Allotments 4 All

I've just been out of my office for lunch and as is common once a month, a farmers market sets up for the day offering all sorts of wonderful foods and produce. I bought myself a delicious ceasar salad topped with freshly cooked jerk chicken (salad and chicken plus sauces produced/reared by the mother and daughter who were selling them).

I went to sit by some steps - overlooking a lovely man selling his own grown tomatoes - under the hot sun to savour my lunch and noticed next to me a young lady on her lunch break, holding a Sainsbury's bag out of which she pulled out the ubiqutous plastic wrapped ham and mayo sandwich with wilted lettuce in it.

Something about that really saddened me... oh well, my lunch was absolutely delicious! didn't really bother asking her if hers was any good  :P

Having eaten courgettes in various guises for the past 2 weeks, and with no let up in production for a while yet, a plasticky wrapped sarnie has a sort of appeal.

When I was on dialysis a few years ago, all I was allowed to eat was steamed courgette and/or twice boiled potatoes, washed down with camomile tea or softened/purified water.

My hatred of the courgette has not diminished - but now I grow them for the rest of the family and they punish me so!

I can see what you mean, and I agree with you  :)

I had a crunchy salad today with all my lotty grown stuff with a topping of fresh mediterranean parsley.  The chunky cucumber was gorgeous.  I had piles of it stuffed into a pitta with a beefburger left over from our burger stall last weekend.  Only 49 burgers left to eat  :o 

I did a similar thing just now, ate my cheese and pickle rolls at my desk - rolls, homemade this morning, some mature cheddar, real butter and homemade chutney.

While my colleague had some stuff in a bag from the big yellow M which smelt dreadful.

We make the effort and I know it's not PC but I think we are allowed to be a bit smug sometimes!!

Rosie :) :) :) ;)

Vaca - that lady just doesn't know what she's missing. Trouble is I've heard of a lot of people that will not buy food unless it's wrapped. They are worried about a fly landing on it, or something. But not at all worried about all the chemicals that are pumped into them.

My colleagues are always amazed by my homemade bread I have for my homemade sandwiches every day.

Rosie - It still astounds me that people can't eat that big golden M food. I walked past one of the places yesterday and felt my stomach heave.

It is such a shame especially when there is no excuse with a farmers market nearby selling fresh produce.  Unfortunately people seem conditioned to prefer sterile packaged  food nowadays.  That salad she was eating probably came from a pack which was pumped with chlorine gas to keep it fresh.  Very sad she was unaware of  that fact and how much more nutritious the farmers markets produce would have been.  busy_lizzie

Quote from: busy_lizzie on August 18, 2005, 14:58:15
It is such a shame especially when there is no excuse with a farmers market nearby selling fresh produce.

...exactly my thoughts, she was sitting there watching the market unfold before her eyes but seemed oblivious to it...

i've just sent vikkie off to youth club with a tub of ratatouille (excuse spelling) for her packed lunch. all ingredients home grown  ;D and picked five mins before cooking.
now i know it tasted lovely (because i nicked some!) but more than that, the smug, self satisfied pleasure of sending my child off with home grown, home cooked, chemical free, FRRRESH food is second to none.
this is my first ever harvest and i'm LOVIN' IT!  ;D

I've been eating salad sarnies for lunch at work for the last 4 weeks or so, I suppose I should be getting fed up of them but I'm not, especially now that I can bring a bag of sweets (gardener's delight) every day too.

Little Gem, Burpless Tasty Green, Lisbon White and Cherry Belle.....and, er, prepacked meat :(

Guess I'll have to get some pigs next  ;D ;D

All this talk of food is making me hungry!

I want to know how to make this lovely home made bread! I have loads of tomatoes in my greenhouse just waiting to be put between some fresh slices of bread. Yum yum! ;D

I tried my hand at baking bread rolls, but they turned out like cricket balls! :'( What did I do wrong? Guess I should be on the recipe forum asking this stuff - never been there before. (note to self - must visit recipes4all!)

Quote from: Trenchboy on August 18, 2005, 14:30:15


When I was on dialysis a few years ago, all I was allowed to eat was steamed courgette and/or twice boiled potatoe

I've gotta a client who eats 'twice-boiled tats' under dialysis..... you tellin me I can sell him COURGETTES?????

;D >:( ;D ;D ;D

Talking abut salad stuff, my little gem lettuces were fantastic this year, so tasty and hearty.  Have finished them now and only got some webb lettuces left, but will definitely grow them again next year. busy_lizzie

Talking about sterile stuff, my kids must have ingested half a ton of dirt from the veg they've taken off lottie. I am a remiss parent and the hand washing front, though I try to be good, and they couldn't be healthier.  Though several of friends children who seem to live in a constant barage of sterility are always getting colds, bugs etc. And no, I'm not advocating the unwashing of hands, just that a liitle bit of dirt is good for the soul, I feel!!!! Lottie ;D

As I said on another thread, it's the anti-bacterial generation :P.

See how many household products have that buzzword on their packaging and in their commercials... what's the most ludicrous product you've come across?

Time to rebel, says I! Let's start a campaign!

LOVE YOUR GERMS!!

Not in our house they don't.  I was bought up this way, D wasn't, but we both believe a bit of dirt does you good.  And if you can trust the dirt - all the better.

Hi Underaarriage plan,
                                    Its not the dirt that causes the problems its the anti-biotics that parents demand that their kids get from their doctor.

                                                   PREMTAL ;)

This will probably turn me into some sort of a leper on here, but, once in a while, I quite like to have a change and eat junk, whether it be a Big Mac, sliced white bread or a pre-packaged sandwich.  My overall diet is pretty healthy, so I don't see that it does me any harm.

Couldn't agree more, Premtal! But still think it helps not to be too fussy so kids can build up some immunity. I knew a lady who's kid had a pile of toys he could play with, and a separate pile for visitors' children, which were disinfected after peeps had left, never known a kid get so many bugs etc.  Strangely enough, didn't get too many visitors......... ;DLottie

My darling takes home made sangers, pies and cakes  to work everyday, and he is the envy of his colleagues.  Now some of them take home made selections, and I have an outlet for excess veggies!

My kids are rarely ill, number one son has never had antibiotics in his 4 years.  Prepacked 'junk' and Maccy D's is a chemical, sugared, salted hi that we endulge in once in a while, and like you Wivvles, once in a while, we love it!  :P ;D