Packing v Quality

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Packing v Quality

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jema
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 5:48 pm Post subject: Packing v Quality
Anyone else dither in the supermarket assuming that is where you have to buy your veg, between over packaged produce, and more manky loose produce Mushrooms seem a particular problem in the local Morrisons. The loose ones often look in much worse nick.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 5:55 pm Post subject:

I know exactly what you mean - especially at this time of year!

We have a heck of a time finding fresh stuff here once the garden crops are gone and so - resort to the muck that our local "Super-U" sells. Tasteless rubish.

If I could figure out a way of growing out of season veggies here in my cellar all year round I would surely be a happier man.

My advise - Do as we do and try to find a local farm to supply you with most. With regards to mushrooms we are on the lookout for spawned compost to gro indoors. I would rather pay the fuel bill to keep the place heated than buy the mushy tat from Super U!

Good luck

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 6:21 pm Post subject:
We have bought mushroom kits in the past, but without much success

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 7:22 pm Post subject:
OK, well we have not managed to find such kits here in France but will keep you posted on the outcome if we do

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 7:31 pm Post subject:
I use our local car boot/market. There's a huge van that arrives selling fruit and veg. He's always got sacks of veg going dirt cheap and stuff like whole boxes of mushrooms for a �1 and boxes of cooking apples at a similar price. I stock up and freeze them. It's supposed to be 'seconds' but I've found the quality isn't far different to what you get in the supermarkets.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 7:32 pm Post subject:

I have tried kits in the past and tend to get a reasonable flush of shrooms to start, but then that's it. At least the compost goes in the garden and we find the odd one during the year.

I've not been able to get the spawn to work myself. I have a whole bale of straw rotting down ready to try again this year. I'll try the inoculated grain again and, if that doesn't work, I'll get a kit and mix that in.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 7:37 pm Post subject:
BRAVO! try try and keep trying - that is the only way to success (if i spelt success wrong then pardon my grammar) (if I spelt Grammar wrong then please bar me from this topic)

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 05 9:52 pm Post subject:
What about a box scheme instead - I'm a recent convert, its cheaper, you get plenty of veg and you get things you might not necessarily buy (interesting!) Soil association have lists, or there's abel and cole.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 9:55 am Post subject:
Morrisons drives me mad - shrink wrapping individual peppers! Came back for being away to find MIL had bought grapes in a plastic container at twice the price of the same grapes in a paper bag from the market. They only stayed a week but doubled our rubbish in that time.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 10:14 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

What about a box scheme instead - I'm a recent convert, its cheaper, you get plenty of veg and you get things you might not necessarily buy (interesting!)

Soil association have lists, or there's abel and cole.

I mean to look into box schemes, just wary of trying to spin too many plates at the same time. Box schemes require you to take the time to think, or you end up with waste

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 10:31 am Post subject:

Yep they do - don't use one myself but since I've started getting organised we've saved cash and eaten better. Friday nights after the beast is in bed I sit down (with a beer) and plan a menu for the week ahead, work out what we need to buy/get from the plot. List it, where to get it and the go and do it first thing on Sat morning - no trolling around trying to think on the hoof - over by 10am sit down have a coffee and watch the world go by. Very little if any waste.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 10:46 am Post subject:

jema wrote:

We have bought mushroom kits in the past, but without much success

So pick your own and dry them for use throughout the year

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 10:53 am Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

That has to be the way to do it, with the OH working just about everyday ina supermarket, it has been easy for me to slip into a work it out each day mode

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 05 8:48 pm Post subject:

The veg box is working well so far. I have my shopping delivered on a Thursday (from ocado) and box comes on wednesday (my meat comes via a monthly box scheme, so we usually have plenty of flexibility there) I look at whats in the box, decide if I need anything special to use it up and add it to my order wednesday night. I can order extra stuff from the box scheme, or request not to have something, or have a standing order for extra items.

The only slight difficulty is I have to order on a friday for a Wednesday delivery, so can't always judge what I need that's extra by then. This was fine, but now I don't have a waitrose delivery every week, as the box scheme sells practically eveything (all organic) from dairy, meat, groceries, cleaning products etc. I reckon we spend about the same on veg, but get twice as much veg for that money, so if we don't ue it all, I''m not going to worry - if I have way too much of one thing, I make soup for the freezer out of it, or roasted vegetables or stews use up miscellaneous things nicely.

As a result, I have been able to cut down the waitrose order to once a fortnight, but reckon I'll be able to go to once a month (which will be mostly dog food, and odds and sods like coffee or pearl barley) I spend about the same amount, but the money goes to a local company (not all locally produced, sadly) and I'm not tempted into buying things I don't need. it does mean I need to keep my store cupboard well stocked, so that I have the basic ingredients for most meals, but thats not a problem. There isn't much to get from the supermarket on a regular basis now except dog food, gin and coffee.

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