Broccoli head from Spain priced 20p in supermarket.

[Reynard]

Clothes peg?

 

[KnittyNorah]

Clothes peg?

Don't think I haven't given that some thought! I might even have tried something similar ... cotton wool stuffed up my nose. I'm fully aware that most of it is a learned/programmed response which by now is a mere habit; I managed to overcome it for the sake of good cheese and along the way managed other milk products too, but there's not the incentive with soused herring and sauerkraut as there was with cheese!

 

[icowden]

Now, I have bought Tesco broccoli before: is it my imagination @gbb that the Tesco broccoli tasted much fresher than the Asda 20p broccoli?
And yet, the packaging, content, country of origin on label are identical!

@mudsticks probably knows more about this topic than me, but I'm sure I recall reading that supermarkets will often purchase "parts" of a farms crop. So M&S might purchase 35% of the "A" grade broccoli, Asda might be getting "C" grade and Tesco "B" grade all based on what they want to pay and therefore what price they intend to retail it at. So you could conceivably be getting the same crop from the same farm, but getting less fresh and good looking broccoli than another provider.

 

[mudsticks]

@mudsticks probably knows more about this topic than me, but I'm sure I recall reading that supermarkets will often purchase "parts" of a farms crop. So M&S might purchase 35% of the "A" grade broccoli, Asda might be getting "C" grade and Tesco "B" grade all based on what they want to pay and therefore what price they intend to retail it at. So you could conceivably be getting the same crop from the same farm, but getting less fresh and good looking broccoli than another provider.

That sounds plausible, there are 'grades' of crop.

But contracts between the multiples and growers will vary .

The problem is there are so relatively few buyers, who control the market, and can who can set, and or drop prices at will .

Particularly for fresh food it's a buyer's market, as once it's grown and harvested there's not much a producer can do.

Those special 'offers' from the supermarket are usually borne by the producer.

Theres an agency called the Grocery Code Adjudicator, that is supposed to see and impose 'fair dealing' between producers and the multiples, unfortunately it is pretty toothless

It would be interesting to see the figures on how much is being planted overall this year, particularly in this country.

With the dearth of skilled labour from overseas, and rising fuel and input costs, I expect there will be a lot of growers not seeing any future in it

Which would be a real shame, for availability of really fresh food, and all the skills and knowledge gone.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sensibly, broccoli wasn't widely available in my childhood. As I grew up, I learned to reject vile trendy vegetables.

I'm struggling with the concept of "trendy broccoli". I guess it may have been trendy in the 70s. Along with brightly coloured tank tops. I think in the 70s my dad grew purple sprouting in the garden, so it was a bit of an oddity. But since the about the 80s I think it's lost any claim to trendiness.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I'm struggling with the concept of "trendy broccoli". I guess it may have been trendy in the 70s. Along with brightly coloured tank tops. I think in the 70s my dad grew purple sprouting in the garden, so it was a bit of an oddity. But since the about the 80s I think it's lost any claim to trendiness.

I can vaguely remember my mum saying to my dad that there was this 'new stuff in the greengrocers they called broccoli, but it wasn't like any broccoli you or I have ever seen, it was more like that Italian stuff you grew a few years ago - what was it called?' That would probably have been in the later 1960s or early 1970s.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

With the dearth of skilled labour from overseas, and rising fuel and input costs, I expect there will be a lot of growers not seeing any future in it

Yes, exporters to the UK and exporters to other colder climate countries, I guess.
Could this perhaps mean that the UK growers will get a better deal?
Maybe we will get used to only eat in season (for us) fruit and veg? Climate is against us!
It would be interesting to investigate veg growing and consuming in Mediterranean countries.
I follow a few Italian cooking channels, they always publish recipes according to what's in season there.
I know that farm labour is not treated fairly, here or abroad, but is the end cost to the consumer abroad the equivalent of 20p veg too?
I know that small scale farmers on the continent used to sell their produce at local markets, every town had one at least once a week, bigger cities had daily fruit and veg markets.
I'm not sure if this is still the case, or if supermarkets are the predominant choice nowadays.

 

[Reynard]

Depends @Pat "5mph"

When I'm in that there Londinium, I favour a particular street market which specializes in fruit and veg. The produce there is excellent, though the deals are very pot luck and do vary from day to day. The proximity of Spitalfields probably has something to do with that.

But you do need a handle on supermarket prices, because some things are cheaper in the supermarket - and sold in more sensible quantities to boot.

Out here, the market is largely disappointing when it comes to greengrocery, which is daft, considering we're on the edge of market garden territory here. There is a new stall which is promising, but whether they retain that variety remains to be seen. Food tastes out here are pretty conservative, much to my frustration at times.

