Local food - grow your own?

I am sure you are aware of the growing trend of eating locally produced food. The idea behind this movement is that food should be transported only minimum distances to reduce its carbon footprint and consequently avoiding the environmental damage and costs of transporting food thousands of miles around the world.

The idea is excellent and I fully support local food and supporting local growers, but part of me says is this just another marketing ploy by big food retailers to make more money by looking greener. At the same time as selling local grown food they stack their shelves with other produce which has been flown thousands of miles and is over packaged. 

At the end of the day, the most local food possible is to grow your own but I don't see anybody in the food industry promoting the most local food of all. Even without any support, growing food is becoming more and more popular and the combination of the green movement and the recession that has made people think more about growing food to save money. It's not only healthier, it keeps you active and can be transported from grower to plate with little or no transport costs. 

Make your own herbal mouthwash

A refreshing mouthwash can be made using rosemary, aniseed and mint. The mouthwash will sweeten your breath and rosemary has antiseptic properties. 


Boil 500ml of water and infuse, for 15-20 minutes, a few sprigs of washed mint and rosemary and add a teaspoon of aniseed. 


Once the mixture has cooled, strain and store in a bottle for gargling.