Organic boxes v Farmers Markets v Supermarket Fruit and Veg

[Pieface]

LOL if they bloody behave themselves

Everything died except one tomato plant and my runners

Round two has begun tho

I'm about to begin round 2 of my toms Gardening advice seems to be of the opinion they were getting too hot in the window.

My cress didn't go so well either

 

[Idaho]

I'm lucky in that the farmer's market is near to me and every week. Unless it fits into your shopping routine it just doesn't work.

What I don't get there I get at the local greengrocer. I buy maybe 5% of our fruit and veg from the supermarket. It's such crap normally. Completely flavourless but pleasant looking.

I think most people who get supermarket veg have forgotten what vegtables can taste like. Had some supermarket baked potatoes the other month. They were inedibly bland.

 

[zenie]

I'm about to begin round 2 of my toms Gardening advice seems to be of the opinion they were getting too hot in the window.

My cress didn't go so well either

Oh dear!

Did all of mine die too?

I fear I may be the worlds worst gardener

 

[Orang Utan]

I have Brixton Market just round the corner from me, but the quality is seriously bad - crap spuds, crap tomatoes, crap onions. They don't even sell decent apples

 

[Pieface]

Oh dear!

Did all of mine die too?

I fear I may be the worlds worst gardener

yours got squashed by someone at Dub's work. I was too embarrassed to tell you after you were so generous

 

[zenie]

yours got squashed by someone at Dub's work. I was too embarrassed to tell you after you were so generous

No way

Oh well

 

[Pieface]

I'm a fucking vegetable apocalypse. I'm pretty much sowing anything at the moment in the hope that something will work out for me!

 

[Spion]

This winter we've been regularly buying carrots, onion and celery, either from the supermarket or the local twice weekly (not farmers) market.

The allotment's getting going now so there'll be less buying of veg and more variety (and taste) too

 

[Roadkill]

I think most people who get supermarket veg have forgotten what vegtables can taste like. Had some supermarket baked potatoes the other month. They were inedibly bland.

My experience exactly. I bought a pepper from Somerfield a few weeks back when I hadn't time to nip to the greengrocer. It cost 90p ( - the ones even from the organic greengrocer are only 60!), and it was completely and utterly tasteless.

I forget who it was who said that fruit and veg that looks too perfect, as it does in a supermarket, should set alarm bells ringing: it's either been picked unripe to make it last longer, sprayed with Christ knows what preservatives and pesticides, carefully selected so everything not quite the right shape is chucked out and wasted, and very probably it's going to taste of nothing much as a result.

 

[ChrisFilter]

Supermarket, because I support my local Somerfields. God bless them.

In reality, supermarket 'cos it's easy. Had a box delivered for a while, not loads better than supermarket, and way too expensive.

 

[northernhord]

I'm about to begin round 2 of my toms Gardening advice seems to be of the opinion they were getting too hot in the window.

My cress didn't go so well either

One or two of my Toms have been scorched a tad, Ive been leaving the window open a bit during the day and it seems to havesorted the lil buggerz out.

 

[Pieface]

But I fucked up cress, northerhoard.

Did you read that?

I fucked up CRESS.

 

[northernhord]

But I fucked up cress, northerhoard.

Did you read that?

I fucked up CRESS.

Miss vegio apocolipto

 

[pogofish]

we'd get a box delivered if they could do so weekends / evenings. Honestly - i don't know how other people manage - don't they get nicked?

IME, a lot of folk who get boxes have them delivered to their work or get from a work-based shared box.

 

[twisted_angel]

I buy my organic veg from a local farm apart from my tomatoes and cucumbers... i get those from an old dear who was a reg at the pub i worked at...he brings me some each week for most of the year.

 

[Orang Utan]

But I fucked up cress, northerhoard.

Did you read that?

I fucked up CRESS.

Div

 

[pinkmonkey]

Fruit and veg stall on Woolwich Market. It's not organic, but it's convenient, it's good quality and it's very cheap. I top up from a local greengrocer (which happens to be organic) in Greenwich.

Tbh, anyone who buys the tasteless, underripe, expensive rubbish that supermarkets peddle as fruit and veg either has no alternative or no sense.

or no time.

