The post I’m re-blogging below popped up yesterday on WP’s ‘throwback edition‘, which is one feature of theirs I’m rather fond of, though I wish it delved further back into my blogging history. Anyway. This post struck a cord with me, because I was still quietly fuming from a shopping expedition the day before. Here we are, in peak season for home-grown fruit and vegetables. And here I was, looking at shelves packed with French beans from … Kenya. The few British packs were squeezed onto an out-of-the-way bottom shelf. In-season-in-the UK vegetables had little place alongside ones from anywhere-but -here. Tomatoes from Morocco were a quarter of the price of those from the Isle of Wight or Lancashire. And let’s not even mention the place given over to vegetables no longer in season. Asparagus from Peru, anyone?
My featured photo of home-grown tomatoes was taken in a Spanish supermarket.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Food security, as in home produced, isn’t on any government agenda – whatever its politics. Utterly bizarre. We knew how to do it during WW2. The Kenyan beans are interesting in this regard. While we were living there, there were certainly some big European owned producers, but, I’m pretty sure a lot of the beans were grown by smallholder highland farmers under contract. We’ve largely lost our market gardens – not commercially viable etc etc.
But then looking at those gorgeous Spanish tomatoes…with the best will in the world, our mass produced local ones do not look like this, nor probably taste as good. Possible exceptions this year with all the sunshine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Food security ought to be way higher on the government agenda for both political and climate-change reasons. And I’m aware they may be many small producers in Kenya dependent on exporting their produce. But there must be another way? And if they end up on our shelves cheaper than British ones, what IS going on? And I think this year’s British tomatoes ARE getting better. The sun probably does the hard yards in developing flavour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess our production and inputs/wages costs are far higher than in places like Peru or Kenya, also possibly places where labour is more plentiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I realise that wages are very much lower, but when you look at packaging, air miles, etc …. it’s madness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, it does seem bonkers…
LikeLike
😕
LikeLike
We’ve become lazy and convenience orientated, whether we like it or not, Margaret. Well, some of us have- obviously not you and Tish. I didn’t have that kind of childhood, though we had an allotment with gooseberries which I loved. I do my best to buy local. Bilberries from Peru? Anyway I’m off to Specsavers now then we have a free afternoon. There’s just a glimmer of sunshine before the storms hit. I’d better buy that brolly xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m no saint, Jo, but I can’t help but read where goods come from, and what they contain. Anywhere distant (except in some circumstances) or containing palm oil just stays on the shelf. And it can get quite hard these days. The world’s gone mad. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aaargh, totally agree with you that food security should be way higher on the government agenda…but for some reason we are sleepwalking Into a very Problematic future
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed. Leaving the problem for the next generation. We’ll be nicely dead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not good for those that follow us
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It id s global thing, here there are so many fruits that don’t grow here, so obviously they are imported. But in our local stores grown in Finland is a big thing and local food and produce also, but you cannot get away from the imported produce. Bilberries and strawberries, cloudberries, raspberries, well nothing beats the taste of fresh berries picked locally
LikeLike
It’s not just the source that is of concern, but also the packaging.
We do try to buy UK produce when it is available – the operative word being ‘when’! The other day we searched along the apple counter for whatever came from closest to the UK. Eventually found some UK apples – they were extra large and came in a large family pack that wasn’t really suitable for a couple of pensioners, one of whom hasn’t got enough teeth to get through more than a small apple. So we wouldn’t have been able to avoid the plastic packaging either.
LikeLike
‘When’. You’re quite right. For us the answer tends to be our local market, where you can find more local produce and choose the quantity that suits. But not everyone has that privilege. I get so cross about the dearth of English apples. I was brought up honouring the subtly changing season, starting with Discovery and go on via James Grieve, George Cave, Lambourne’s, Cox (why don’t they rattle any more when they’re ripe?), Russet …. Now most of these are never seen in the shops. Ooops. Sorry. I’ll get off my hobby horse now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My husband grew up in the apple orchards around Hereford/Ross -on-Wye, and doesn’t need much excuse to explain to the world about the loss of the orchards and local apple varieties when we joined the EEC and everyone had to have golden delicious (crunchy water).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Golden Delicious are an abomination. And while I am very much a Europhile, if they began the rot which has continued without their help, I’m very disappointed. There are small joyous stars round and about. Here, a Walled Garden, a training school for learning-impaired adults, which has dozens of old varities to celebrate. Long may they flourish!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A great reminder of eating produce at the right time and local. Have just eaten fresh plums from my friend’s orchard and made chutney. We miss our chutney but enough extra to make some. I like your tanka and blogging memories.
LikeLiked by 1 person
THAT’s the right way to eat foods out of season! Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Local and seasonal is always best
LikeLike
There are so many varieties of Indian vegetables, fruits, even fish, which are squeezed out of markets now. It’s a shame that some of the flavourful small apples that I’ve grown up with are gone, the same with some kinds of bananas, several varieties of mango, not to speak of the fruits with very short seasons. Such a pity.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is. Big is Beautiful, apparently. There are new varieties on the block now. Big, bright, crisp – and tasteless. What was wrong with all those tasty old-timers, eh?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They look bad on Instagram, I’m told
LikeLiked by 2 people
You can’t eat an Instagarm account.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How I miss Ludlow. Locally sourced meat from the butcher, cheese shop, eggs and locally grown veg and home made marmalade and chutney from the market stalls.
Now I lazily depend on the supermarkets.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, towns like Ludlow are sadly depressingly rare now. We have cheesemonger who’s only been open maybe 3 monhs, and we can get local meat, eggs etc. But veg. not so much. Marmaklade and chutney I can do however.
LikeLike
It’s infuriating, isn’t it. All that carbon expended and much of the produce tastes of very little. We’re fortunate to have a weekly farmers’ market which helps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lucky you. We OUGHT to have one here. But we haven’t ….
LikeLiked by 1 person