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Archives for January 2012

Coffee Addiction

January 31, 2012 @ 21:44 By Gavin Webber 18 Comments

I will let you in on a little secret that I have been harbouring for the last week or so.  I am addicted and obsessed with coffee grounds, or at least my worm farm and garden are!

I discovered this wonderful organic matter about 12 months ago when a friend of mine gave me two large garbage bags of coffee grounds that he picked up from a local cafe.  Without thinking too much about it, I added a bag each to two of my three compost bins.  About a week later I checked back and to my amazement there were worms in abundance literally swimming though the grounds.  They loved the stuff and multiplied quickly, which made me happy.

Anyway, after a while I promptly forgot this valuable lesson until about three weeks ago when I read an article about the benefits of coffee grounds when used in your garden, compost or worm farm and how it has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio (about 20:1) which is comparable to grass clippings.  Coffee grounds also help the soil to retain moisture if added directly.  For those who compost, it is used as a ‘green’ and not a ‘brown’ even though that is its colour.  For those who thought it would be high in acid (just like a cup of coffee), think again, because it has relatively balanced pH of between 6.2 to 6.9 (with 7 being neutral).  Most of the acid is flushed away during the coffee making process.  If you have acid loving plants such as blueberries, you can add it directly around the base and they thrive.

Now I am a one cup a day man, which produces 20 grams (3/4 oz) of grounds.  This doesn’t sound like much but over the course of a year that amounts to 7.3 kg (16 lbs) of waste.  It only takes 50,000 cups of java to make one metric tonne of the stuff, which you can easily imagine many, many times over in a large city of 4 million like Melbourne or Sydney.  1 tonne of coffee waste emits 1.6 tonnes of Greenhouse gasses, primarily being methane (CH4), so that is one hell of a lot of GHG emissions just from coffee waste.  Taking it out of the waste stream is doing the climate a favour!

Where do you get a steady supply of this ‘brown gold’?  Well if you happen to live in Melbourne, which is home of Australia’s coffee culture, you certainly do not have to look very far.  There are cafes and coffee shops everywhere, just throwing away mountains of coffee grounds every single day.  All you have to do is have the courage to ask for them.

So I did ask.  I currently have an arrangement with my favourite coffee lady Kate, whereby I take in a little bucket with a lid, and she diverts the coffee grounds from landfill and into my bucket.  It fills in a couple of days and I collect it in the mornings and pop it into the boot of my car before I catch the train.  A nice arrangement and Kate was more than happy to accommodate me, probably because I started the keep cup craze here at the train station.  Anyone who is anyone now has a keep cup (well at least 15 people that catch my train now!).  There are many other cafes in town, so it would be easy enough to approach them as well, but we will see how much I get from Kate each week first before I get too greedy.  The worms and compost bins can only take so much.

The coffee bucket for the railway station cafe.

Where else can you get some without doing the hard yards?  Well I did some research and there is a web site that can help you.  groundtoground.org has a great map with details of where you can pick up some coffee grounds from willing cafe proprietors.  Have a look as it has some great tips on how to use the coffee grounds and other good ideas.

Additionally, lets not forget our work places.  Many now have automatic coffee machines that grind roasted beans and serve up a half decent cup of coffee.  I know that at my work, just about every floor in our high-rise has one of these machines that needs to be cleaned out daily.  The grounds are usually tipped into the landfill bin by some unconcerning soul.  However, the machine on my floor gets cleared by yours truly, whereby I cart the grounds home in my lunch box.  The only limitation I have to taking home more is the room and weight of my backpack.  I could probably carry about 3kg comfortably and there is certainly much more than that going into the bin each day.

My lunch box (after lunch of course)

So in summary, don’t be scared to ask your local cafe for their coffee waste.  It may not have any value to them, but it is worth it’s weight in gold if you ask me.  It is fantastic for your worm farm, compost bin, and veggie patch, not to mention a big reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.  Lock all that carbon away in the soil is such a simple action that you can take.

Best of all, coffee grounds are free!

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Filed Under: compost, Gardening, worms

Backyard Chickens at the Co-op

January 31, 2012 @ 10:30 By Gavin Webber Leave a Comment

One of today’s posts is over at the Simple Green Frugal Co-op.  It is a rehash of a post I wrote a while ago titled “Backyard Chickens – Return on Investment“.  I have updated it with further information from the response I got from comments on the original post.

Please join me over at the co-op.

Gav

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Filed Under: Chickens

Home-made Passata di pomodoro

January 28, 2012 @ 21:45 By Gavin Webber 15 Comments

As I only grow enough tomatoes each year to eat fresh, I headed down to Bacchus Marsh to my favourite fruit and veg shop (Jeff Jones) and pick up a 10kg box of saucing tomatoes for a very cheap price.  Then I make about 3-6 months supply of Passata, which is a basic tomato puree.  Here is how I do it.

Firstly I core each tomato, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.

A 10kg box will fill about two 8 litre pots.

Then I simmered until pulpy for about 45 minutes.  Give it a stir a few times during the simmer to stop it from burning to the bottom.

Once pulpy, I passed it all through the food mill to extract the pulp and leave the skins behind.  Don’t forget to pass all the skins through for a second round to get the last drop of juice.

Here is the finished result.  A nice and thick puree ready to bottle.  I sterilised the bottles in my normal oven manner at 120C for 15 minutes, and boiled the lids separately.

To each bottle I added 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid to bring up the acid levels, then I filled the bottles using a funnel, and sealed tightly.  Brought the water bath up to 92C and then kept it at that temperature for 45 minutes.

Once they were removed and cooled, I heard the audible pop of the lids.  Every one sealed okay.  Out of that 10 kg of tomatoes, I ended up with nine 720ml bottles (23 fl oz) of Passata.

We will probably go through this in no time, however with shop bought Passata at about $3 each, I have myself a saving of $15 (the box cost $12).  It only took a couple of hours work all up and I had a relaxing time making it.

I have in the past added salt, but I now prefer to season the meal and not the ingredients that I make to put in it.  Who else has made Passata, and are there any variations on the mixture?  Leave a link if you have blogged about it!

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Filed Under: Preserving, vegetables

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

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    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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