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Organic - Price Prohibitive?
Comments
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moggins wrote:I decided to try going organic as I was in the counties capital for organic produce yesterday (it has Britains first 100% organic cafe). Toddled along to the market and picked out a lettuce, some rocket, a couple of chilis and some celeriac. It came to nearly £6!!
So I'm sorry but trying to feed 5 people at those prices is just way too much, I just can't see how a normal family could afford it. I'll just have to wait until my 100% organic garden has produced this years crop before I touch organics again.
I am also struggling to go organic and finding it expensive. However I have found that the Duchy Farms Veg bag suits our needs. Each bag, and there are 4 options to choose from, has potatoes, onions and carrots. The one I have has 5 additional veg. This week we had chestnut mushrooms, cucumber, watercress, red cabbage and spinach. We are now eating a wider range of seasonal veg which hasn't added so much mileage pollution. The bags are either delivered to your home or you can collect from a pick-up pont local to you. Each option has a different charge. I have just started having eggs from them as well, my 8 yr old says they taste lovely soft boiled.
It is more expensive and I have cut back on other food costs where I can to pay for it. My bag costs £9 to local pick up point.
Call Anne Cox on 01666 504287 for more info or speak to her at the Stroud Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.0 -
Trow wrote:Without a shadow of a doubt *the* item to home grow is strawberries - shame we don't have a greenhouse any more and I am WAY to far north to get a decent crop without it
TROW - my parents live in the north west of scotland and they grow strawberried every year. They don't use a greenhouse or even plastic sheeting, just a little hay around the roots.
They always have a bumper crop (they make AMAZING jam) although they fruit a lot later than elsewhere in the UK.
The best strawberries and raspberries I have ever had are from a pick your own near Inverness!! so don't be put off.
I can't promise that all my replies will illicit this responser.mac, you are so wise and wonderful, that post was lovely and so insightful!
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Originally Posted by Loadsabob
I read a shocking article about washed, bagged salad in the Guardian last year (it was a book excerpt, I'll have to check out which book tomorrow - there was a second article on bread).Pal wrote:Sounds like "Not on the label" by Felicity Lawrence.
That's the one! Thank you! Haven't read the whole book, but the extracts were interesting!0 -
Loadsabob wrote:Originally Posted by Loadsabob
I read a shocking article about washed, bagged salad in the Guardian last year (it was a book excerpt, I'll have to check out which book tomorrow - there was a second article on bread).
Savvy Shopper in the Telegraph ran an article on bagged salad too. It's HERE. You may have to register to read it, but there's no subscription fee.
It includes these gems ...Higher levels of pesticides are sprayed on to field-grown lettuce than any other vegetable crop, averaging over 11 applications each year. Residues of inorganic bromide, a potentially ozone-depleting chemical, and iprodione, a potential carcinogen, have been found on British-sold lettuce. Watchdogs believe the rules regarding pesticide usage are frequently broken.Wash all lettuce and leaves, then dry them in a salad spinner. Bagged leaves have already been washed with water chlorine disinfectant. The heavy use of chlorine is extremely controversial. Not only does it remove flavour, it has been linked to birth defects. The Ecologist magazine reported that levels of about 50mg (but occasionally up to 100mg) of chlorine are used to one litre of water (2mg of chlorine per litre of swimming pool water is the norm).
yeuk!
:mad:Warning ..... I'm a peri-menopausal axe-wielding maniac
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r.mac wrote:TROW - my parents live in the north west of scotland and they grow strawberried every year. They don't use a greenhouse or even plastic sheeting, just a little hay around the roots.
They always have a bumper crop (they make AMAZING jam) although they fruit a lot later than elsewhere in the UK.
The best strawberries and raspberries I have ever had are from a pick your own near Inverness!! so don't be put off.
Certain foodstuffs are actually better suited to our climate e.g. strawberries & asparagus. The Spanish versions are infinitely inferior!Warning ..... I'm a peri-menopausal axe-wielding maniac0 -
Raspberries grow nicely in Scotland too
- Scottish raspberries and British strawberries are the best (quality) in the world - it's just a pity that most of the supermarket ones are the same (tasteless) variety [Elsanta] and sprayed with lots of chemicals, if you can grow your own the taste is amazing.
Also see 'Strange Fruit: a special report by Joanna Blythman of The Guardian':
http://www.fruitnet.com/cgi-bin/features.pl?features.REF=35
Re: Why is organic food so expensive?
There is an interesting article claiming that if the real costs were taken into account organic food would be cheaper than 'coventional' at:
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/food/qas/0,,161170_179846-1,00.html
Apparently the author is the Director of the TESCO Centre for Organic Agriculture (TCOA) at Newcastle University, "now the largest University-based research centre underpinning organic farming in the UK. TCOA currently holds major research grants from MAFF, DTI, EU and Greenpeace".
Didn't know that such an institution existed or that Tesco sponsored/funded it?
--"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the
best of everything; they just make the best
of everything that comes along their way."
-- Author Unknown --0 -
NeetaMD wrote:Call Anne Cox on 01666 504287 for more info or speak to her at the Stroud Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.
If you are in or near Stroud try Stroud Community Agriculture - a similar scheme is being set up in Edinburgh and a guy from Stroud came and gave an interesting talk on their scheme.
http://www.stroudcommunityagriculture.org/
"Members collect vegetables each week and take a share of the meat. Everyone pays a monthly contribution towards the farm and a fee for their share of the produce.
We want to encourage people from all backgrounds and income groups to get involved and have set up a small bursay fund to provide help if needed."
There is an active community life around the farm with picnics, shared meals, bonfires, night time walks, seasonal festivals and children’s activities. Members do not have to contribute work though many do, and we have regular community workdays. Non members are welcome at our events.
Plant your money locally
We want to expand the farm to feed more local people. As we get more members we will look to extend the range of produce we offer. This may include dairy produce, lamb, eggs and soft fruit.
-"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the
best of everything; they just make the best
of everything that comes along their way."
-- Author Unknown --0 -
Whilst not directly related to this thread, there is a resturant in Bristol that is wholly organic, and is fantastic, has a cookery school in it, and was actually reasonably priced for a change. I went there for my birthday and I loved it, even the organic champagne, and I dont drink at all because I hate the taste. Everyone had a starter, main course, champagne, drinks and coffee, and a specially-made-by the resturant organic chocolate and pear gateaux. All for £36 per head. Brilliant it was!
For anyone who wants to know its called QV on Whiteladies Road. And im not affiliated with the place at all - I just had a great time is all...
Jo xx#KiamaHouse0 -
I usually buy all my veg from a stall on the local market, it all comes from the Southport area and is tasty and reasonably priced. I had to nip into Tesco yesterday to top up some of my salad stuff including cucumber. I would normally pay about 50p for a big full cucumber and Tesco wanted 46p for a weedy looking thing, the organic ones were equally weedy and they were 99p.0
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V interesting article in Organic Way recently, the magazine for the Henry Doubleday Research Association.
It was about an organic farmer who supplies the supermarkets. Although the food is certified to organic standard, the supermarket still insists that it's delivered blemish free ... so any food with blemishes is, essentially, binned. As some of you may know, most contracts with supermarkets are wholly "exclusive" so the farmer is not allowed to sell his produce any other way.
Not only does this blemish-free policy increase the price of organic food - in the Supermarket - it's kinda against the organic sprit. A blemish is fine ... it's natural.... it's part of the veg (or fruits) natural characteristics.
Bloomin supermarkets :mad:Warning ..... I'm a peri-menopausal axe-wielding maniac0
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