One Week Eating Local (2) The Start

It was last November when I did the One Week of Local Eating, eating only food produced in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex as much as possible - that's nearly 8 months ago - good grief.

I decided it would be interesting to do it again with so much of my own food available and bought brie and butter from the Dairy Farm down the A140

Then from the 'Locally Produced' shelves at the Co-op. Flour from Essex, Hill Farm Garlic Mayonaisse from near Halesworth in Suffolk and  Rapeseed oil from Norfolk. Co-op usually do Hill Farm Rapeseed oil but perhaps that's not available at the moment. Bacon from Brundish (10 miles) and Sausages from Bury St Edmunds

From the garden I've got the first onions, not very big but already the tops have gone over thanks to wind and rain

Also available are aubergines, tomatoes and cucumber from the greenhouse. Courgettes, potatoes, mangetout peas, beetroot and green beans from the garden.

Not a lot of fruit left in the garden as the strawberries have finished, but there are a few raspberries left. Most gooseberries and redcurrants are in the freezer but windfall apples are just about use-able with plenty of cooking and sugar.

The cheapest local eggs are only 80p a half-dozen

Bit blurry, had to take the photo in a hurry as another car pulled up for eggs just behind me.

That's my start position

Back Tomorrow
Sue

Visiting Two Car-Boot Sales

  On my Saturday 4th post I was trying to decide about going to the first Sunday car boot sale - the small local one just 15 minutes from home - well I went but not very early because it was drizzling here at 7am when I got up. It wasn't busy at all and they'd made wide passage ways with a one-way system between the cars. It felt safer than a supermarket - especially as it was really windy so any virus would have been whipped away over the fields very quickly! Arriving after 9 it was too late for bargains - if there were any, so all I spent was 50p - guess what on ? yep, a book of course.

 

 This Sunday just gone I was a bit earlier arriving, the sun was shining and oh my goodness what a difference, it was crowded............both sellers and buyers.  It's not surprising really as all the other boot sales around haven't re-started but I think  16  weeks of quiet at home means that I've lost my car-booting mojo...........didn't really enjoy it at all. So a quick look round and home for breakfast.

This is what I found

2 Pairs of gardening gloves will be for the two Christmas hampers. Christmas books for the oldest 2 grandchildren and a couple of zip up folders...........total spend £2.50.

If I'm to go again next Sunday it will need to be much earlier and with a list of the few things I need to specifically look for, if I don't go I might spend the rest of the day wondering what I'd missed!!

Back Tomorrow

Sue

Start of a New Week

It was lovely to have Eldest Daughter and Eldest Grandson staying for a few days but goodness me that 4 year old is exhausting! He never stops talking and hopping and jumping  about  from the moment he wakes until bedtime.The weather wasn't good but they still managed to get out and about with his local cousins and aunties and finally Saturday was sunny and warm for a trip to the beach at Felixstowe.

Last Tuesday I had my first charity shop visit for months and found two Action Men for Jacob's visit. I had no idea if boys still like Action Men and couldn't remember at what age - but it's something a bit different................. Soon found out 4 year olds who are mad on cars and dinosaurs aren't interested in muscly toy men wearing camouflage gear! Oh well perhaps when he's older.

It was a good thing they didn't stay over Saturday night, he would have been woken with a start as I'd just about nodded off when there was an explosion of fireworks somewhere very close - although not in our lane. Looked at the clock -a few minutes after 11pm - a tad inconsiderate I thought, not something that's a common occurrence around here thank goodness, the fireworks didn't last long and I was soon asleep again.

I've returned all my library books through the returns letter box at the nearest library building to get them back into the circulation system.  Suffolk libraries are sort-of open with an odd system of ring, say what type of books you'd like and staff will pick a selection for you and ring you to say when you can collect them - all seems a bit of a faff - and how many people are going to want someone else to pick their books for them? Hopefully when the mobile library comes later this month he'll have the books that have been requested and waiting for me since March.

Good news about swimming pools re-opening later this month, I'm looking forward to finding out how it will work at the small pool where I go  - on line booking, lane swimming and limited numbers for sure.

A very delicious addition to the food produced at home list last week - The first Green Beans - so good.

Quite a lot to do this week as I want to get organised to do a week of eating local food again, also have grass to cut, much weeding in the veg garden and strawberry runners need pegging into pots to make new plants and probably many other jobs that I can't remember at the moment..



Back Tomorrow
Sue