Grow Your Own Magazine

My fav is belly pork too! My nan used to roast it and we would have it with scalloped potatoes and a fried egg and peas - fat, fat and more fat - YUMMMY

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How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.”

I like that! Pork with hairs on indeed!

Hope you don't mind me tagging on here as it isn't a proper supermarket rant. However, I hate buying eggs from the supermarket as I'm never sure where they came from and they're so expensive. I used to buy a tray of 20 XXXL (usually double-yolkers) hens eggs from our farmshop for £3.50 and they were delish! However, since moving, I haven't found anywhere that sells decent free-range eggs and have been paying £1.29 per half dozen from Sainsbury, and they're nothing special. There's no farmshop near us (our nearest was recently bought and so far hasn't re-opened - whether or not it will, I don't know, but here's hoping) and I haven't found anywhere on the side of the road, as it were. That is, until today! There was a sign saying 'free range eggs', so I pulled in. There was a huge pen in a field with chickens grazing and an honesty box. Basically they're charging 50p per half dozen, which doesn't seem at all bad to me.
What I want to know, is whether this is good or not. The chooks seemed happy enough and seemed to have plenty of space. Haven't tried the eggs yet, so couldn't comment. Are there specific requirements chook people have to follow in order to call their eggs free-range?

Don't think the term free range is protected, it's not like organic where the chooks and their conditions have to be agredited. Think I've read that free range can be very very good but as they're not regulated the conditions can be not quite what we would like to see as free! As you saw yours then you're probably on to a winner. I know of a place which is basically organic but can't afford the registration issues so can't call themselves organic, see what I mean?

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Acording to the Atkin's diet books I have read there's nothing the matter with a bit of fat!
Cripes knows what my arteries are like though!

Chlorestorol city here I come!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

You can't do Atkins, Snadger, you're not allowed fruit and veg on that!!!!!!! LJ would have to ban you for not joinng in.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

I think we are all 'leaning on an open door' with regard to supermarket meat. It is dreadful. The conditions under which the beasts have been reared are totally unacceptable, and worst of all produce very poor quality meat. It really is a crime that so many animals have been bred and slaughtered to produce such rubbish!!

Our road to Damascus conversion was a long time ago. A chicken seemed good value, aka cheap. When we were eating it as the Sunday roast, the comment we both made was that it was about as tasty as damp cardboard!!

We are lucky, in that within 10 miles we have two very good butchers shops. You can ask for something that is not on display, and they will be only too happy to provide it. If id's not in the plastic packs in a supermarket then we aint got it

At the end of most months we go to the Bakewell Farmers' Market (ie last Saturday of the month). We do a round trip of the market, Chatsworth Farm Shop, and on the return, Hartington for a nice bit of Stilton, (and possibly Wensleydale - Grommit!!) and other cheeses.

The Farmers' market has stalls which provide locally produced organic produce. When we go to the Chatsworth Farm Shop (we mainly tend to buy meat).

The Chatsworth Farm Shop meat has all come from the estate, and can be accountable from the estate.

When you go into the Farm Shop, if ther is something you want that is not on display, then they are only too happy to supply it. Whether it be cheap offal cuts, or the very expensive fillet steak. It is a dream butcher's shop!!

I make no apologies, I am a carnivore. I do eat meat, and I like the taste of meat. There is no way I will stop eating meat.

My angst, is how this meat is produced.

Supermarkets, and particularly Tesco, have a lot to answer for.

Not sure Valmarg but I think Chatsworth may be an accredited rare breed finisher as well. It's a strange irony but the best way to preserve the rare breed farm animals is to eat them as if no one wanted them they wouldn't be able to afford to keep them .... & they do taste most excellent !

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

We have a farm just up the road from us that sells eggs at the gate with an honesty box. Was up there most days during the summer/warm weather getting chook, duck and goose eggs for very reasonable prices. They were delicious! I pop up every now and again just in case there are any about, but it looks as though I have to be patient and use supermarket eggs for now. We can see the birds from the gate and they all look happy enough, they are enclosed in generously proportioned pens, these are marked up as free range. They really are nice.

Kirsty

Nice thread this as it covers so many life style choices.
Supermarket meat has never been hung as long as butchers meat which is why, whatever the quality, and they really try hard, it will never taste as good. Perhaps someone might know why the supers will not hang their meat for the same time as a butchers shop. Butchers beef has been hung for 20 days before sale for forty years or more. The other problem that has not been discussed here is packaging. If you get your chicken home and do not want to eat it straight away then take it out of the packaging. As long as it is not sitting on one of those absorbant pads and wrapped in shrinkwrap, it should last a lot longer. How long would you want one of those pads sitting under your meat.

Don't even get me started on packaging!! When I think of how supermarket foods are double and treble wrapped. What a tremendous waste - and so much of it is plastic or not easily recyclable materials. I realise why they do it (hygiene and food preservation so stuff doesn't get too broken) but is it really necessary? If you buy pre-packed fruit, it usually comes in a polystyrene type tray, and is then covered with clingfilm. If supermarkets were made to use paper bags, instead of plasticm we could hand-select individual items and carry them in our paper bags in the safe knowledge that we weren't wasting all that packaging. Let's face it, most of us simply strip away the packaging and chuck it in the bin. (Except for my Dad, who keeps the clingfilm off things like mushrooms and uses it again! He is truly conscientious!)

