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Dave H
Guest
We have, but all the locals are boycotting him as he wants to put a bloody great quarry on his land in our very tranquil valley - in fact I'm in the middle of the Inquiry process at the moment. I've had one day to argue with the council that they should be recycling aggregate, but it turns out that they have to produce a quota of new aggregate regardless of how much is recycled (that's the East Midlands Regional Assembly for you!!!) and I've got the day about our site coming up 19/4
Anyway back to the topic in hand.
Not everyone has a good local shop, so the organic produce delivery system is a good idea. For the stuff (cleaning products etc.) that we cannot get locally (I mean, using a car to do a 10 mile round trip to a supplier is not the best thing to do) we order from a supermarket that delivers. There are about 10 families in the village that order for delivery at the same time slot, so they part fill the van just for us. So at least the fuel pollution is reduced.
In an ideal world we would go back to village shops supplying the produce of the parish, but it's not going to happen so everyone has to try to do their bit.
My hat is off to all of you who use local produce.
danthecavingman
Member
The Sheaf View is an excellent pub but too far from Crookes for me 
We are lucky up in Crookes to have a good butcher and probably the best greengrocers I've ever been into called "Just Natural". I'm lucky that if I ever need any lamb I'm able to get it direct from a small holder out in the Peak. Last time it cost me £30 for half a lamb (In October)and it is still going - I couldn't believe how many chops you get.
Dan
We are lucky up in Crookes to have a good butcher and probably the best greengrocers I've ever been into called "Just Natural". I'm lucky that if I ever need any lamb I'm able to get it direct from a small holder out in the Peak. Last time it cost me £30 for half a lamb (In October)and it is still going - I couldn't believe how many chops you get.
Dan
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Dave H
Guest
Butchery costs!
Dan did you chop before freezing or after? I've never tried cutting frozen meat - I assume it's quite hard to do. With a sharp knife and a cleaver anyone should be able to butcher 1/2 a lamb in an evening.
kay
Well-known member
I'm in a complete muddle about all of this! We get our veg and meat from the local organic supplier, but that doesn't mean to say it's local - eg mangoes. And his meat comes from a big organic distributor in Wales.
I am trying to eat veg only in season, so there's a better chance that they could be local.
I suppose farmers' markets are the answer - but they are intermittent, I don't have a local (ie walking distance) one, and the nearest is Sunday morning once a month - just doesn't fit in with my lifestyle.
What I would like is organic and local. I'd prefer organic non-local to local non-organic, but which is the most ecologically sound choice?
T
tiggs
Guest
We currently get all our milk/ meat from the supermarket. I do try to get to the local market on a Thursday to get fresh fruit and veg. Round here we have just two butchers one sells very nice but very expensive meat and the other one i havent ventured into yet.
We used to get our milk delivered until the milkman gave his round up without getting a replacement.
I am getting v sick of having everything from the supermarket shrink-wrapped and date-stamped..none of the supermarket meat looks like PROPER meat. Half of its the wrong colour, an undescribable cut ( I guess Marrying a trained butcher doesnt help as between us we know what its SUPPOSED to look like) A mate of mine appeared at my house one day with some Mince from the supermarket, it was a nasty grey-ish brownish colour (before she'd cooked it) she said "but its still in date" i said i didnt give a stuff what it said on it. i wouldnt even give it to my dog. I am seriously thinking of going back to the butchers up near my mums and stocking up on PROPER meat, stuff the supermarkets (robbing swines).
Ps Dave H will you Please STOP CRYING you'll set me off!!!! :wink:
We used to get our milk delivered until the milkman gave his round up without getting a replacement.
I am getting v sick of having everything from the supermarket shrink-wrapped and date-stamped..none of the supermarket meat looks like PROPER meat. Half of its the wrong colour, an undescribable cut ( I guess Marrying a trained butcher doesnt help as between us we know what its SUPPOSED to look like) A mate of mine appeared at my house one day with some Mince from the supermarket, it was a nasty grey-ish brownish colour (before she'd cooked it) she said "but its still in date" i said i didnt give a stuff what it said on it. i wouldnt even give it to my dog. I am seriously thinking of going back to the butchers up near my mums and stocking up on PROPER meat, stuff the supermarkets (robbing swines).
Ps Dave H will you Please STOP CRYING you'll set me off!!!! :wink:
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Dave H
Guest
It's very hard to tell. The BBC tried to sum it up in this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4314507.stm
which refers to this article on food miles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4312591.stm
And this report makes it all clear - NOT http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7092
My wife's got a book at home about "chemical calories" which has a brilliant table about what fruit and veg. is actually affected by insecticides and fungicides. It has allowed us to only go organic when we need to, not just try to buy organic always.
If the crops are sprayed early in their growing cycle the spray is not likely to leave a residue in the end produce, but the crop cannot be called organic, so buying from the producer will allow you to ask the correct questions.
There are farm shops that I pass in my normal travelling so visiting them is not costing extra pollution from me and they major on local produce, with the bonus that some of the produce is organic.
I've been toying with the idea of buying an electric car and powering it from solar panels for a few years now. I nearly bought an electric Renault Kangoo from France a couple of years ago, but the UK dealers refused to service it and I couldn't be bothered enough to insist! I might yet build my own, but then that would get in the way of caving time!
Farming and produce really seems to be a hot topic!