I don't live anywhere near a farmers market, I'm cycling distance from Tesco or Lidl. If I'm anywhere near the Tottenham High Road I'll go to a Turkish supermarket, but I've been so busy this month and last, working 7 day weeks, most weeks, any ethics have gone out of the window and I've shopped in Tesco and Lidl. Lidl veg is cheap enough, but you have to check everything as the quality can be a bit iffy, but Tesco is a feckin rip off and everything seems to be grown in Kenya. When I was really broke, start of this year, with no work on, I cycled to Edmonton Green coz their indoor market was really cheap for f&v and everything else was Tesco Value or Lidl.

I miss the farmers market and it's not possible to get veg boxes (or anything else) delivered here coz of the barriers and gates.

At least I have a fridge now and I don 't have to live off tinned veg.

 

[Pieface]

Div

!!!

 

[Orang Utan]

!!!

Try growing mould in the bathroom. I'm sure you could manage that

 

[Pieface]

actually I once lived in a house that had mushrooms growing through the carpet in the bathroom. That was gross.

 

[Orang Utan]

actually I once lived in a house that had mushrooms growing through the carpet in the bathroom. That was gross.

Took some skill though. Well done you. You have, er, brown fingers.

 

[Pieface]

Want to smell them?

 

[girasol]

Just got Abel & Cole leaflet through the door, and was thinking, maybe I'll give them a try...

So I came to good old urban to see what the word is in the street when it comes to Organic boxes... Was pleasantly suprised to find that Hollis had already started a thread on the subject!

Currently I get all my veg from the supermarket because I'm lazy (from Sainsbury's since our reallocation to Tooting, before that Morrison's on Holloway Rd)

 

[seeformiles]

Bottom end of Leeds market for majority of stuff as it's really cheap - couldn't really care whether it's organic or not since I don't think it makes a lot of difference taste/pesticide wise and is certainly not worth the money they charge.
If market closed then Netto or Aldi are great value as well
Local Asian/Chinese supermarket for all spices.

 

[rubbershoes]

we're getting a veg box from the local primary school. the children grow the veg and organise the whole scheme

it's half the price of riverford as well

 

[Mogden]

We used to get a box delivered from a local box scheme but you can only phone to order and I hate phoning people as does Flashy. And the bloke wasn't the brightest spark so after a couple of weeks of ringing and not having a box delivered we gave up but that coincided with the local vegan shop opening in town. They try their best to supply local produce which is admirable but I've seen roadkill squirrels with more life in them than some of their stuff.

So generally it's the market which isn't necessarily local produce, although I try to buy English and British stuff, but is good quality and cheap. Sometimes it's supermarket stuff but I try my best to buy from the market. Frankly I'd rather go for local stuff than organic cos it's all very well saying it's an organic kiwi but if it's been shipped umpteen thousand miles to get to my shopping bag, the carbon footprint kinda outweighs the no chemicals thing for me.

And I'd grow my own but I'm terrible at it.

 

[dash_two]

Street market for fruit n veg every time. Supermarkets are a rip-off, farmers markets are just too expensive and not my kind of scene. Won't pay the extra for organic food, don't see the point.

 

[May Kasahara]

Other - local greengrocer (v good), bog standard fruit and veg market (pretty good), or Co-Op (surprisingly good) when I can't get to either of these.

 

[pootle]

I never really considered that buying fruit and veg from a greengrocer would be considerably cheaper than a supermarket. I guess you get used to the convenience, innit?

Can someone recommend a decent fruit and veg stall or greengrocer action in Brixton or Herne/Tulse Hill?

 

[Ms T]

I never really considered that buying fruit and veg from a greengrocer would be considerably cheaper than a supermarket. I guess you get used to the convenience, innit?

Can someone recommend a decent fruit and veg stall or greengrocer action in Brixton or Herne/Tulse Hill?

The greengrocer in Herne Hill's pretty good, otherwise I'd use either the Portuguese butcher/deli on Atlantic Road, or the veg stall outside Wing Tai on Electric Avenue. (I get a box delivery though from Riverford for most of my vegetable needs.)