General Chat

Hi Eddie,
I work full time, and dont drive. Get my shopping in the small town centre supermarket on the way home.
There IS a bus to the nearest of the two big supermarkets on the edge of town - this would take me 2 bus journeys - and, despite being open until 10:30pm, the last bus to the supermarket is at 2:30 - when I'm still at work!
Although I have a garden, it's small and established with shrubs etc, and would take an awful lot of work to make it 'veg' friendly!!

I have grown my own veg in the past, and kept my own ducks (for eating) so I'm not exactly 'green' when it comes to growing my own - and I know how much effort my compacted chalky soil would take to grow vegetables - and as I said, I work full time - also live alone, and don't really want to spend ALL my weekends gardening!!

Eddie, I do agree with you. But, not everyone has access to local grown veg etc.or local farmers markets or panniers. Fortunately, I have visited your pannier market many years ago, and was absolutely entralled., and wish every town had one. I wish we had one here. However, we do grow our own soft fruit, hard fruit and veg, tomatoes, spring onions, peppers, etc., and I freeze as much as I can for the winter. But, sometimes, just sometimes, I have to have shop bought fruit and veg.
As for growing carrots, I would not agree that it is all that easy. We have been doing it for years, and you always have to watch for the carrot fly, no matter what precautions you take, and we do.
Lovely part of the country you live. Very envious.
Julia in Derbyshire

We had home grown carrots and runner beans today with our dinner
and the taste was lovely , soooo much better than the supermarkets
Hazelx

Had you considered looking in the local farmers or pannier market? I find its the best place for fresh local fruit and veg that has n't been messed about by or for the supermarkets. Our local market and shops in Barnstaple are full of wonderful food grown on local allotments and small holdings which is far superior to the insipid tasteless rubbish available in the supermarkets. As for the cheap, nasty meat they sell in T's or S's, just don't get me started. And supermarket milk! Undrinkable watery rubbish.
Carrots are so ridiculously simple to grow you could do it yourself too.

Julia - I'm jealous!!!!!

Shirley - that's amazing - Tesco's - even Budgens have them (I've been phoning friends & family asking if they can get them) Is it a 'Sainsbury's' thing?
There's only me, so no point in buying a bag of carrots that will be flaccid in a day - I'd rather pay a little extra and get THIS years veg.

Mau - so it's not just me then!! LOL
They have 'baby' parsnips - which are tasteless, and as you say, no british apples.
I was on holiday at a campsite in Wiltshire a fortnight ago and the apple trees in the orchards (on the campsite) were extrmely heavy with fruit.

Hmmm - a voucher - hadn't thought of that..........

Another moaning minnie here , but I do agree with you Maggie re: vegetables.
By coincidence, I was chatting lately to another customer in our local store,while we were both looking at poor vege.,green potatoes etc......."sounds like a chat over the garden wall" lol ...and remarking that years ago these would have been given to cattle as they just weren't good enough to sell (of course they didn't go in our trolleys we're not daft).....
.....and another thing,perhaps you can answer this,or someone,....why are there no British apples on sale in our supermarkets?

ps. I did think you were going to tell us you'd received a voucher in the post! ...watch this space?? :O) xx

pps I have a smashing Bil who does supply me with vege.from his allotment--

OH was asking why no carrots with his roast today and had to tell him our BIG Sainsbury's in the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham Kent didnt have any of the chantenay carrots that he likes.They only had bagged BIG carrots that are uneconomical for us as I hate cooked carrots . As we are only two at home I wont buy as too much for him and will be wasted.
he did his usual Victor Meldew!! or as our grandkids call him Victor Mildew ! lol

Maggie, we grows 'er own Chantenays. Nothing like fresh veggies.
Today we have, with the Roast Pork, Cracklin' and home made Sage and Onion Stuffing. Own fresh picked Sage, and home grown onions, and left over home made bread for the breadcrumbs in the stuffing
First root of Golden Wonder Potatoes for Roasties
Chantenay Carrots
Hispi Cabbage
French Runner Beans.

For tomorrow, Cold Pork, Pickles (home made) own grown beetroot, and saute Nicola Potatoes

But I do know what you mean about the veggies in the shops.

Allotment Holders Wife
Julia in Derbyshire

Edit, and Apple sauce made from last years windfalls. Nothing goes to waste in this house. So it doesn't. As Jim would say LOL

I'm turning into a right old moaning minnie!!
For the past fortnight, the only carrots for sale in the sainsbury's in town have been organic or huge (and tasteless) broken carrots, or the 'basics' range - which, from careful perusal through the opaque bag are only fit for cattle fodder - old dried lesions, purple ends etc. definitely last years - must have been in a clamp for the best part of 9 months!!

No lovely Chantenay carrots for sale here.
New potatoes, 'baby' parsnips - but old carrots.

So I sent off an e-mail of complaint.
I was told that the carrots were the 'basics' range and that Sainsbury's don't clamp their root veg - of course they don't - the farmer does!!!
I explained to the lovely lady that the carrots were still of cattle fodder quality there was no choice and about the clamping.
Then I had the pleasure putting 'former agricutural labourer' under my signature!!! LOL