecht, D., et al., Associations between urban metrics and mortality rates in England. Environmental health : a global access science source, 2016. 15 Suppl 1(Suppl 1): p. 34-34.

5.         Passmore, H.-A. and M.D. Holder, Noticing nature: Individual and social benefits of a two-week intervention. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2017. 12(6): p. 537-546.

8 Tips to Sustainable Living

So, you’re feeling a bit guilty about living comfortably? You have heard about the global waste crisis and might already be refusing to use plastic straws, but are wondering what else you can do? Not to worry — you needn’t abandon your modern life just yet. There are a heap of easy, everyday things you can do to bring your waste and personal impact footprint down – even to zero.

Contemporary Sustainable living choices often go hand-in-hand with comfortable living, and could even make for an easier, happier, healthier and more creative lifestyle once you have optimized ways of fitting it into your daily routines.

Here are 8 ways you can start opting for lower impacts, and living a more sustainable life.

#1: Composting

This first tip depends strongly on whether or not you have an outdoor space at home and permission to compost in your local municipality. Building a composter or burying vegetable waste in the ground can be time-consuming; however, even apartment dwellers with a large outdoor shelf or balcony can compost on a small scale to supply their plants with nutrients. There are also now indoor composters in varying sizes, depending on your needs, and these are great solutions for those who wish to manage food waste responsibility, but don’t have outdoor space.

Not only does composting provide your plants with good quality, high-organic content material that they need as fuel, but it also is a great way of managing waste from the kitchen and avoiding smelly bins at the end of the week. Furthermore, the super benefit of composting is that you help reduce waste for landfill and dumps, which is a huge problem as the organic material converts into methane—a 25% more potent greenhouse gas than Co2!

To get started, find out from your local authority what rules may apply and look into which composting options might be available. As a general rule, composting is allowed and actively encouraged nationally; on the other hand, some states or municipalities allow trench, but not vertical, composting. In such cases, food waste roadside pickup is often provided, putting it towards locally produced compost.

#2: Ditch the Addiction to Bottled Water

If there is one thing you can do to reduce your plastic footprint, it’s to rely on water from the tap, rather than from the store. Bottled water is sometimes necessary when no clean source of water is available en masse; however, if reusable bottles can be used to refrigerate water at home, and you can add filters to your taps or get a filtered water bottle, then for the most part, you can reduce all the unnecessary plastic waste that water bottles contribute to. Did you know that every minute a shocking 1 million water bottles are used globally? This is a staggering amount, and it's only been a recent trend which is steadily rising.

Source: Marketresearch.com

There are some trendy reusable water bottles available which, in the long-run, save money, offer features such as filtration, and can often keep water both warm and cool—so everyone should have at least one of these in their home :) If not, you can always re-purpose a nice old pasta sauce jar or find a reusable option that suits your personal style.

The argument for reducing the use of water-packed into plastic bottles at a personal level need not even extend as far as the environmental issues such as landfill and ocean plastic waste; there are also health concerns associated with the release of harmful chemicals from disintegrated plastic. For one of the chemicals used to produce PVC plastic, Bisphenol A (BPA), science has uncovered links between BPA and serious human health issues [1]—so cutting plastic bottles out of your daily routine is first and foremost about personal health as well as caring for the environment.

#3: Shop at Second-Hand Stores

Everybody knows the adage, “It’s an oldie but goodie,” but there is a lot of truth to this when it comes to items for the home. A great resource for older but high quality home goods and clothing is the use of charity or ‘second-hand’ shops. Often priced at a fraction of those brand new, they also make a great destination for a day out with family or friends, as you just never know what you will find! As well as reducing costs, buying from second-hand stores ensures your wardrobe and home remain completely unique, knowing that the item bought is unlikely to be found elsewhere and therefore offers a unique flair to your decor. Browsing charity shops is also a great way of finding fashion inspiration, looking at unusual and rare clothes.

At the same time, dropping clothes off to the second-hand shop is an easy and practical way of reducing waste—and second-hand shops often become hubs for the local community, hosting events and connecting people for other goods and services. Regularly visiting some well-connected and proactive charity shops can be a great way of making new friends.

