Tiggy Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 we are so lucky we have 2 farm shops selling locally produced fruit veg & bread, my poly tunnel is producing salad leaves alread, with lots of veg ready to go out onto the veg patch when the frosts pass.. OH does most of the shopping & always buys fairtrade coffee chocolate & bananas, but it is hard work & can be expensive, we have to do what we can, my sisters are on very low incomes & live in council flats & have more pressing things to worry about, I have the advantage of a good income house & big garden, and the luxury of worrying about the environment. we do what we can, small changes made by individuals can make a huge difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shirl Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 I choose organic over local although if I can have both then all the better. I choose organic to benefit my family as the priority rather than the environment. We use Green People soap and shampoos etc and I use mainly vinegar and water for cleaning. I tend not to take bags if I can avoid it but if I've forgotten to take one then I often buy a reuseable bag if available. I@ve got quite a collection now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Anyone have a good idea to get tea stains off a white sink? What i wanted to ask does everyone only feed organic to their chickens? We have Abel and cole deliver each week, although don't normally have a veg box delivered as we have a very good mostly organic farm shop down the road from us, who stock mostly local products. I figure that although A&C have to travel to us, they are also delivering to many other people in the local area on that day, therefore cutting down on food miles as much as possible. They deliver items such as flour, coffee, tea, sugar, ecover products etc.... I was having Abel and Cole deliver our meat etc but now our local farm shop has local lamb, pork and chicken which is either free range or organic. Although I would rather have Organic, I also consider that if you do not help your local farmers then no one else will either. I have also found a local farmer who is open once per month to provide beef, which is the best I have ever had!!! I joined the soil association in Feb and have realised many interesting things about Organic versus none organic foods. For example I had always know the health reasons for Organic (no chemicals etc.) However what I had not realised was the massive enviromental impact of chemical crop spraying. This I want no part in for myself or my family. So it is Organic bread, flour, cereals, fruit, veg and so on.... In order to be able to make these huge changes to our lives without it costing more as we could not increase our food budget, we have changed what we eat to be cheaper cuts of meat, more home made, like home made cakes and other sweet items and growing more fruit and veg at home. We are very lucky in that I have the time and we have the space for these projects. Re: The tea stains on the sink. Fill sink to over the stains with hot water. Pop a scoop of washing powder (that you use for your clothes) into the sink. Leave for 1hr and rinse off. Perfect white sink left At least it works for us! Re: The organic chickens - We feed our's organic feed, also they have our organic left overs - veg etc. However when they eat the worms or the slugs, I guess these are not organic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Thanks for the tips re sink, wonder if it will work with ecover washing powder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs and chickens Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Thanks for the tips re sink, wonder if it will work with ecover washing powder? Possible, it was a tip passed on by a friend of mine, when she had left the water in after doing her hand wash! She was using fairy washing powder at the time. So still a mild powder. I have found most powders work the same way, but have not tried ecover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Thansk just changed to it trying to use less normal detergents. Will give it a go later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I agree Laura, well said. You can drive yourself quite batty doing what you think is the right thing. Personally I prefer local first. I dont stress about the organic. I am not educated enough on the subject to get on my orange box about the whole situation. I would just rather support local small business rather the the great and powerful god of Tesco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