They sell coconuts in Morrisons wrapped in clingfilm for protection...............

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

We reecently bought some hand held computers at work & wen for the ruggedised version as they are to be used in the feild - literally-

The company wen to great lengths to tell us each one was dropped 3m on to concrete to test them they arrived in boxxes about 15" sqaure surrounded by polystyrene packaging !!!

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

and there was me thinking my Dad was the only person who did that....

Thanks brewer-again. Will take note.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

That's the sort of thing my mother has always done and it has kind of rubbed off. We have piles of stuff hanging around to be reused. It's no wonder I need more shelves.

Re farm eggs. We started buying them from the activity farm we take Miss E to, you know the sort of place where the kids can collect the eggs and feed the ducks/goats, calves, etc. They are now only open at weekends but Mr E was told if we want eggs they will be in the small handling area and you just walk in and pay. They are changed daily. Not bad, 70p a half-dozen hens and 80p half dozen ducks. Ok probably not organic but as was said earlier, at least I've seen the birds and in some cases fed them!

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

I have now tried said free-range eggs, and whilst they tasted fine, I wasn't sure of their freshness: I poached them and the whites didn't hold together as well as they should have for fresh. However, I think they're ok generally, so I shall continue to buy from there - except when I'm over visiting my old farm shop, then I shall buy their double-yolkers!

Waffler, I'm sorry you can't get any decent eggs locally. Tomorrow at the Bakewell Farmers' Market there will be a stall which sells free range eggs, and I shall buy a tray (30 eggs). When I get there the label will say 'laid this morning' and they are really fresh. I have two or three left from last month, and they are still fresher than anything you can buy in a supermarket

When you poach eggs, do you put any salt in the water? This breaks down the egg whites. To poach eggs you should only use water and a smidge of vinegar. (Hope I'm not teaching granny to poach, rather than suck!!)

You don't say what part of the country you live, so can't advise re anything local to your area.

NickTG - Chatsworth Farm Shop is a delight. Nothing is too much trouble. Also at Bakewell is a stall 'The Traditional and Rare Breed Meat Company'. The sausages are superb. As you say, Nick, it's sad that the best way to preserve rare breeds is to eat them, but at least they have had a free roaming life, as opposed to being in a cage. We do our best to try to ensure that the meat we eat has not been produced in an inhumane way.

Just as an aside - does anyone on this thread buy supermarket ready-meals?

We prefer to make our meals from that magic substance 'scratch'. In the meals we provide for ourselves the worst sin we commit is to use a stock cube. Apart from that fresh meat, fresh veg and fresh fruit.

valmarg

Dont get me started on Supermarket Ready Meals Valmarg, I could rant on about them all night! Mr D used to buy some before I met him, but after showing him how easy it is to make most of them, and how much better they taste when home made, and how much cheaper he doesnt buy them anymore! He's even beginning to try cooking meals from scratch now, tho his Korma last night was a bit of a disaster, but gotta love him for trying! lol! Fortunately it was salvageable and his pancakes for afters more than made up for the Korma!

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Blessings
Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 3rd September 2008 - updated balance sheet!

I confess it has happened occasionally, although the last time was several months ago and the last one is still in the freezer and will probably stay there. The only thing that does occasionally get bought (by Mr E though) is pizza usually when I am working late. If I am going to be in I make pizza from scratch to get a decent gluten-free base.

Otherwise the most processed it gets is the stock powder (Marigold) and the occasional tin of baked beans usually because I haven't done the soaking and boiling thing and am running out of time.

With a child around cakes and biscuits are more fun made than bought and can be done on impulse, bread is made in the breadmaker and sauce is cooked from scratch. I do buy chopped toms and passata in tins/cartons for use when the fresh ones have run out.

Not quite ideal but working on it.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

No, I don't put salt in the water, but then I don't put vinegar in the water either.
I'm in North Wiltshire, if anyone knows of any great places to get eggs.
I confess to buying the occasional supermarket readymeal . It's out of sheer laziness or lack of time (though we all know Hugh showed us this isn't an excuse!) and we're always disappointed with them. It really is only occasional though, as we also prefer to cook from scratch. However... I rarely use stock cubes as they have so much salt in them!

Haven't bought a proper ready meal in years but like EB above, do use tins of tomatoes and the odd on of beans etc if I haven't got time to soak. Don't think this is too bad as it's not like the processed rubbish you can buy in the cooler sections. Oh yeah and occaisionally buy a pie or something at the farmers market but am not too worried about that either. Am pleased that we've not bought any bread since we bought our bread machine too.

My brother in law doesn't really eat anything that you can't ping and is getting a right gut on him, has bad skin and is always suffering with some complaint or other. OK, probably unfair to put this totally down to his diet (he doesn't do any exercise either) but it really can't help. You only have to look at the ingredients to make you worry and goodness only knows what they put in them to make them keep "fresh" for so long. And finally, if that's not enough, any I've tried tasted foul also! Sorry about the rant, it's one of my pet subjects.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?