[SPLIT TOPIC]Dispatches:Organic food

Glad to see the Dispatches show made it on here. We eliminated factory raised chicken a couple years ago and feel much better for it. Pork is equally appalling unless free-range or organic. Pigs are a bit higher up the 'intelligence' chain than chickens - not far off from dogs - and putting them in these atrocious factory farming conditions is just obscene. And remember, pork means bacon and ham sandwiches, too!! It's hard to be ethical about your meat but we are slowly making the progress we want.

Geally, I know there are supposed to be a couple butchers in the Newcastle area who sell really good meat. I know for a fact that my butcher is cheaper for lamb as well as most other meats. So don't rule that out.

I have a list somewhere of good butchers and organic shops for all regions in the UK. If anyone wants some suggestions, let me know.

..  Fish.. don't have more than 1-2 times a week..  

I didnt see Dispatches last night...
Why are we not meant to eat fish?

There's a couple reasons O, the 2x a week tends to be geared more towards child-bearing women as the levels of mercury in oily fish can be quite high. But I think they may be suggesting that for lots of people.

Many other fish are also extremely overfished and there is a serious shortage. If I'm not mistaken, cod is a big problem.

I have an article on this somewhere... will see if I can find it...

I do take fish oil supplements, however.  One a day.  Aillidh also takes a fish supplement - I've seen real progress in her development since she's been on it - even though it's quite a costly brand b/c it's got no additives and a high EPA:DHA ratio - as she has experienced delays. 

There's a couple reasons O, the 2x a week tends to be geared more towards child-bearing women as the levels of mercury in oily fish can be quite high. But I think they may be suggesting that for lots of people.

Many other fish are also extremely overfished and there is a serious shortage. If I'm not mistaken, cod is a big problem.

I have an article on this somewhere... will see if I can find it...

Not to steal anything away from you, but this is a good resource for what fish are okay to eat and which are not (in terms of overfishing).  There's even a little pamphlet you can print out and keep in your wallet.

great fungirl!

I have to tell you guys that show has really really affected me.

we were in costco yesterday and before i had any meat in my hands i inspected the whole chickens.  Almost 3/4 of them had the hauk burns on their legs and tails.  I almost cried, knowing what I saw, what they went through.  I walked out of there with frozen shrimp and frozen salmon, that's it.  My normal Costco shop would have been: 15 skinless chicken breasts, 12 pork steaks, 6 flank steaks, 6 sirloin steaks (or fillets), Some turkey cutlets.....i thought if their suppliers are doing this to their chickens,imagine the cows....the pigs....  i was literally heartbroken.  For the first time, ethics won over budget.

Today i'm off to the organic farmers market around the corner and will get the rest of my bits at the local butcher, fish monger or organic from waitrose.

I just can't do this anymore after seeing that show.....what people choose to serve me me is different at restraunts or with friends...but knowing how much i cook-if i can make a difference, that matters a lot to me.

Amy! I'm so proud of you!! It IS a difficult decision, espcially when on a budget. I think you will notice a difference in taste and quality from your butcher now.

Just thought I'd share that I went to our local butcher and farm shop yesterday. I spent a little over £24 and got the following:

5 nectarines
3 peaches
one large cucumber
one punnet strawberries
one punnet raspberries
one punnet plums
bag of broad beans
bag os runner beans
one lemon
6 eggs
one large loaf white bread
1/2 pound dry cure bacon
1 pound minced beef
one large, whole chicken

The chicken of course is the most expensive item (£9!!) but we'll get a minimum of 2 main meals out of that (I have them cut it in quarters) plus at least one sandwich and probably a broth for soup.

Now all I need to do is get staples at Tesco and one bit of fish from the fish monger and we're set for the week!

I didn't see the dispatches but I've seen documentaries like that back in the States. About ten years ago an expose on chicken farming put me off eating it for a long time. Same with tuna, if I remember correctly.The whole process was despicable - to the animals and the humans consuming the end product.

We're really lucky to have a butcher and green grocer in our village. We didn't start making real use of them til about a year ago and I'll never go back to meat & veg at the supermarket again.  We've never been disappointed in what we've gotten at either shop and whoever mentioned the difference in taste is spot on. Real food vs. protein-injected, water-bursting meat product. Can't beat it.

And our butcher is a real character. Must be about 70, not a tooth in his head and he constantly gives Richard a hard time when he goes in there.

Way to go, Aimiloo!  You won't be sorry - the taste will make up for it, I promise you. 

We don't buy anything besides staples in our supermarket. 

After all the meat's gone, I use chicken bones to make a lovely broth which can be frozen and used as a base in soups later on. 

Don't forget to make a wish on the wishbone!   

Crushed egg shells also work wonders in your garden or even on your household plants, especially if mixed with coffee grinds. 

Let us know how you made out at your farmer's market - I look forward to our fortnightly visit next week!

all right, due to our late arrival we did OK but not perfect.  We got:
A lg punnet of cherries: 2
a punnet of raspberries: 2
3 onions, 2 heads lettuce, green onions: 3.50
6 eggs (free range) and a leek: 2.75
goats cheese with cranberry: 2.50
2 free range turkey legs and a container of free range diced turkey breast: 6.25
A bag of 7 apples: 1.50

pretty good i think-we were deciding on a bunch of stuff for next week like some trout and some more fresh fish.  I think i need to start branching out-i didn't like lamb at all but i may try vennison....

we'll get there earlier next week.

another thing, we got the rest of stuff at waitrose-almost everything i got was organic.  And i checked everything that was labeled organic and it said 'organic certificate UK 5'
So that's certified organic right? 

i want to tuck in to some goats cheese with cranberry now!

Well done, Aimiloo!

Yeah, you have to get there EARLY to get the pick of the goodies at these markets.  BUT, it's a good excuse to go for brekkie or have a cup of coffee afterwards.   

I hope they have some apples at ours next week.  I have one of those Lakeland microwave apple bakers and it's really easy to do apples for pudding.  Plus, our daughter loves 'em - well, loves the honey and raisins in them. 

we would have bought more but had already gotten tomatoes, cukes and a few other bits....next week we'll aim to get it all there!   

I know there's no such thing as a stupid question, but this may qualify. . . .If you buy direct from a butcher, is the meat guaranteed to be organic and free range, or does it depend upon the butcher itself? (I haven't been here very long, so I'm not too familiar with the whole butcher/fishmonger system.) I'm a vegetarian, but my husband isn't. We've just started going to a butcher for his meats in the past couple of weeks. So far, it has been cheaper, and he says it tastes great. But, I don't want him to grow a third eye or something because the meats are injected with all manner of strange things!  Also, does anyone know of a good farmer to buy local produce from in the Aberdeen area?

Thanks!

You need to ask your butcher if it's free range/organic. Our butcher for example, carries both free range chickens and non-free range (though I'd suspect that the non ones are not from the horrid factory farms seen on Dispatches). The pork is not free range but it's from a farm with large, spacious sheds. All his meat comes from local producers who are not part of the supermarket chains.

does anyone know  a good farm/ farmer near Birmingham? 

and  is everyone watching  Dispatches tonight?  I thought it was  going to  be more about  beef  but it looks like it's  about milk and dairy..which I  don't really eat anyway.. hmm.  should be interesting   nonetheless..  8pm..