#4: Repurposing old Clothes

If clothes really have bitten the dust after years of wear, there are a host of ways to make use of the textiles, whether natural fibers or synthetic. Such applications depend on lifestyle and leisure time; however, one novel example is the cutting up of textiles to produce sound insulation panels for home recording studios or in apartment blocks to get a better night’s sleep. Science has shown that the soundproofing qualities of clothing fibers and other plant matter are equal to that of commercial metal and petro-chemical-derived plastic soundproofing products [2], at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact.

And making sound-proofing doesn’t need involve significant innovation; simply snip clothes on an edge and tear off strips to drop into an old duvet cover, remembering to include partitions sewn in to the cover to prevent the pieces falling to the bottom—the more partitions, the more uniform the final acoustic insulation properties will be. Other, more creative methods, can also be used such as small, fabric-filled pillow cases inside wooden frames. If this is a bit advanced still, you can turn them into cleaning rags or give them a quick sew to make produce bags for zero waste shopping!

DIY Produce bags are a great way to re-purpose worn out cloths

Natural fibers from worn out clothes can even be chopped up and mixed into soils—indoor or outdoor—as a source of organic matter for plants at home. Most natural fibers are cotton which is the fruit of the cotton plant; these are therefore biodegradable and a source of organic matter for plants. It is a good idea to allow clothes to decompose slightly through composting before using in this way; however, old clothes can also be used as ground cover between plants, as is before putting a soil top layer. This is also a source of nutrients and helps to control weeds.

Lastly, if you’re handy with a needle and thread, old clothes make a great source of original, unique fabrics to use in home furnishings, such as cushions or table sets. Be creative!

#5: Upcycling and Repair

You are probably already recycling, but upcycling helps to increase the value of the materials rather then decrease them through industrial processing. Putting new life into old household items has become so trendy it’s almost cliché. However, reinvigorating old furniture and other items for the home can have many hidden benefits. As with charity shop clothing, it creates a completely unique, personal feel in the home. Picking up old chairs and sofas, or recovering them from the garden shed and garage, can be a great source of style tweaks throughout the home to compliment more generic, modern furnishings.

The choices are endless, and the internet is replete with tips and techniques for restoring homeware and furniture; everything from regeneration of faux leather using acrylic paint to growing of succulents in old broken teacups, teapots, or shoes. As well as the benefits of personalisation and possible cost savings, such projects can be a great way to spend time with family and friends, to learn new skills, and to de-stress. Finding things to do with close ones, saving money, and reducing humanity’s waste footprint in one fell swoop is a weekend pretty well spent :)

Repairing things at home or taking them to a mender will save money and resources

Fixing stuff is a great cost saver that prolongs the life of an item. These days so many things are designed to break prematurely, which can be expensive and frustrating. Having some good repair tools on hand, such as high quality glue or even something like Sugru putty, can help you quickly fix your broken items. And don’t forget about your local shoe repair and tailors — they are always ready to fix your worn out items! Check out ifixit.com for handy repair manuals on your favorite electronic items!

#6: Eating Less Animal Products and More of the Right Foods For You

The modern western diet is quite varied; however there is a reliance on certain staple ingredients which aren’t necessarily the best for the human digestive system and which can lead to overconsumption, health impacts, and physical waste. Yet everybody’s digestion system is slightly different, with no “one-size-fits-all” approach to nutritional requirements being readily available. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. There are many ways that your diet impacts the planet, and recent studies show just how powerfully positive your daily food choices can be.

It pays to find out what food is most beneficial for your particular biology, both from the point of view of feeling healthy and well, and for reducing your impact by not the ‘wrong’ foods for you, as well as reducing your reliance of repacked and processed foods. Some, for example, have trouble digesting poor quality, high-gluten wheat products such as normal bread, whilst others respond badly to green vegetables but relish orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potato. Knowing what works best for you saves, in the long-run, money and environmental damage, plus makes for a more efficient kitchen. Research shows that a healthy digestive system also increases happiness, cognitive functioning and sense of well-being [3].

Eat more vegetables — it’s good for you and the planet!

