We were a green family - part II

If appa was a zero wastage person, amma scaled new heights. It was such a talking point in the family circles that my cousin one day remarked, " chitti does not waste anything, including sunlight!"She made this remark one day while coming into our house. The front porch was fully bathed in sunlight and the floor space was dotted with plates and baskets full of stuff which were gettting dried in the sun with not an inch unutilised.

Amma fully lived up to the reputation. We had a garbage pit in the backyard and I used to wonder how often we collected compost from the same. Not very often. Then what happened to all the bio degradable waste that we should have generated when we were kids? It was simply that we did not waste them, we consumed them!

Let me see. All the edible peels of fruits and vegetables were not thrown off but were either consumed in the raw or were recycled as chutney. Chow chow, orange peels I distinctly remember the 'tugayal' transformation. Banana peels were used directly in flowering plants, as they make them flower more. They were also used to treat the various insect bites that we used to be subjected to. A gentle rub on the affected part and even after the caterpillar sting leaves the skin bumpy and itchy, it will be cured within a few minutes.There was no question of peeling apples, mangoes and guavas; we would wash them well and consume right away.No wastage. Potatoes were mostly used with the coat on.If it is the greens, the leaves were separately used for the 'masiyal' and the stems for sambhar. Only the roots were left to be thrown into the garbage pit.

We had mangoes, lemon, tamarind, guava, cashew , blueberries and 'ilupa' tree in our compound. So it was an year round activity of harvesting and immediately drying them and then utilising them. You must be wondering about the 'ilupa' tree. Bats used to particularly like the fruits and would eat them and drop the seeds. Athai would forage the area and collect the seeds.They would be drying in the sun. Once it becomes a sizeable amount, we would sit together and chisel away the outer cover and salt away the kernel. Over a period of time the kernels would be collected and taken for extracting oil.It is believed the oil is very auspicious for lighting lamps. The residue of the process was again used as 'arappu podi' to clean oily vessels. No we did not buy the magic vim liquid, whose one drop will clear a sink full of oily and grimy vessels.

Of course, raw mangoes, tamarind used to be harvested and dried extensively and used in its myriad forms.

I remember monthly rations time. Every single item delivered used to be wrapped like a cone in a newspaper and tied with a jute thread. No packaging, no plastic pouches. We had specific vessels for oils and we used to carry them and fill them with pure oil. Yes, it meant doing research and being a vigilant consumer. The quality used to be identified with a specific shop or the oil mills in the neighbourhood.They had to earn it and not lazily piggyback on an international brand!The newspapers used to be evened out and used to line the shelves in the kitchen. Jute thread will be carefully rolled and used. Again zero wastage in the entire process. I now compare with my monthly shopping bags and the waste is almost as much atleast in volume to the items bought for use.

It is amazing to think about it now.

I will be back after a short break, please dont go away.