 

[mudsticks]

Yes, exporters to the UK and exporters to other colder climate countries, I guess.
Could this perhaps mean that the UK growers will get a better deal?
Maybe we will get used to only eat in season (for us) fruit and veg? Climate is against us!
It would be interesting to investigate veg growing and consuming in Mediterranean countries.
I follow a few Italian cooking channels, they always publish recipes according to what's in season there.
I know that farm labour is not treated fairly, here or abroad, but is the end cost to the consumer abroad the equivalent of 20p veg too?
I know that small scale farmers on the continent used to sell their produce at local markets, every town had one at least once a week, bigger cities had daily fruit and veg markets.
I'm not sure if this is still the case, or if supermarkets are the predominant choice nowadays.

Well I was more wondering if a lot of UK growers will be producing at all.
What with fuel, and input price rises, and labour shortages, because of you-know- what..

And before as anyone says 'get UK workers to do it'..
It takes a long time to get up to the speed, and skill required .

But we will have to see how it all pans out.
, I'll keep going of course, but I enjoy a loyal customer base.
My costs, and prices will go up a bit, but there are ways of keeping things affordable for anyone having a really difficult time financially.

On the continent there is still generally a stronger culture of valuing, and supporting local and regional food.
Regular markets are still found in most towns .

This is partly down to farm size, and number of, there are just more small and medium sized farms, because of the way land is passed on, but also it's a food culture thing.

Even chain supermarkets are often franchised, and their buyers will source regionally because that's what their shoppers demand .

Many local authorities require that a large proportion of public procurement, for schools and hospitals, is regional too.

Of course there are the big operations, and industrialised food too, as described above.. Often as much for export, as the home market

Not always doing very much good to the environment, or for their workers.

I've heard of large scale growers who won't actually eat their own produce..
They keep a 'home garden' for their own consumption..
Which is rather telling..

 

[Reynard]

I've noticed a lot of produce (e.g. apples, potatoes, carrots, cauliflowers) from Cambridgeshire and Norfolk in my local Tesco @mudsticks - not sure if that's a deliberate thing or simply coincidence...

 

[mudsticks]

Well it could be something they're doing deliberately.
But your area has good soils, and should be able to produce lots of decent veg .

Not such a bad view whilst working late at the office here this evening

Not sure about all that 'red sky at night' stuff though...

As soon as it got dark, it started raining..
For which I'm thankful

 

[Reynard]

Well it could be something they're doing deliberately.
But your area has good soils, and should be able to produce lots of decent veg .

Not such a bad view whilst working late at the office here this evening

View attachment 640904
Not sure about all that 'red sky at night' stuff though...

As soon as it got dark, it started raining..
For which I'm thankful

Saves you going out with a watering can...

Fen-grown Maris Piper tatties are just the best. Especially if they've fallen off a trailer and rolled into the verge...

 

[mudsticks]

Saves you going out with a watering can...

Fen-grown Maris Piper tatties are just the best. Especially if they've fallen off a trailer and rolled into the verge...

Those lovely peaty soils..
They just need to look after them a bit better .
So much lost to erosion, one way or another..

Yes , a watering can on this little lot, now that would take a while

 

[Reynard]

Those lovely peaty soils..
They just need to look after them a bit better .
So much lost to erosion, one way or another..

Yes , a watering can on this little lot, now that would take a while

Yes, the drop from road to field is rather sobering. In part, that's why I plunked seven acres of trees in. It is getting better now in terms of looking after the soil I think, although I can't claim to be au fait with the ins-and-outs of what's being done.

I've got a spare can I can wang over if you want... Prime fen ditch water optional extra.

 

[mudsticks]

Yes, the drop from road to field is rather sobering. In part, that's why I plunked seven acres of trees in. It is getting better now in terms of looking after the soil I think, although I can't claim to be au fait with the ins-and-outs of what's being done.

I've got a spare can I can wang over if you want... Prime fen ditch water optional extra.

Yes it's not all doom and gloom by any measure .
I go to a large regenerative agriculture gathering in June, where a lot of the bigger scaled operators hang out..

And among them theres a lot of interest in soil building, and ecology, and environment, even social issues such as access to land for new entrants - even in those, what you might consider more 'conventional' farming circles.

Most farmers aren't stupid, despite the rather 'slow rusticle' image that some like to project on us, we can see what needs to be done, it's just most have been pushed, or at least 'encouraged' down a bit of a factory farming cul-de-sac.

And of course, we need to make a living, like everyone else..

Soil building, and biomass sucks up, and stores carbon too..
Which everyone likes right??

So that's being encouraged far more now as well🌳 👍🏼💚