There is also the issue of meat. Many people love a good steak, and a good steak can do wonders for your health—but the human body is designed to consume meat in fairly moderate amounts and on a relatively infrequent basis. Modern food systems have made rearing of animals for human consumption highly efficient, bringing prices incredibly low relative to those paid by previous generations; however such levels of consumption not only markedly impact the environment but also pose risks to human heart health in the form of excess saturated fats. Research published in just the last few months indicate that the blood fat levels of men that bring their red meat intake down to a more moderate level, replacing it specifically with plant proteins, are far healthier; other research has shown that reduced meat intake can reduce the risk of death by 23%.

For the environment, the rearing of cattle for food is the single most inefficient way of supplying calories into our diets. Efficiency of food production is measured by the feed conversion ratio (“FCR”), which is just a technical way of expressing how much material is put into an animal to get a certain amount of useful meat or fish. The ratio for beef is about 8 which means for every kilo of beef, 8 kilos of grain are needed. Chicken is also inefficient, but has improved drastically over the years. Fish and plants are far and away the most efficient converters of inputs into food, sometimes equalling the amount going in as that coming out. Switching diets to plant proteins and fish therefore boosts your health and reduces wasted energy.

This is wasteful in the sense that we are pumping natural resources into products that we don’t need to supply nutritional components that do more harm than good. A better way is to see meat, particularly red meat, is as a treat rather than an everyday commodity. By doing so, shopping budgets can be directed toward delicious, high-quality meat on a more occasional basis.

# 7: Ethical Shopping

We never used to have to think about the implications of supply chains in goods we bought. Choices were fairly limited to locally produced goods, and most purchasing decisions were made solely on the dynamic between price and quality. Nowadays, in a global economy, the choices on goods are vast, and many consumers do have some awareness around the impacts mass-produced goods have on the people who work to produce them and on the natural environments where products are grown, harvested, or manufactured.

Within this, most major companies have some sort of policy on supply chain ethics; however consumers can, with the right tools, find out what the implications are of making a particular purchase. Bad corporate practice is often publicised, and there are now dedicated consumer services as well as political efforts to make this process easier. Finding out how and where products have been sourced may not reduce waste in the home—but it may reduce waste in the homes of the people involved in their production.

# 8: Reduce Packaging

Packaging is often an essential part of many products, as it protects them throughout their journey to market. However, it can sometimes be relied on too heavily, which creates unnecessary waste. A great deal of work has already gone into minimising and light-weighting packaging in certain goods, as well as ensuring materials used are either recyclable or reusable. However, added efforts can be made by consumers through selective purchasing of products supporting companies that have gone to the effort of designing more sustainable packaging, or removed it all together. There is now a trend towards zero waste that allows customers to shop in bulk using their own reusable containers. Check this handy app out to find build stores in your neighborhood.

Selecting products based on packaging is particularly relevant to food. Some high-end fruits, other highly-perishable goods and pastry items are often supplied in double-layered ridged plastic packaging to protect it from damage. Such packaging is unnecessary, largely for aesthetic appeal, and is often hard to recycle as well (depending on what plastic it is made from)—only 9% of all plastic every produced has been recycled so it’s best to opt for none! Choosing package-free items indicates to supermarkets and other retailers that over-use of packaging is a definite motivation behind buyers making a purchase and will, in the long run, lead to them offering more low and zero waste products. This has the added benefit of reducing the rate at which the kitchen gets filled up with recyclables and waste, and how often the storage bin for this needs to be changed!

There are many other everyday lifestyle choices you can make to live a more sustainable life. These are just 8 quick-starters, but once you begin, you will see how empowering it is to make choices that will have a positive impact for you and your family into the future.

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At the CO Project Farm we are always experimenting with finding easy and contemporary ways of activating sustainable living. We run workshops is all sorts of lifestyle choices like fermentation, vegetarian and vegan cooking, organic farming, zero waste kitchens, and much more. Check out our upcoming experiences here.

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Article References

1. Konieczna, A., A. Rutkowska, and D. Rachon, Health risk of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA). Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig, 2015. 66(1): p. 5-11.

2. Sustainable natural materials can be used for noise insulation, in European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service, S.f.E. Policy":, Editor. 2011.

