Every Little Helps – August 2011

The point about shopping locally is that it’s got “green” all over it: if only it was easier to do. Sometimes I think I’d get better prices at a large supermarket, which seems a good idea in these difficult times. Sometimes, when I’m walking in the rain, pulling a heavy trolley between shops, I think about driving to a mall. Then I think about the huge amounts of unnecessary packaging there, on everything from apples to ham. I think about the “Buy One (more than you really need) And Get One (which goes off before you can eat it) Free” and I reconsider.

While we tend to walk to the shops on the High Road or Fortis Green for the nicest meat, fish and veg, we also use Ocado deliveries (amongst others) for some of the really bulky or heavy stuff. Apparently their vans use half of the fuel that the equivalent households would use picking up their shopping. Other interesting delivery services include organic veg “group shopping” drop-offs, outside schools and community centres.

Farmers’ markets are still – just – viable, bringing locally produced food to a suburban market. We’ve had occasional French ones (lovely but pricey deli food and cakes) and the Alexander Palace market every Sunday. Local food means reduced transportation, so reduced CO₂ , which is all to the good. Local also means seasonal food (which as I’ve mentioned before, doesn’t really limit your food variety if you’re OK with traditional foods).

Of course, seasonal fruit is popping out all over the place from now to the end of the autumn. Fruit trees in our road include greengages and plums, apples and pears (several varieties), cherries and even apricots. We’ve got quince and grapes, figs and blackberries in abundance. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could leave some of the excess out the front of our house, or somewhere locally, for others to help themselves? Seems a shame for them to go to waste. Pickling&Jam club anyone?

Farmers’ Market site – www.weareccfm.com

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