3. M., et al., Gut microbiota's effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clinics and practice, 2017. 7(4): p. 987-987.

Our Commitment Zero Waste & sustainability on the Farm

Our Zero Waste Ambitions

We are committed to becoming a zero waste and post disposable facility. We are constantly learning and evolving, discovering new things, and finding ways to transform what we have discovered into experiences for others to enjoy. Here are the initiatives we currently have in place:

• Working with local partners to purchase biological dry goods in bulk

• Producing as much as possible on the farm with a closed loop design

• Finding new uses for any waste materials that end up on the farm

• Purchasing only products with recyclable packaging or finding second uses for un-recyclable products

• Only using reusable bags when shopping

• Bulk purchasing or hand making all our cleaning and body care products for use on the farm

• Asking guests to be very mindful of what they bring and use on the property and providing the essential products they will need

• Making our own care and food products, such as soaps and preserves ,with farm abundance that is packed into recycled containers

• Creating partnerships with local organic farms for zero waste food supplies

• Preserving, pickling, canning, fermenting, and making things form excess farm produce

• Extreme composting and organic waste recovery



7 Sustainable Travel Tips

Go Slow and Stay Local

1. Stay local, not global

Find local, ethical accommodation. Or more precisely, accommodation (like Air b’n’bs) that is owned and run by local people, not companies who have bought up all the available apartments in the area, and are now renting them for a profit at the expense of local people having affordable places to live. Avoid big hotel chains, or at least give preference to the ones that have environmental practices.

2. Distribute your economic activity

If you are going to spend $50 on food, find ways to be disruptive and spread it out so that more local providers, be it small restaurants or farmers markets, get to access to and benefit from some of your tourist dollars.

3. Travel slow

Take trains and ride bikes where you can. Avoid taking ride share app trips when you can take the local public transport or walk instead.

4. Choose experiences over stuff

Local walking tours, incredible wine tours - these are all great ways to support local companies and industries, whilst not buying a bunch of stuff.

5. Do your research

Find out who are the genuinely local companies so that you can be more considered in what you are economically contributing to.

6. Go post disposable

Take your own water bottle, coffee cup, cutlery and food containers so that you don’t end up getting mounds of disposable stuff as you go about on your trip.

7. Check the label

If you are wanting to purchase souvenirs, check to make sure that the products are actually made locally and not overseas and imported back in for touristic pleasures! Seek out local and handmade items, from places like local artisan markets or stores that showcase local and ethical products.

Our Food Philosophy

FARM FRESH VEGETABLES SHARED WITH OTHERS

Colour and Texture to fuel the mind

At the CO Project Farm, food is the binding agent that helps us create incredible experiences. We are a fully functioning biological farm with advanced citrus and fruit trees, along with a thriving vegetable garden. We buy all locally sourced produce and make much of our own products. Everything is cooked with local olive oil, and all the wine is from the incredible abundant of local wineries. We are a vegetarian facility and only purchase local dairy. For us, food is the central metaphor and active ingredient for creating thriving communities, regenerating the body, and fueling the mind! 

OUR FOOD PHILOSOPHY IN A NUT SHELL

• We eat local, organic, fresh vegetables, grown with love and eaten with joy

• We cater only vegetable-centric, and often vegan, ethical food that is nourishing for the body and mind

• We share and collaborate in preparing and eating all meals

• We make it fun, playful, and regenerating!

• We make as much as possible ourselves (like nut milks and cheeses) and share how to do it with all our visitors

• We eat together and take the time to enjoy the colors and delights of fresh farm-picked food

• We have a zero waste food preparation approach

FOOD-RELATED ACTIVITIES

We are all about food, so many of our farm experiences focus on sharing incredible food, with farming practices that support sustainable living and zero waste cooking. Our cooking experiences include:

• Picking seasonal vegetables from the farm and learning how to prepare them

• Preserving, canning, fermenting, and transforming

• Sauces, chilies, and pestos

• Vegetarian and vegan meals

• Zero waste kitchen practices

• Nut milk and cheeses

• Cooking with fire

• Handmade pastas

• Kombucha and probiotic production